Southwest Burgers with Chipotle Mayo

These burgers were sooo good.  And, it was the first time we were able to grill these without them falling through the grill grates!!  I followed the tips Eating, Etc posted from Sunset Magazine.  A few important highlights from that article: Don't get a too-lean ground beef; handle the meat as little as possible (just incorporate seasonings gently with your hands and form patties), and use wet hands to form the patties.  I'd encourage you to read the Sunset article if you're in need of burger help like I was.  :) 

I used ground sirloin for this reicpe and it was delicious.  I LOVED the chipotle mayo on these- so good.  My kids loved these burgers as well- they ate them up very quickly and it was so quiet at the dinnertable until they were all done- lol!!  (And two of my kids say they don't even like hamburgers very much!)  My kids just had regular mayo on theirs because they were afraid of the spicyness (although it wasn't really spicy at all; it was flavored just right).  This is another recipe from Our Best Bites blog; and yet another hit!  In the recipe, it states to use grated onion.  I'm a dork and couldn't figure out how to grate it very well, so I gave up and used dried onion flakes.  Poor me!

Southwest Burgers with Chipotle Mayo

from Our Best Bites

Burgers:

1 1/2 lb ground chuck or ground sirloin

1-1/2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle chili can)
1/4 cup grated onion (or 2 tablespoons dried onion flakes)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon (or less) kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Chipotle-lime Mayo:
1/2 cup Mayo
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from the canned chipotle chilis)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4-6 good quality buns
1 tomato
1-2 avocado
lettuce
optional: jack, cotija, or queso fresco cheese

1.  Make the chipotle mayo:  Combine mayo, adobo sauce, lime juice and cilantro in a small bowl.  Cover, and set aside in the fridge until ready to use. 

2.  Place the beef in a bowl and gently crumble with your fingers. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, grated or dried onion, garlic powder, cumin, kosher salt, and pepper. Use your hands (yes, your hands!) to gently mix things together.  Do not overwork the beef!  Just mix it enough to distribute the ingredients and call it good.  Divide into 4-6 patties (depending on how big you want them to be).  At this point, I placed the raw patties on a plate and covered them, and then stuck them in the fridge.  I thought that might help them hold together better- a la making crab and salmon patties. 

3.  When ready to cook, place the patties on a pre-heated outdoor grill or a stovetop skillet.  Cook 4-6 minutes on each side (turning only once) and when they are done, let them sit for a few minutes before eating. 

4.  While grilling the burgers, grill the buns on the outdoor grill, too.  They are so good this way!  Serve burgers on buns (generously spread with Chipotle Mayo), topped with tomato and avocado slices, a crisp piece of lettuce, and the optional cheese (we didn't use any). 

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