Turkey and Chorizo Burgers with Green Chile Mayonnaise

Our house is a house that LOVES burgers.  And no, not just your typical hamburger, but burgers of all shapes, sizes and meat varieties.  There’s just not a whole lot that beats a good burger.  To me a burger is more than just a patty with a variety of toppings; the perfect burger starts with a perfectly, well-seasoned patty and the additions and toppings are there to enhance and compliment the flavor, not to add flavor to a bland piece of meat.
Burger making is an art, if you will.  There is great care that goes into making the perfect burger.  It has to be very well seasoned, and that seasoning has to be incorporated evenly throughout the meat.  But, there is a method to seasoning and making the patty too.  While you want the patty to be seasoned throroughly and evenly, you don’t want to overwork the meat, otherwise you’ll get a very tough burger.  The patty also needs to be thick, but not too thick that it doesn’t cook through.  I’ve found that forming the patties with a 1-inch thickness is the perfect method that works for me.  Also, when forming the patties I make sure the middle is slightly thinner than the outside, to allow the patty to shrink slightly during cooking while still forming a perfectly even patty that isn’t bubbled up in the center.  Enough about my fascination with burgers, let me tell you a little about this particular burger.

As I mentioned, we love burgers of pretty much any variety of meat.  This burger isn’t your typical hamburger, it’s actually a combination of turkey and chorizo.  Typically turkey can be bland and somewhat dry on it’s own, so the addition of chorizo really helps to add a big punch of flavor as well as lend some moisture to the burger.  The meat is then seasoned with some flavor packing spices and grilled.  The pepper jack cheese adds that nice gooey topping everyone expects from cheese as well as another layer of spicy flavor.  Then comes the assembly of the burger, the chile mayonnaise is out of this world.  It’s smokey and creamy while the tart lime helps to pull all the flavors together.  The combination of the turkey and chorizo with the chile mayonnaise is an amazing combination and makes for a burger that is filling and incredibly tasty!

Turkey and Chorizo Burgers

Ingredients:

8 Oz Fresh chorizo (Mexican or Spanish), casings removed
1-1 1/2 Pounds ground turkey
1 Clove garlic, minced
2 Tsp worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tsp Creole seasonings
3/4 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
4 Slices pepper jack cheese
4 Hamburger buns
Green chile mayonnaise (recipe follows)

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium heat.

In a large bowl combine turkey, chorizo, garlic, worcestershire sauce, creole seasoning, salt and cayenne pepper.  Gently mix the ingredients together, being careful to not overwork the meat. 

Divide the meat evenly into 4 separate pieces, approximately 8 ounces each.  Gently form each section of meat into 1-inch thick patties.

Place the prepared patties on the preheated grill and cook to a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes per side.

Once burgers are cooked to desired doneness, transfer to a plate and top with cheese.

Toast buns, if desired.

To assemble-
Spread a generous helping of green chile mayonnaise on the top and bottom of the bun.  Place the burger patties on bottom portion of each bun.  Top with lettuce, spinach or arugula and top with the top portion of the bun.  Serve immediately.

Green Chile Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

1 Poblano chile
1 Cup mayonnaise
1 Clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Place the cleaned chile on the prepared baking sheet and place in oven.  Roast for approximately 15 minutes, until skin is charred and blistered.  Rotating during the roasting process.  Place the roasted pepper in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Remove the pepper from the bowl and remove the skin, stem and seeds.  Finely chop the pepper.  In a food processor, combine the chile, mayonnaise, garlic, and lime juice and process until the mixture is smooth.  Season, to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe source: Barely adapted from Ezra Pound Cake who adapted it from Emril Lagasse’s “Emeril at the Grill”