The Ultimate Stacked Southwest Spicy n’ Sweet Burger

This is our favorite “at home” burger. Actually it’s our favorite burger period! What makes it “Ultimate” and “Stacked”? The outstanding components that go together to make up this burger are each a taste treat in themselves, but put them together and you get a burger the likes of which you’ve never experienced before!

It’s a great big patty of juicy beef on a bed of cool, leaf lettuce and thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, topped with a grilled portabella mushroom, melted Monterey Jack cheese, sweet chipotle pepper sauce and crispy fried shallots, all served on a buttery toasted sesame seed topped Kaiser Roll. 

There’s a lot going on here. Every ingredient imparts its own unique favor that compliments the whole. With a little bit of advance planning and preparation you can serve a burger that will be met with praise and adoration. 

The Ultimate Stacked Southwest Spicy n’ Sweet Burger 

Yield: 4 Burgers     Preparation Time: 30 Minutes     Grilling Time: 16 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Clove Garlic, peeled and chopped
• Kosher Salt 

• Freshly ground Black pepper

• ¾ Cup Mayonnaise
• ¼ Cup Chili Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
• 3 Tablespoons Onion, minced
• 3 Tablespoons Sweet Pickle Relish
• 2 Tablespoons Chipotle Pepper packed in Adobo Sauce, minced 

• 4 Extra Large Shallots, peeled and sliced into ⅛ inch rings

• ¼ Cup All-Purpose Flour

• 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika (not the Hot Spanish variety)

• Olive Oil

• Canola Oil

• 8 Slices Thick Cut Applewood Smoked Bacon, cut each strip in half.

• 1½ to 2 Pounds of 80% Lean Ground Chuck 

• 4 Large Portabella Mushrooms

• 1 Cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

• 4 Sesame Kaiser Rolls, split

• 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, softened

• Curly Red Leaf Lettuce

Preparation Steps

Step 1. One day in advance, make a paste with the garlic and ⅛ teaspoon of the salt by crushing them together with the side of a chef's knife. In a small bowl, stir together the garlic paste, mayonnaise, chili sauce, ketchup, onion, sweet relish and chipotle until combined. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the sauce to meld. 

Step 2. Remove the sauce and ground chuck from the refrigerator to come to room temperature. Combine the flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the paprika in a medium bowl. Toss the sliced shallots in the flour until evenly coated and then transfer to a wire mesh strainer and shake to remove the surplus flour. Place a skillet over medium-high heat then add 2 tablespoons of canola oil and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat until just barely smoking. Carefully add the flour coated shallots in a thin layer and cook for about 2 minutes, turning with tongs, until browned and crisp. Transfer the fried shallots to paper towel to drain.

Step 3. Dispose of the oil in the frying pan then using the same pan cook the bacon slowly over medium heat turning frequently until cooked through but not too crisp. Place on paper towel to drain.

Step 4. Shape the ground chuck into four patties, ¾” larger than the diameter of the Kaiser rolls. To keep the burgers flat and cook evenly form the center of the patties thinner than the outer edge. Brush a thin coating of canola oil on both sides of the burgers and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside until ready to grill.

Step 5. Remove the stems from the Portabella Mushrooms and then use a spoon to gently scrape out the “gills” on the underside of the cap. Rinse well and pat dry with a towel.

Step 6. Preheat grill to high. Spread the softened butter on the inside of both halves of the Kaiser rolls and set aside.

Step 7. Brush a coat of olive oil over the entire mushroom and sprinkle with a pinch of Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grill the mushrooms, stem side down, with the grill covered for 5 minutes, turn them over and fill each cap with ¼ cup of the shredded cheese. Grill for 5 more minutes, again with the grill covered, until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown then remove from the grill and loosely cover to keep warm.

Step 8. Grill the burgers directly over the hottest part of the grill for 2 minutes without moving them.  Then turn the burgers and grill for an additional 3 minutes. During the last 4 minutes of grilling time, place the buttered rolls on the grill to lightly toast. Watch them carefully to avoid burning.

Step 9. Assemble the burgers. Put a couple of lettuce leaves on the bottom of the roll, then add four half-slices of bacon then top with a grilled meat patty. Turn a mushroom, cheese side down, on top of the meat and spoon 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the mushroom. Top with ¼ of the fried shallots and then add the top of the roll. 

Serve with some of the remaining sauce on the side for dipping. 

Tips and Trending

~ We always make these using the larger quantity (2 pounds), of top quality ground chuck. This produces a slightly less than ½ pound burger after grilling. The grill timing in the recipe will produce medium-rare burgers. If you prefer your burgers done to medium, extend the grilling time to 3 minutes per side.  Starting with 1½ pounds of beef will result in a burger more in the ⅓ pound range, after grilling. Adjust your grilling times down by about a half minute to avoid over cooking smaller patties. 

~ Chipotle peppers are smoked Jalapenos and just like a Jalapeno can vary in their “hotness”. Taste the sauce after it has melded overnight. If you prefer a little more zing, add more minced Chipotle and Adobo – one teaspoon at a time until you achieve your personal desired heat.

~ If the sauce prepared for this burger sounds familiar, it should. If you were to leave out the Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce you would have my homemade Thousand Island dressing.

~  If you must have fries alongside this mountain of a burger, try it with something different like sweet potato or veggie fries. And use the extra sauce for dipping those too!