The Gnarly Mexican Burger

“A unique burger topped with a blend of Mexican cheeses, enhanced by earthy spices and crushed lime tortilla chips and topped with salsa that is bound to delight those who enjoy biting into things a bit South of the Border.”

OK, Florida. I’m about sick of your crap.

Being a native, I’m used to your yo-yo weather, but these past couple of months have just been ridiculous, even for you.

Going from a 60 degree to and 82 degree high in the span of a day makes no sense at all. No wonder I’ve been sick three times already this year. You and your cold fronts and your torrential rain and your undying pollen straight from hell.

Thank goodness you’re getting your act together. I’ve been checking up on the weather forecast. I’m alright with a solid schedule of 80 degree days. I mean, it’s not my favorite temperature range, but it does mean one very important time is approaching.

Grilling time!

Forget being excited about summer, I’m excited about firing up the grill and making some amazing backyard, get together food! And I think this Gnarly Mexican Burger is a great way to start Grilling Season!

This past Christmas, I bought Mr. Crumby an amazing grill to replace the old one we had. It’s half gas, half charcoal, with smoking capabilities and a side burner. Lara and I hauled it home in her boyfriend’s big Ram 1500, and somehow managed to get it out of the bed and in to my living room.

Then I had the pleasure of trying to wrap the 140+ pound box all by myself. That was a fun evening.

It is now April. These burgers christened that new grill.

Now, for the record, Mr. Crumby is the resident grillmaster in our home. He has the grilling apron, I have the cupcake apron, and we know our kitchen roles. But, from time to time, we like to switch it up. He comes up with amazing ideas for savory food at the drop of a hat, but I sometimes need a bit of inspiration.

I recently picked up the GrillJunkie Burger-A-Day Cookbook from GrillJunkieGuy.com, a site I admittedly frequent during the summer (they have a free grilling guide I refer to a LOT.) I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount and variety of recipes in the book. It has everything grilling & burger in it, from beef to seafood to pork to even lamb recipes! Plus, as a nice bonus, they even threw in some recipes for sides, marinades, and rubs!

There are even a couple of grilled dessert recipes in there. Sigh. The way to my heart.

And the creativity loaded in this book just blows me away. Not only are there a ton of recipes, but the names that pair with the ingredients are awesome! You’ll find recipes in there like The Topless Wino (no top bun, smothered in a red wine & mustard sauce), The Angel of Breath (garlic & onion loaded), The Buffalo Soldier (made with bison), Herb & Tom Get Married (a turkey and herb blend), and Porky’s Vengeance (spicy).

Arnie Tomaino and his team truly put together a great book, and I feel it’s going to be worth every penny!

I mean…this Gnarly Mexican Burger already caught my attention!

Lime flavored tortilla chips often make an appearance in our home already – I don’t even need salsa to snack on them, they’re so good. The idea of using them in a burger intrigued me, and did not disappoint.

Somehow, in spite of the juiciness of the ground beef, they managed to retain their delightful crunch! Topping it all off with some shredded cheese and our favorite fresh salsa was the perfect complement.

And even though I grilled them longer than we like, they were amazing and made a perfect date night dinner.

During which, we finally caught up on The Walking Dead.

Damn you, AMC. Damn you.

ORDER OUR #1 BEST SELLER COOKBOOK!

But kudos to you, Arnie! I’m looking forward to trying more of those recipes!

Gnarly Mexican Burger

A unique burger topped with a blend of Mexican cheeses, enhanced by earthy spices and crushed lime tortilla chips and topped with salsa that is bound to delight those who enjoy biting into things a bit South of the Border.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: mexican burger

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 burgers

Calories: 837kcal

Author: Erica

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ pounds ground beef 80% lean
• ▢ 1 cup Four Cheese Mexican blend
• ▢ ½ cup salsa divided
• ▢ ¼ cup lime flavored tortilla chips crushed
• ▢ ¼ cup scallions thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ black pepper
• ▢ ¼ cup olive oil
• ▢ ¼ sweet onion sliced
• ▢ 1 small tomato sliced
• ▢ 4 leaves romaine lettuce
• ▢ 4 hamburger buns split

Instructions

• In a large bowl, gently combine ground beef, ¼ cup of the Mexican cheese blend, ¼ cup salsa, crushed tortilla chips, scallions, cumin and garlic, being careful not to overwork the meat.
• Gently divide the meat into four equal portions. Each patty should consist of approximately 6 ounces of ground meat.
• Carefully and loosely form each divided portion into a patty that is ¾ -1 inch thick and about 4 & ½ inches in diameter, again being careful to not overwork the meat.
• Make a deep depression in the center of each of the meat patties with your thumb.
• Once formed, place patties on a clean plate, sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and coat grill grates with cooking oil so as to prevent patties from sticking.
• Remove patties from refrigeration, brush the burgers with light olive or canola oil, and place the patties on the hot grill grates.
• Grill and sear patties over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness, being sure they are cooked through and have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. F.
• Remove grilled patties from grill and let them rest for 2-3 minutes.
• To serve, stack each burger on one half of a hamburger bun, top with remaining ¼ cup salsa, sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato and top with upper bun.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 837kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 59g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 1082mg | Potassium: 839mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3100IU | Vitamin C: 8.7mg | Calcium: 337mg | Iron: 6.1mg

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Be sure to pick up a copy of Arnie’s e-cookbook! With over 365 recipes, you’ll never run out of unique and delicious options for burger night!