Chili cheese smash burgers are a great way to use leftover Chili con Carne. Crispy, tasty smash burgers topped with Tex-Mex chili, cheddar cheese, sautéed onion, and sliced jalapeño. It’s savory, hearty, spicy and delicious. You will definitely need to fork and knife this one. Enjoy!
Chili Cheese Smash Burger Recipe
Chili Cheese Smash Burger
Equipment
- cutting board
- kitchen knife
- small saucepan – for warming the Chili con Carne
- comal or medium skillet – for toasting the buns
- large skillet – for making the burgers
- parchment paper – cut into 2 squares
- non perforated spatula
- ladle
Ingredients
- 2 cups Chili con Carne – prepared in advance
- ¼ cup beef stock
- 2 tbsp butter – cut into 4 pats
- 2 brioche burger buns
- ½ pound ground beef – 80/20
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper – ground
- 1 cup cheddar cheese – freshly grated
- 1 fresh jalapeño – sliced thin
Instructions
- Simmer the Chile con Carne in a small skillet until hot. Add beef stock to thin it out if necessary.
- Prepare the toppings. Shredded the cheddar, chop the onions, and slice the jalapeños.
- Add a pat of butter to each side of the buns.
- Toast the buns on a hot comal or skillet.
- Remove the toasted buns and set aside.
- Add remaining butter to a skillet. Bring up to high heat.
- While the skillet is heating, add the onions to the melted butter and sauté just until soft.
- Remove the sautéed onions, and set aside.
- Form ¼ pound meatballs.
- Add meatballs to the hot skillet. Cover with parchment paper.
- Smash each meatball down hard for 10 full seconds. Cook the patties without moving for 3 minutes.
- Salt and pepper the patties.
- Flip the patties, pressing down hard with the skillet to scrape all of the browning from the pan.
- Add the shredded cheddar.
- Remove the patties and rest on paper towels.
- Add the grilled onion, and sliced jalapeños to the top of the patty.
- Plate the buns. Ladle chili over the bottom bun.
- Add the burger patty and the top bun. Serve with a fork and knife.
PRIVATE NOTES
Nutrition
More Information
What is a Smash Burger?
Smash burgers are cooked indoors on a hot griddle or skillet. Press the meat down hard onto the hot surface, and do not move while it cooks. This forms a delicious, flavorful crust that looks and tastes amazing, and gives a smash burger its signature flavor.
Will a smashed burger lose its juiciness?
Smash the burger down hard just when you add it to the skillet. At this point, the juices have not yet emerged from the meat. Smashing the burger makes good contact with the skillet, helping to form a yummy crust when the juices do emerge. Only smash it once – at the beginning. If you do it more than once, then yes it will lose its juiciness.
Flipping the patty
Press the spatula down hard against the skillet at a 45 degree angle when flipping the burger. Try to keep all of the crust on the burger, not left behind in the skillet.
Doneness
Allow the smash burgers to cook for a full 3 minutes on each side, then allow them to rest for 5 minutes. This will produce medium-done patties, which is perfect for chili cheese smash burgers.
Variations
Peppers
If you don’t want peppers, leave them off. The chili is flavorful and spicy all on its own. For milder peppery flavor, instead of jalapeño, use diced Hatch green chilis. If you want more heat, add thinly sliced Serrano peppers. But watch out! Too much peppery heat with chili on a cheese burger is sure to cause heartburn. Or potentially much worse!
Related Recipes
Chili con Carne
Chili Cheese Fries
Spicy Grilled Onion Smash Burger
Classic Bacon Cheeseburger
Mushroom Swiss Burger
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