Queso Fundido Burgers

I started off with a totally different recipe in mind for tonight's dinner, but I forgot to read through the recipe beforehand. I started prepping my ingredients for the other recipe and noticed that there was a 2 hour prep step that I couldn't do because it was already after 5pm. I need to get dinner on the table by 6 o'clock or my family gets a little hangry (that is a term we've invented at my house that means "angry-hungry"). Anyway, since the first recipe was pretty much moot at that point, I quickly switched gears and made this Rick Bayless burger recipe instead. I quickly thawed some chorizo and got to work.

Queso Fundido Burgers
From: Rick Bayless

Ingredients:
2 fresh medium poblano chiles
1 medium onion, sliced into ¼-inch slices
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons oil
1 ½ pounds ground chuck
8 ounces chorizo, cooked
1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles den adobo, finely minced, seeded if you wish
8 thick slices Monterey Jack cheese
4 hamburger buns, lightly toasted

Directions:
Roast the poblanos over an open flame or 4 inches below a broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for an open flame, 10 minutes for the broiler. Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let cool. Rub off the blackened skin and pull out the stems and seed pods. Cut into ¼-inch strips.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, stirring frequently until it begins to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and poblano and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt, usually about ½ teaspoon. Scrape the rajas into a bowl and cover to keep warm.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, cooked chorizo, chipotles and 1 ½ teaspoon salt. Mix until well combined. Divide the meat into 4 equal portions and form the patties.

Heat a gas grill to medium-high, or light a charcoal fire and let it burn until the charcoal is covered with white ash (and about medium hot); bank the coals to one side.

Place the hamburger patties on the grill and cook for a total of 4 to 5 minutes for medium rare. Lay one piece of cheese on top of each burger, top with the warm rajas and then another piece of cheese. Close the lid and continue cooking until the cheese has melted about 1 minute. Remove from the grill and place on a toasted bun. Serve immediately.



The Result:
These were phenomenal! I love me some Rick Bayless. I swear the man could make dirt taste delicious. I had to make a few adjustments to my version of this recipe, but these burgers stood up to all my substitutions. First, I could not find poblanos. Seriously...I live in Arizona! I can't believe I couldn't get poblanos. Oh well, I decided to use Anaheim green chiles instead. Next, I didn't have any buns on hand, so we just ate our patties sans bun. Also, I substituted sliced pepper jack cheese for an extra little oomph. It all worked out, and these burgers were very filling and soooo flavorful. Fan-freakin'-tastic!