This is a perfect hamburger for the summer when hatch chiles are in season. Topped with bacon, swiss cheese, caramelized onions, and a spicy hatch chile mayo makes this hatch chile hamburger a great summer meal.Â
Get ready to fire up that grill and impress your friends and family. This is a great hamburger that is perfect for anyone that loves a little heat with their food. Summer is the best time for fresh hatch peppers and they make this hamburger extra special. Pair it with a nice close slaw or salad and you will have a great meal for a weekend gathering or a mid-week meal.Â
In this recipe
The hatch chile is the star of this dish but you cannot go wrong with the rest of the ingredients. Yes this burger will take a little bit longer to prepare as all of the toppings will be cooked but it is well worth the work. One of the things I like to do is make that roasted hatch chile sauce the day before. This way the flavors can meld even better as well as increase the heat a little bit.Â
A little bit of heat
Hatch chiles vary in heat based on the variety of the pepper. They have almost the same heat variation as a jalapeño pepper. Keeping this in mind if you prefer not to eat spicy food you can use Anaheim peppers instead. These are a more mild version of the hatch pepper that was cultivated to be milder than some of the other cultivars.Â
Making a good hatch chile hamburger
On of the most important thing is to make sure that you do not overwork the beef. The more it is worked the more likely it is to be tough. You still want all of the beef to be mixed well with the peppers but do not continue to pack and compress the meat once the peppers are incorporated. Another little hack is to not just make a divot in the middle of the hamburger but to make the sides higher than the middle and create a little well. When the beef contracts it will be nice and flat.Â
Spicy mayo
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is the roasted hatch chile sauce. Depending on how much you enjoy heat you can add more to the mayo or just spoon a little on top of the onions. As time goes on the pepper sauce will continue to increase in heat for a time. To help reduce the heat then after the peppers are roasted remove the seeds and white pith inside. The white pith is where most of the capsaicin in the pepper is located. Â
Looking for other sandwich recipes?
Bacon and Hatch Chile Hamburger
Equipment
- Large skillet or cast iron pan optional
- Charcoal or gas grill
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
Hatch Chile Hamburger
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- 1/4 cup hatch chile peppers minced
- 1 tsp salt
Chipotle Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup hatch chile sauce
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
Toppings
- 1 cup onions sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 2 oz swiss cheese sliced
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
Making the hatch chile mayonnaise
- Combine the mayonnaise and hatch chile sauce and mix well. Set aside.
Cooking the toppings
- In a sauté pan heat the bacon on medium high heat and cook until done, about 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the bacon. Pat the grease off and set aside.
- Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and cook until they have turned translucent. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until they start turning a nice caramel brown color and have softened.
Making the hamburger
- In a mixing bowl combine the ground beef, salt and hatch peppers together. Be sure to not overmix.
- Form into 4 balls and then flatten to about a half an inch. If you want a larger burger flatten a bit more.
- On medium high/indirect heat, cook the hamburgers for 3-5 minutes per side depending on preferred doneness. Place the slice of cheese on top of the burger after it has been flipped and allow to melt.
Assembly
- Spread hatch chile mayonnaise on the bottom bun and top with the burger patty. Add the bacon and caramelized onions and spread a little more hatch mayonnaise on the top bun if desired.
Nutrition
Seeing this is making me hungry!
I will make this for everyone, and I am sure they will love this!