Ancho-Espresso Glazed Burgers “el Fuego”

Ingredients

For the Ancho-Espresso Glaze:
2 1/2 cups beef broth
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/4cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, cut into tablespoons

For the Spicy Orange Vinaigrette:
1 1/2 cups orange juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 large shallot, minced
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Ancho chili powder
1 teaspoons Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce
3/4 cup Colavita olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Poblano Salsa:
2 medium fresh poblano peppers
1 red bell pepper
3 (1/2-inch thick) slices red onion
3 tablespoons Colavita olive oil, divided
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

For the patties:
2 pounds ground chuck
6 tablespoons Ancho-Espresso Sauce
2 tablespoons Sutter Home White Cabernet
2 teaspoons Tabasco Chipotle Pepper sauce
1 teaspoon salt

3 cups mixed greens
Vegetable oil for brushing grill
6 Kaiser rolls, split
6 thick sliced Monterey Jack cheese
12 thin slices of avocado

Instructions

Recipe serves 6
Prepare the sauce. In a medium fireproof saucepan, combine the beef broth, onion, maple syrup, brown sugar, Ancho chili powder, cloves, espresso powder, Worcestershire, cayenne, and salt. Set the saucepan on the grill rack over medium-hot heat and bring to a boil. Simmer the mixture briskly, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced to about 1 cup, 30 minutes. Whisk in the butter, simmer for 3 minutes more, and then remove from the heat; set aside to cool.

Prepare the Spicy Orange Vinaigrette (can be done while the sauce simmers): Place the orange juice in a medium fireproof saucepan set on the grill rack over medium-hot heat. Bring the orange juice to a boil and simmer briskly until it has reduced to about 1/4-cup, 20-25 minutes. Transfer the reduced orange juice to a heat-proof bowl and whisk in the vinegar, shallot, maple syrup, garlic, Ancho chili powder, and Tabasco. Add the olive oil in a slow steady stream, whisking to emulsify. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper and set aside.

Prepare the Charred Poblano Salsa: Place the Poblano peppers and the red bell pepper on the grill rack over direct heat. Char the peppers, turning occasionally with tongs, until they are blistered and blackened on all side, 6-8 minutes. Transfer the peppers to large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and steam for 10 minutes (peppers can also be enclosed in a paper bag for 10 minutes.) While the peppers steam, grill the onions. Run a metal skewer through the center of each onion slice and brush the slices with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Grill the onions until softened and browned, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the skewers and transfer the onions to a work surface. Peel, core, and seed the peppers. Chop all of the peppers and the onion and transfer back to the large bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, cilantro, and lime juice, and stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and set aside.

Prepare the patties: In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, Ancho-Espresso sauce, wine, Tabasco, and salt. Mix well, handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the rolls.

In a small bowl, toss the mixed greens with a generous coating of the Spicy Orange Vinaigrette (re-whisk the vinaigrette first if it has separated.)

Grill the patties: Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and grill until they are browned on the bottoms, 3 minutes. Carefully turn the patties over and brush the browned sides with the some of the reserved Ancho-Espresso sauce. Continue to grill the patties, turning and brushing with the sauce every 3-4 minutes, until they reach desired degree of doneness. During the last few minutes of cooking, place the rolls, cut-sides down, around the circumference of the grill to lightly toast, and top each of the patties with the Monterey Jack cheese (close the lid to melt the cheese, but be careful not to burn the rolls!)

Assemble the burgers: Divide the mixed greens among the bottom halves of the rolls (shake off excess vinaigrette prior to placing on rolls to avoid soggy burgers!) Top the greens with 2 slices of avocado and then a patty. Spread the top halves of the rolls with a generous amount of salsa. Brush the tops of the patties one more time with the Ancho-Espresso sauce, add the top halves of the rolls, and serve immediately!