Sink Your Teeth Into a Carne Asada Burger with Chipotle Guacamole

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Upgrade your next BBQ with this flavorful Carne Asada Burger with Chipotle Guacamole.  Say goodbye to bland patties and hello to juicy and flavorful!

 

There’s nothing better than a burger for a cookout. Well, a good Southwest three bean salad makes a cookout great, too!  I mean, you can have your barbecue chicken and marinated grilled skirt steak. They’re good, but there’s nothing like a juicy, delicious burger topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mayo, and melted cheese that truly makes my stomach start to grumble.

 

With grilled BBQ chicken, you run the risk of running out of whatever color meat people like. And if your chicken looks as delicious as this recipe, you will run out!  And there’s the barbecue sauce choice that could turn up noses. With steak, you can marinate it, but it’s still just steak. And no matter how long you marinate it, you can’t get that flavor all the way through the meat. With a burger, you can add seasoning to the ground beef and get flavor all throughout the patty. And this patty has all the flavors of delicious carne asada packed with garlic, onions, limes, and Latin seasonings like cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika.

 

 

What is carne asada and carne guisada?

 

Carne asada is a marinated and char grilled meat that’s thinly sliced. Typically cuts of meat like skirt steak, flank steak, and flap steak are used. These cuts are usually more fibrous so carna asada is usually thinly sliced and served on its own with rice and beans. It can also be used in tacos and burritos. The marinade usually consists of jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, citrus juices like orange and lime, and cumin just to list a few.

 

Carne guisada is something completely different. It’s chunks of beef slowly cooked in a stew or rich gravy. It’s also sometimes served with rice and beans and tortillas. Sometimes this beef is used in burritos and enchiladas like carne asada, but this is one a few similarities between the two. The other being similar seasonings, but most Latin American cuisine has similar seasonings in there.

 

 

How do I keep my burgers from drying out?

 

With all the spices and flavors in these carne asada burgers you’re going to want to keep not only all those flavors inside, but make sure the burgers aren’t dry when they’re done. To keep your burgers from drying out, it’s important to choose the right meat blend and handle it with care during the cooking process.

 

Start by selecting ground beef that has a higher fat content like an 80/20 mix. The fat helps keep the meat juicy and flavorful. Avoid over-mixing or compacting the meat when forming the burger patties. It’s similar to baking. The more you beat the cookies or pastry the tougher they get. The same is with burgers. Overhanding can lead to a dense and dry texture. So be sure to gently shape the patties and create a slight indentation in the center to prevent them from puffing up during cooking.

 

 

When cooking the burgers be sure to use a medium-high to high heat. And whatever you do, DO NOT PRESS DOWN on the patties with a spatula. This just squeezes out all the juices you’ve worked to hard to maintain. Also, don’t overcook the burgers. You want to pull the burgers about five degrees shy of your desired internal temperature.

 

Allow the burgers to rest for a few minutes after cooking to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, ensuring a juicy and delicious bite every time. This resting time includes carryover cooking which is why you want to pull them shy of your desired internal temperature.

 

 

How do you make traditional guacamole?

 

Guacamole is a classic Mexican dish made primarily of ripe avocados, which serve as the base for this creamy and flavorful spread. Other common ingredients in traditional guacamole include diced onions, chopped tomatoes, minced garlic, fresh cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt. Some variations may also include jalapenos or other spicy peppers for an added kick. The key to a good guacamole is using ripe avocados and balancing the flavors of the other ingredients to create a harmonious blend of creamy, tangy, and savory notes.

 

Guacamole is traditionally prepared in a molcajete. That’s just the Latin name for a mortar and pestle. At least that’s how I see it in my book. The molcajete has a texture in the bottom while the mortar and pestle are usually smooth. This texture at the bottom allows you to crush the vegetables and other ingredients in the guacamole which provides a higher level of flavor than chopping alone. And with that higher level of flavor you’ll need fewer ingredients to make amazing guacamole.

 

 

How do you make the carne asada burger?

 

First, you have to make the patty mixture. Remember, be delicate when combining the ingredients. Think more about folding than mixing. So, you’ll fold in the beer, jalapeno, lime juice, taco seasoning, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic salt. Yes, I know. Beer sounds weird, but it’s that elevated flavor I was looking for from my childhood when we marinated and made our own version of carne asada.

 

Form the patties and let them rest while you preheat your grill. I like to cook mine in the medium-high to high range. Or somewhere between the two. Sometimes when I cook them on too high of a heat they’re not cooked through enough for my liking. So, I aim for between the two.

 

 

When the grill is ready, put the burgers on. DO NOT PRESS THEM DOWN! Just put them on the grill and let them do their thing for about 3 to 5 minutes. Then rotate them about 45 degrees for those pretty grill marks we all love to see on perfectly cooked burgers. Carefully flip them over and repeat the process. Check the temperature with a thermometer before removing them from the grill. Stop 3 to 5 degrees short of your desired internal temperature, top them with your cheese, then put them on a plate to rest. You can tent them with foil to keep them warm.

 

How do you assemble the carne asada burgers with chipotle guacamole?

 

I like to toast the buns. This keeps the excess juices from making the bun soggy. So does a layer of mayonnaise. Or you can put a thin layer of guacamole on the bottom bun. The choice is yours. I am a total advocate of lettuce, tomato, and onion on a burger. And cheese, of course. Those go on top of mine. But put whatever you want on your burger. Roasted jalapenos, some Mexican street corn, or some queso fresco.

 

 

Now, about the cheese. I like to use sharp cheddar on my burgers. And sometimes an extra sharp yellow or white cheddar tops my burgers. But with this burger, you can try a Colby jack or pepper jack. Or try something different like a Oaxaca cheese or asadero cheese. Both of these should melt deliciously over your burgers.

 

Finally, make sure to spread a heaping amount of the chipotle guacamole on top of your burger. Yes, it will make eating the burger messy, but well worth all those napkins you’ll need. This burger is packed with flavors you’ll love and topped with a delicious guacamole you can’t resist.