This is one of our favorite burgers, but do come with a little word of warning…they do take a bit of prep time. So, settle in and plan to spend roughly 45 mins. – 1 hr. prepping, grilling and plating before digging in to this spicy, tasty little number.
Some things in life are just worth that extra amount of time and effort though, right? And sometimes you just want to take a walk on the wild side and go beyond the standard easy, cheesy Bacon Cheeseburger.
I do suggest that if you find yourself raging hungry before you get around to actually picking up your ingredients and cooking (like I often am), start prepping early before you’re hungry enough to eat your granite countertop! This happened to me and I’ve learned that granite is definitely not tasty.
For my family, we love how the addition of the poblano pepper mixed with the cilantro, cumin and coriander when added to the meat mixture makes this such a juicy and flavorful burger! But with the juicy-ness, be sure to be careful and gentle when you’re cooking and flipping it on the grill. I tend to cook it on high for a few minutes on one side before flipping it so the burger stays in tact. Otherwise, you may be leaving 1/2 of your burger on the grill! And, trust me when I say, it’s just not attractive to have to grab a fork and eat it off the grill that way!
In as many times as I’ve made this, I still haven’t managed to keep the burger in the bun. This seems to be a ‘me’ problem though, because everyone else at the table manages to eat this respectably and behave appropriately, while my burger squirts out of the bun like it can’t defy gravity despite my death grip on the bun.
But, for this flavor-packed little number, I think I’d chase it around the floor with my fork if I had to. Ha! I’ll teach that slippery burger some inappropriate table manners right there!
In all seriousness though, the addition of the poblano peppers to the hamburger mix and the wonderfully deep and smoky spice of the Chipotle pepper in the cream sauce puts these burgers over the top and the flavor is unbeatable.
Oh! I almost forgot to tell you…we love the cream sauce served with the Garden Of Eatin’ Red Hot Blues Chips too. Try it! Heck, put the chips on the burger if ya dare to! Change it up a little – remember?…we’re takin’ a walk on the wild side here!
Next time, I think I’ll try making these as appetizers for a party; Ill just prep them the night before and grill the day of. Maybe a little ‘chill’ time in the ol’ icebox will make these burgers behave a bit more respectably! That oughta learn ‘em.
Enjoy!
- 2 poblano chiles
- 1 tablespoon low-fat milk
- 1 slice of white bread, crusts removed (torn into small pieces)
- 1½ tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- ½ cup light sour cream
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1-3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 4 hamburger buns, (toasted, if preferred)
- Cooking spray
- Preheat the broiler.
- Place the poblano chiles on a baking sheet and broil for roughly 8 minutes (or until blackened), turning after 6 minutes. Place the chiles in a zip-top plastic bag and seal. Let chiles stand for 15 minutes. Remove chiles and peel the chiles, discarding the seeds and membranes. Finely chop and set aside.
- Add milk and bread to a large bowl and mash bread and milk together with a fork until smooth. Add the poblano chile, 1½ tablespoons of the chopped cilantro, cumin, coriander, paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and beef and mix well. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, gently shaping each into a ½-inch-thick patty. Press an indentation into the center of each patty. Cover and chill until ready to grill.
- Preheat grill to medium-high to high heat.
- Add cilantro, salt, and black pepper into a medium-sized bowl. Stir in sour cream, shallots, and lime juice.
- Chop 1-3 chipotle peppers and add chopped peppers and 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce into the sour cream mixture and mix well. Cover, chill and set aside until ready to serve.
- Place hamburger patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill for roughly 3 minutes or until grill marks appear. Patties will be moist ~ so carefully flip patties and grill an additional 3-5 minutes or until desired degree of done-ness.
- Put a patty on each bun and top each serving with desired amount of chipotle cream.
Recipe slightly modified from a recipe on Cooking Light.
