BURGERS GALORE-RICK BAYLESS-QUESO FUNDIDO BURGER

all the fixins ready to go out to the grill.. beer is for the chef.

This is a recipe that was in the Sacramento Bee a couple of weeks ago and I thought it looked really good. It is a recipe from Rick Bayless. It combines chorizo the Mexican sausage, poblano chilies, and jack cheese. It's a very flavorful burger. I did a lot of the prep the day before to make it easier to just throw together today. I think combing the chorizo and the ground beef the day before helps to blend the flavors. I also sliced the onions, and chilies the day before so they were ready to go.
Here is the recipe:

Queso Fundido Burger

2 fresh medium poblano chilies
2 tsp vegetable or canola oil
1 medium onion sliced into 1/4" slice
2 cloves garlic minced
salt
11/2 lbs ground chuck
8 oz chorizo crumbled and cooked-remove casing before cooking
1-2 chipotle *chilies in adobo sauce, finely minced
8 thick slices of jack cheese
4 hamburger buns, toasted

Over a gas burner using tongs to hold the chillies, turn until well charred on all sides about 5 minutes. You can also do this in the broiler turning regularly until charred on all sides. Put the chilies in a bowl and cover with a towel to cool. Rub off the charred skin and pull out and discard the stem and seeds. Cut the chillies into 1/4 inch strips. Set aside.
Slice the onions and mince the garlic. In a medium skillet add the 2tsp of oil, add the onions and saute until the onions begin to brown. Add the garlic and chillies and saute for about 2 more minutes, season with salt. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover to keep warm.
In a bowl combine the ground chuck and the cooked (and cooled) chorizo, the chipotles and 11/2tsp salt. Combine well. Divide the mixture into four balls and form into patties.
Heat the grill, place the patties on the grill and cook for a total of 4-5 minutes for medium rare. Lay a piece of cheese on each burger,top with the warm onion poblano mixture and top with another slice of cheese. Close the lid on the grill and let cook until the cheese has melted. Transfer the burgers onto the buns.
This as I said was very flavorful. The cheese made everything creamy and luscious..this was really good! It takes a little more time with all the different steps but if done ahead of time it's easy to put together at the last minute. This is a definite keeper.


I'm sorry that the picture isn't the best. I had to snap it really quick then rush my dog Riley to the emergency vet. Luckily everything turned out well. Riley is feeling better and my burgers were delicious.

* These chilies can be found in most grocery stores or in Mexican markets. What do you do with the left over chili adobo? Individually wrap or pack them with some of the adobo sauce and freeze. That way you will have them handy for the next recipe.

I also appologize for all the mistakes. I just now got a chance to really read through the blog. Last night I had a nervous 78 lb lab trying to sit on my lap while writing this and trying to calm his fears about the fireworks. So, hopefully all the little mistakes have been corrected.