Chipotle Burgers

It’s Memorial Weekend, the weather is hot, the humidity is high, the water in the pool is cold, so let’s build a fire, right? It’s not that hot not to be grilling on a weekend in which grilling is seemingly mandatory as we remember those that have fallen to defend this county. And what better way than with the all American hamburger, although I will be making them with chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.

Chipotle is all the craze these days. It’s being used all over from fast food chains to a multitude of different sauces and rubs that are crowding grocery store shelves. I won’t be using any chipotle rubs or sauces that have cropped up recently. For this grilling recipe, I’ll be using chipotle peppers and the amazing adobo sauce they are canned in. This will require a trip to the Mexican section at your local grocer or a Latin grocery store. My local grocer doesn’t carry it, something I’m not all happy about because the stuff is amazing, so I had to make a special trip.  Add a couple tablespoons of the adobo to cole slaw and it will be out of this world. In this case, I added some to take boring burgers into badass chipotle burgers. And just in time for Memorial weekend to be grilled poolside as I did here.

You can see me make these burgers on KSDK Channel 5 with Heidi Glaus:

Chipotle Burgers Ingredients:

1 lb ground sirloin
1 lb ground pork
2 tsp adobo sauce
1 tsp minced chipotle peppers
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp coarse salt

Toppings:

1 avocado, ripe and sliced
1 tomato, ripe and sliced
1 bunch cilantro
6 slices muenster cheese
6 hamburger buns
Mayonnaise

Makes six chipotle burgers

The Ingredients

Here’s what you’re looking for in terms of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. There might be multiple options on the shelf.  Make sure you get the peppers in the sauce:

Peppers in Adobo Sauce

Here’s one of the chipotle peppers, which is all you need for this grilling recipe:

A Chipotle Pepper

If you really want to kick it up, double or even triple the minced chipotle peppers. On the other hand, if you want to scale it back, remove the seeds. I went ahead and used the seeds.

Mince up the pepper, seeds and all, and mix all the burger ingredients in a mixing bowl:

Kicked Up Hamburger

Then pat out the meat into six chipotle burger patties:

Burger Patties

Let’s see, poolside, about to fire up the grill, got the chipotle burgers ready to go on, but something is missing. Hmmmm. Oh, yeah:

Schlafly Hefeweisen

That’s more like it. A wonderful unfiltered wheat from local brewer Schlafly Bottleworks. Not back to the grilling recipe.

Prepare the grill for two zone grilling, very hot coals on one side and none on the other. Place the patties right over the coals, searing on each side to get a nice flavor crust:

Searing

Seared

Once they’re seared on each side and cooked through, pull to the side of the grill with no coals and place a slice of cheese on each chipotle burger and close the lid to melt.

This is a good time to slice the toppings (avocado and tomato, along with a clump of cilantro):

Toppings

A must for any good burger is a toasted bun, in this case, onion buns. Be careful here. Don’t step away from the grill more than 5 seconds. Those buns go from toasted to charcoal in only about twice that time:

Toasting

For me, a dollop of mayo on the bottom bun, a couple slices of avocado, a slice of tomato and a clump of cilantro and the chipotle burger is done:

Plated

I cooked these Memorial Weekend, 2012, just in time for all you holiday grillers, but please don’t forget the reason for the holiday and all the soldiers serving and have served. That’s what this weekend is all about, not about chilling around the grill. Thank a vet. They’ve earned it.

If you have any questions about these burgers or how great adobo sauce is, feel free to leave them below or shoot me an email.

If you liked this chipotle burger recipe would like other grilling recipes with beef, click here.

Also, you can follow the Grillin Fools on their Facebook page where you can post your own grilling pictures, share grilling recipes, or join the general grilling conversation.  You can also follow them on Twitter @GrillinFool

Click Here To Print Recipe Sheet

Chipotle Burgers

The best burger I’ve ever had

Author: Scott Thomas

Cuisine: BBQ

Recipe type: Hamburgers

Serves: 6

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  30 mins

Ingredients

Chipotle Burger Ingredients

• 1 lb ground sirloin
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 tsp adobo sauce
• 1 tsp minced chipotle peppers
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp coarse salt

Toppings

• 1 avocado, ripe and sliced
• 1 tomato, ripe and sliced
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 6 slices muenster cheese
• 6 hamburger buns
• Mayonnaise

Instructions

1. Mince up the pepper, seeds and all, and mix the burger ingredients in a mixing bowl
2. Pat out the meat into six chipotle burger patties
3. Prepare the grill for two zone grilling, very hot coals on one side and none on the other
4. Place the patties right over the coals, searing on each side to get a nice flavor crust
5. Once they’re seared on each side and cooked through, pull to the side of the grill with no coals and place a slice of cheese on each chipotle burger and close the lid to melt
6. While the cheese is melting, prepare the toppings (slice the avocado and tomato, as well as rinse the cilantro)
7. Toast the buns over the coals
8. Remove the buns and chipotle burgers from the grill and assemble with the toppings

3.2.1226

1. 

   Maurmi says:

   May 27, 2012 at 8:16 AM

   Absolutely delicious!!!

   reply
   • 

     Jim says:

     June 5, 2012 at 3:00 PM

     I tried this recipie last weekend and it was great. Thanks!

     reply
2. 

   Chris says:

   June 8, 2012 at 12:49 PM

   I’m a light weight, I usually deseed mine. The burgers look excellent.

   reply