Spicy Chorizo Burger
I don't know about you, but I watch a lot of Food Network. I know, you are shocked. For me, it's just so easy to sit back, watch people make delicious food, and get inspired. Which is exactly how this chorizo burger came about.
This burger was 100% inspired by a Diner's Drive-Ins and Dives episode my husband and I were watching last weekend. The episode featured a English-owned restaurant that made a delicious looking chorizo burger. How could an Englishman get a Chorizo burger wrong (sarcasm implied). But of course Guy made it sound like it was the best thing he ever ate. And it really did look good, so my husband and I set about making our own.
My original intention was to buy pre-made chorizo and just mix that in with ground beef. Turns out, here in North Carolina, chorizo isn't that easy to find. It also turns out that it's not that hard to make assuming you have a well stocked spice rack. To make the chorizo, you just mix up ground pork with about a hundred different spices, sugar, and a bit of vinegar.
Once the chorizo is made, the rest it pretty much like making a regular-ol hamburger. I just mixed the chorizo in with some ground beef and cilantro (just like the DDD recipe) and formed that mixture into patties. In the picture above, you can sort of see the marbling of the pink beef with the orange-tinted pork.
To cook the burgers, I seared them on both sides, then covered them and cooked on medium heat until they got to 160 degrees. Unfortunately, since they contain pork, you probably aren't going to want anything less then well done.
But what's is so great about this burger, besides that flavor, is that the pork really makes the burger extra moist and flavorful. The lady a Trader Joe's told me that it was her husband's secret to a juicy hamburger.
I topped this spicy burger off with cheese (for my husband, at least) to help balance out all that heat from the chorizo, and I stacked the burger on a heaping portion of guacamole, doused the top with some salsa, and topped it off with lettuce and tomato.
If you are like me and are avoiding bread and cheese, I can tell you that it is just as good without the cheese and wrapped in lettuce, which is exactly how I ate mine.
I hope you give this recipe a try, especially over the Summer when you start firing up that grill. It is a whole new spin on the classic burger that is super flavorful and definitely has a kick.
Enjoy!
Recipe
Ingredients
Chorizo:
- 1 lb 80/20 ground pork
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 4 tsp ground chili powder
- 2 tsp granulated garlic
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Burger:
- 1 lb 85/15 ground beef
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together pork, vinegar, spices, and sugar. Massage with your hands to evenly distribute the spices throughout the meat. Mix in ground beef and cilantro.
- Form into 6-8 ounce patties, first forming into a ball and flattening out into a disc, no more than an inch thick. Press a dimple into the center of the patty.
- Place a pan or skillet over high heat. Melt 1 tsp butter on the surface of the pan. Place patties on the pan and sear for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and repeat on the other side. Turn heat to medium and cover with foil to let the burgers steam until then reach 160-165 degrees.
- Remove patties from heat and let rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Place patties on top of a toasted bun with guacamole, cheese, salsa, lettuce, and tomato.