Jalapeno, Avocado and Bacon Burgers

Boomette's Note:

A recipe from Rachael Ray. This is a burger from Bar Annie resraurant in Houston. It's a half-pound patty. So feel free to do small patties ;)

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 6 jalapeno chiles
• 6 slices bacon
• 3 lbs ground chuck
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled or 1/2 cup feta or 1/2 cup goat cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 avocados, pitted and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 6 hamburger buns, split

Directions:

1. Preheat a grill to medium and place a cast-iron skillet on top. Add the chiles and cook until softened and the skin is charred, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chiles to a bowl, cover and let cool slightly. Remove and discard the stems, skin and seeds; finely chop the chiles.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in the skillet until crisp. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat; chop the bacon.
3. In a large bowl, combine the chopped bacon, the reserved bacon fat, the beef and half of the chiles. Form into 6 patties; season with salt and pepper.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the queso fresco, mayonnaise, buttermilk, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the remaining chiles. Season with salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate.
5. In another bowl, toss the avocados, cilantro, onion and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; set aside.
6. Grill the burgers, flipping once, for about 10 minutes for medium-rare. Just before the burgers are finished cooking, grill the buns until toasted, about 1 minute. Place a burger on each bun bottom, top with some of the avocado salad, drizzle with some of the queso fresco dressing and set a bun top in place.

Reviews

[Charmie777]

We really liked these!! Great flavors!!!! Made for Om Nom Nommers and ZWT!

[breezermom]

Excellent! I was afraid they wouldn't stay together. I used lean chuck, but the added bacon grease helped with that. :) The queso dressing and avocado salad are wonderful. For the pic, I drizzled the dressing, but have to admit to adding some more so I could enjoy every bite of this huge burger. This is more involved than most burger recipes, but well worth the extra effort! Thanks for sharing. Made for Photo Tag.

[threeovens]

Excellent burgers! DH always complains that his burger is under-seasoned and tasteless - not these! I would say I'll definitely make these again, but, I've already made them twice!