No condiments are needed for this high-flavor barbecue-style cheeseburger; they are built right in.
For ease — and awesome taste — I took your basic beef burger and mixed in pureed chipotles in adobo sauce, a healthy splash of barbecue sauce and some garlic.
But why stop there? I also stuffed the burger with a mix of cheddar cheese and chopped black olives.
To round it out, I mixed together a simple bell pepper slaw to form a creamy-crisp bed for the burger. Or you can use prepared slaw.
This recipe also welcomes playing. To jack up the heat, increase the chipotles. You also could add some smoked paprika and garlic powder. And there would be nothing wrong with adding yet more cheese to the top.
Chipotle barbecue cheeseburger
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
Salt and ground black pepper
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/4 cup prepared barbecue sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped black olives
4 large potato buns, toasted
1 large tomato, thickly sliced
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard powder, honey and vinegar. Add all 3 peppers, then toss to coat well. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high.
In a blender or food processor, combine the chipotle peppers, barbecue sauce and garlic. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the ground beef, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, then mix well.
Divide the ground beef mixture into quarters. One at a time, form each quarter into a cup in the palm of your hand. Add 1/4 cup of the cheese and a sprinkling of the black olives to the center of each cup, then push the beef over it to completely cover the cheese. Carefully form the beef into a patty.
Coat the grill grates with oil. Grill the burgers for 7 to 8 minutes for medium-well, or until desired doneness.
Top the bottom half of each potato bun with some of the pepper slaw, then a burger, then a slice of tomato.
Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 708 calories; 331 calories from fat (47 percent of total calories); 37 g fat (14 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 111 mg cholesterol; 57 g carbohydrate; 38 g protein; 4 g fiber; 1,047 mg sodium.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
