Mexican-American Southwest Burgers with Chipotle and Cilantro Avocado Spread

Pairs well with:

Merlot

Get cozy and get pouring. Our Merlot is the wine for long weekends and lengthy chats.

Having been born in Southern California, I have a passion for Southwest / Mexican cuisine.I developed this recipe because I love this type of flavor along with the fact that this type of food is very popular throughtout the U.S. right now.

Ingredients:

Patties:
2 pounds ground chuck
1/3 cup Spanish onions, chopped fine
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh 3 inch jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons Colgin “Mesquite” Liquid Smoke
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup tequila “gold”
1/2 teaspoon Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Chipotle and Cilantro Avocado Spread:
3 California avocados, pitted and peeled
1/2 teaspoon McIlhenny TABASCO Chipotle Sauce
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped medium
2 tablespoons lime juice

Toppings:
6 slices Saputo Monterey Jack Cheese
1 jar Dona Maria Nopalitos Tender Cactus
6 large or 12 small tomato slices, 1/4 inch thick
1 bunch Romaine lettuce, rinsed, dried and stems cut off

1/4 cup Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 Kaiser Buns, Split

Instructions:

Preheat grill to medium-high

To make the patties, combine with the ground chuck the onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, cumin, liquid smoke, salt, black pepper and tequila in a large bowl. Make sure all ingredients are well distributed throughout the meat, being carful not to over work and compact the meat. Divide the meat into 6 equal portions and shape into patties about 3/4 inch thick. Lightly oil sheet pan with olive oil and place patties on pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside (preferably in a refrigerator) until ready to grill.

To make the spread, combine the avocados with the chipotle Tabasco sauce and cilantro in a medium bowl. With a potato smasher, mash ingredients until mostly smooth and then cover spread with the lime juice to preserve the color. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in refrigerator until ready for use.

Brush the grill rack with the olive oil. Place patties on the rack, cover and grill, flipping once, 6 minutes on each side for medium or until done to liking. During the last 3 minutes of grilling, place the buns, cut side down on the outer edges of the grill rack to toast lightly and then top each patty with a slice of cheese.

To Build a Better Burger, stir the Chipotle and Cilantro Avocado Spread mixing in the lime juice. Spread a generous amount of the avocado spread on the cut sides of each bun. Place on the bottom bun a cheese topped patty followed by 3 or 4 strips of nopalitos, tomato slice and 3 or 4 lettuce leaves. Add the top bun and serve.