Green Chile Cheeseburgers

Good. Now that I have your attention: That my friends is a 1/4 lb. of beefy-cheesy-roasted green chile heavenliness. If you are looking for a juicy and flavorful burger look no further. When grilled up these babies were the true star of Sunday's BBQ. Succulent enough that they were best left condiment less and everyone agreed. Although, on second thought, bacon and more bacon would enhance the flavor also. The recipe below when followed will produce a mild heat so feel free to really kick it up with other types of peppers and pepper jack cheese.

Even the grown men only ate one (with sides of potato salad and baked beans) and were left comfortably stuffed. It was one of those burgers you eat that leaves you wanting more and craving it for breakfast the next the morning. Crumbled into pieces and scrambled with eggs and topped with salsa... lip smacking and a hearty start for the day.

The recipe calls for roasted green chiles and sure enough I could have just bought canned green chiles but I thought I would try my hand at roasting my own. I had to do my research first and after reading the directions I was shocked to see how easy it was. Broil the peppers until blackened, cover with saran wrap to steam for 15 minutes, peel the skins, seed them, and dice away. We had to open the windows while doing this step of the recipe to air out the house because the aroma they were giving off was the same as someone smoking weed. The smell made me nauseous but I managed for the sake of the final reward.

If you've never roasted your own peppers or even tried your hand at forming burger patties by hand then slap yourself in the forehead and get to the store this morning so you can make yourself (and end up with a happy man) a mouthwatering burger. You could easily double the recipe to feed a crowd. The recipe makes 4 (1/4 lb.) cheeseburgers.

 Green Chile Cheeseburgers

From MyRecipes.com and many thanks to Sunset Magazine's July 2006 issue.

Stars of the Show:

• 1 1/2 lb. ground chuck - Feeling ambitious... grind your own meat... once I buy a meat grinder attachment for my KitchenAid I will be doing so.
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced (If you want a bit more spice since these were mild than I would recommend not seeding the peppers. If you recall from yesterday's post, Mr. Sideline Chef said "we" should try it with jalapenos next go round.)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (You could even use pepper jack cheese for more heat depending on your taste preferences.)

And Action:

1. Add all the ingredients into a large bowl and gently incorporate the ingredients with your hands.
2. Divide the combined mixture into 4 equal parts and form into patties making the centers thinner. They shrink when cooking.
3. Heat the grill (make sure it's well oiled to prevent sticking) and throw these bad boys on. 2 minutes per side for rare, 3 for medium-rare, 4 for medium, and 5 for well-done. We went for medium and they were so moist and juicy. One word to sum it all up... orgasmic!
4. You could top with cheese as we did to make it well, obviously, more cheesy.

Hints:

• The fresher the meat, the more tender and flavorful.
• The more you handle the meat, the tougher it will become.
• Keep formed burger patties chilled until time to grill. This helps the flavor carrying fat stay locked in.
• If using a gas grill cook with the lid on. If using a charcoal grill cook with the lid off.
• Flip the burgers only once and don't press the burgers down. Don't want to lose any of those delicious juices that will drip down your arms.
• Let the burgers rest a few minutes before eating.

Nutritional Stats:

Calories: 439 (62% from fat) Trust me, the hour and half walk to burn off these calories will be worth it.

Protein: 39g

Fat: 30g (14g Saturated fat)

Carbohydrate: 0.8g

Fiber: 0.1g

Sodium: 847mg

Cholesterol: 136mg

“Get Grillin’ with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, Rouxbe and ManPans.”