Rio Burger

This burger is definitely the quintessential Great American Burger. Living in Arizona, I have grown up with a taste for Mexican cuisine… not only does my family (consisting of myself, my husband Brandon, my nearly 2 year old son, Aiden and my new baby boy, Dylan) eat at a Mexican restaurant at least once a week, we cook a lot of things at home as well.In fact, one of Aiden’s first favorite meals was (and continues to be) a cheese crisp from Cafe Rio, one of our favorite Mexican grills. My favorite thing on the menu is the sweet pork salad… a yummy sweet pork with all the fixings of a salad and topped with made from scratch guacamole and pico de gallo… which is where I got my inspiration to make this burger! Combining some of the ingredients and playing around with some ideas of my own… I came up with this! A delicious burger with a Mexican flare, that came out mighty tasty if I do say so myself! Cheers!

Ingredients:

PATTIES
2 lbs. ground beef (85% lean)
1/2 cup grated onion
1 1/3 Tablespoon Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing MIX (dry powder)
1/4 cup cilantro – finely chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
fresh cracked black pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons COLA (Jones Pure Cane Soda is delicious, but any cola will be fine).
2 teaspoons lime juice

MEXI-MAYONNAISE
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
dash of lime juice

TOPPINGS

Pico de Gallo
4 vine ripe tomatoes, cubed
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced or grated
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro – finely chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper

Guacamole
2 large California Avocados
1/4 cup grated sweet onion
the juice of one lime (to keep avocado green)
1/2 serrano pepper (take out the SEEDS), finely diced

6 slices Monterey Jack Cheese
6 good quality kaiser rolls
Romaine lettuce heart, shredded
Tortilla Strips

Instructions:

Pre-heat your gas grill on high heat until you are ready to cook the burgers.

PREPARATION
Grate one large sized sweet onion (or two small sized), set aside.
Finely chop one bunch of cilantro, set aside.
Dice tomatoes into small cubes, set aside.
Shred one romaine lettuce heart, set aside.

To make the “Mexi-Mayonnaise”
Mix mayonnaise, cumin, chili powder and lime juice. Whisk together. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the Pico De Gallo:
Mix finely diced tomatoes, grated onion, lime juice, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the Guacamole:
Cut avocados in half, remove pit and skin and put them in a mixing bowl. Add onion, serrano pepper, lime juice and salt and pepper. Using a potato masher, mix guacamole leaving slightly chunky. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the Patties:
In a large bowl, add beef, grated onion, Ranch Dressing MIX, cilantro, parmesan cheese, kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, lime juice and cola.
Wash your hands well, and use your hands to combine meat mixture. Meat mixture will feel moist to the touch. Form 6 even patties, making the patties a little thinner in the middle, which will allow for a flat hamburger when it is cooked.

Turn your gas grill to LOW, and place burgers evenly spaced on grill. Cooking low and slow creates a yummy, juicy burger. Cook burgers for approximately 7-8 minutes on and flip once, cook an additional 7-8 minutes, or to your desired doneness. With 2-3 minutes remaining in the cooking process, place one slice of monterey jack cheese on each burger, and placed sliced buns on top shelf of the grill, to lightly toast the buns.

To assemble the burgers:
Spread about a tablespoon of mexi-mayonnaise on both the top and bottom of the bun, place patty on top of mayo mixture. Top patty with large spoonful of pico de gallo, guacamole to taste (I like a lot :), a handful of shredded romaine lettuce, 15-20 tortilla strips, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Add the top of the bun… and dig in! Enjoy!!