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Jalapeno Cheddar Burgers

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Oh man!  I just snarfed this baby down!  The entire burger!  I’m so full that I can hardly sit to blog and it’s been a hour and a half!  It was completely delish (my son hates it when “girls” don’t finish their words…I don’t care).
I decided to share our favorite burger with you for the Memorial day weekend.  You were probably wondering what on earth to grill this weekend.  Well, this is THE burger. 
It can have some serious heat.  So don’t whimp out on me!
This burger has layers of flavors.  I like layering flavors in food.  It creates more deepth to the taste. 
Let’s start with the ground beef.  You will need 2 lbs ground beef.  I like to use extra-lean.  I realize some folks say to use a more fatty beef to get a juicier burger, but the addition of onion and jalapeno give some moisure to the meat.  You will also need Worcestershire, onion, jalapeno, fresh parlsey, salt and pepper, and some cayenne pepper.
Break up the ground beef in a large mixing bowl.  Sprinkle with the salt.
Several grinds of black pepper.
Sprinkle on the cayenne pepper.  I can’t believe I’m out of cayenne.  I using a spice that Steve sent me for Christmas.  It’s called “Fire in the Hole” and it’s hotter than *&@#!!
Pour on the Worcestershire.
Dice the jalapeno by cutting the pepper away from the seeds.
Discard the seeds and stem.  Slice the pepper into thin strips.
Chop into a fine dice.
Add to the ground beef.  The actual recipe calls for 1 tablespoon, but I use the whole thing!
Dice the onion…
…add to the gound beef.
Take a fork and gently mix all the ingredients together.  Don’t use your hands to mix because it just might end getting over mixing and you DO NOT want your burger to have the texture of Meat Loaf.  Got it?!
Ooops!  Almost forgot the fresh parsley.
Like so.
Form into 8 patties.  If you want them to be the same size, you can weigh out just a little over 4 ounces or 1/4 pound.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to grill.
Next layer.  You will need corn syrup, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcesterhire and butter. 
In a small saucepan add corn syrup, brown sugar, ketchup and Worchestershire.
Place over medium-high heat.
Bring to a rapid boil then remove from heat.
Add the three tablespoons of butter.
Whisk until smooth.
Set aside until ready to use.  This can be make a couple of days in advance.  Just refrigerate and reheat when ready to grill those burgers.
Next layer – Spicey Ranch Sauce:
I use Olive oil mayo, greek yogurt (fat free), green onions, jalapeno, cayenne pepper, cilantro and lime juice.
In a medium size mixing bowl, add yogurt and mayo…
…cayenne pepper.  I’m using the “Fire in the Hole” spice – LOVE THE HEAT!
Chop the green onions.  I use the white end.
Dice the jalapeno.
Add the green onions and jalapeno to the yogurt/mayo mixture.
Add chopped cilantro…
…and lime juice.
Stir together.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  This can, also, be made a day in advance.
It’s time to pull together the other ingredients that you’ll want to top your burger with.  You will need some bacon.  I have applewood smoked.  Sliced tomatoes, lettuce, extra-sharp cheddar and red onions that I’m going to rub with oil and grill.
Let’s not forget about the buns.  I like hearty buns that will hold together while eating.  These babies have to be able to hold all of the toppings together, don’t skimp.  These are my favorite.  They are not “airy” like the cheap grocery store kind.  They won’t go soggy or fall apart.  You can also use Kaiser buns, onion rolls, ciabatta buns, or your favorite bun.
Time to grill.  Slap those patties on a hot grill.  I like to close the lid down for a few minutes.
I like my buns toasted.  Just lightly butter the buns and place on the grill while the burgers are cooking.
Remove the buns from the grill after they are toasted to your liking.
Flip the burgers and brush with the sauce we made earlier.  The sauce gives the burger a nice glaze. 
After you glaze the burger, add the sliced cheddar and precooked bacon.  I just lay the bacon on the grill and let it cook with the burger.
I like to close the lid down and let the cheese melt a bit.
Now you can layer.  Lettuce, Spicey Ranch Sauce, meat, cheese, bacon, tomato and grilled red onions all stuffed inside the toasted bun.  Superb! 
My husband took the meat, cheese and bacon put it on the bun and smothered it with ketchup.  I had to force him  to take a bite of my giant goodness.  What a pansy!  He totally whimped out on me!  He doesn’t deserve my cooking masterpieces.  Ahhh I still love him…ketchup burger and all!
Jalapeno cheddar burgers

Burgers

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeño chile
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Worcestershire Glaze

• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter

Spicy Ranch Sauce

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 4 green onions, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chile
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 8 bacon slices
• 8 hamburger buns or 3- to 4-inch square focaccia rolls, split horizontally
• 8 lettuce leaves
• 8 slices extra-sharp cheddar
• Assorted additional toppings (such as tomato and grilled onion slices)

Preparation

For burgers:

Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. Form mixture into eight 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick patties. Place on small baking sheet. Cover and chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

For glaze:

Stir first 4 ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat until coffee is dissolved. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Season glaze to taste with salt and pepper.

For spicy ranch sauce:

Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Working in batches if necessary, cook bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Toast buns until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer buns, cut side up, to plates. Place lettuce on each bun bottom. Grill burgers 5 minutes, basting with glaze. Turn burgers, baste with glaze, and grill until cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes longer for medium. Press cheese atop each burger and allow cheese to melt. Add bacon. Top with desired additional toppings. Cover with bun top. Serve with remaining sauce.

Source:  Bon Appetit

I just want you to know that I NEVER eat out at fast food joints.  Really!  Every now and then a great burger sounds sooo good.  My son’s and I have decided that there is no use in looking for a great burger joint when we can make THE best burger in town right at home.

Grill some up and snarf ’em down.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jay says

    I can’t wait to make these this weekend for Father’s Day. I did notice in the insructions for the glaze to heat until coffee is dissolved. Should coffee be added to the glaze?

    Reply

    • Janet Barton says

      Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I accidentally missed that ingredient. You can add 1 tsp of instant coffee to the glaze recipe if you would like, but it isn’t necessary.

      Reply

  4. Sophia says

    These foods are good for health. Informative and interesting which we share with you so i think so it is very useful and knowledgeable. I would like to thank you for the efforts. I am tiring the same best work from me in the future as well. thank's for sharing.

    Reply

  5. Sana Haq says

    P.S. I didn't put in bacon but followed the rest of the recipe to dot; only halving all the quantities since we didn't want to make too many patties. lol.

    Reply

  6. Sana Haq says

    I was looking up Jalapeno burger recipes online, and yours was among the first few search results I got. I randomly tried the recipe, and it turned out to be GREAT!! I esp love the ranch dressing. The ingredients were well balanced and as my husband put it, 'everything seemed to gel in together'. lol. Thanks a lot!

    Reply

  10. Roma Wilson says

    OMG!!!! The best burger I have EVER had. I am not a big meat eater and I ate my entire meal. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this amazing recipe. The only thing I did different was replace the parsley with cilantro. I am not sure if that really made all that big of a difference but it worked =) After tonight I feel like a gourmet chef….THANK YOU!!!!!!

    Reply

  11. Anonymous says

    hello… quick quesstion. how many burgers did this recipe make.

    cannot wait to try them on my camping trip this week

    Reply

  14. Janet@simplysogood says

    BAHHHH!!! I'm so happy you loved the burgers. I get to feeling lazy and skin the glaze often myself. Thank you for using my blog. I promise I will get back to blogging soon. I'm just getting my baby girl ready to leave for a study abroad in France for a semester. So much to do. I promise the blog will be up and running next week. Thank you.

    Reply

  15. Anonymous says

    ok. Let me tell you- you are amazing! I LOVE your blog and I keep coming back to it. Thank you for responding to most queries. I made this just now and my husband cannot get enough of them. He had 5 all by himself.
    I did add egg and ended up popping the patties in the oven to keep it healthy (whatever little I could). I don't really know how to broil if the option exists on my German stove.

    And the burgers turned out reeeeally good. I couldn't thank you enough. They didn't crack. The spices were perfect and I didn't have corn syrup so I skipped that but the worcester-ketchup glaze was still wonderful. Added some home made potato chips and voila! It's a winner. Thank you thank you thank you!

    Reply

  16. Janet@simplysogood says

    I have never added eggs to my burger to get it to hold together. Just make sure you don't turn them over too soon or they may begin to crack or fall apart. As far as timing and temperature, I guess it depends on how you like the meat cooked. My family prefers burgers close to well done. I just watch for the juices to run clear. It shouldn't take more that 5 minutes per side. You could broil the meat or pan fry will work just great. Good luck.

    Reply

  17. Anonymous says

    Hi there
    I don't have a grill so I'm going to have to cook it in the oven and check for "done-ness " or perhaps I'll just fry. Any suggestions? Pointers? on timings, temperature?

    Also, I can see you've demonstrated it pretty well but just for personal reassurance, I do not need to add eggs to the patty mix to ensure that it won't fall apart? Thanks

    Reply

  24. Anonymous says

    I stumbled upon this recipe looking for something simpler. I had to improvise, using the ingredients I had and only did the burgers, ranch sauce and bacon but OH MY GOODNESS this was wonderful! THANK YOU

    Reply

  28. runSUErun says

    I WANT… I WANT… I WANT. This looks SO amazing Janet. Just curious- how many calories are we talking here? Not that it matters really. This will be on the menu next Friday. A perfect "welcome home" for Daniel!!!

    Reply

  29. Janet@simplysogood says

    So glad you like my venting blog!

    I purchased the buns at Sniders Meats in Holiday. They are from a local bakery called "Stoneground" in SLC. I love them. I ordered 500 for a Youth Conference several years ago…good times!

    Reply

  31. Janet says

    Don't wimp out on me Season!! Just omit the cayenne pepper and use half the amount of jalapeno's. Seriously you do not want to miss out of the flavor of the sauce. The husband is a total pansy when it comes to new and unusual foods. I'm working on him, but it's a slow process. I did force him to take a bite. Pfshh!
    Just do it! I'm always telling my kids to go outside of themselves to try unusual combinations of foods. They are becoming foodies and total food snobs just like me…I'm so proud.

    Reply

  32. Season says

    I popped in to find a Memorial Day recipe and you delivered! This looks mighty tasty. Might have to give it a go this weekend, but the wimpy (or should I say Keith) version. 🙂

    Reply

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