Mole Burger with Avocado Salsa
Mole Burger with Avocado Salsa packs a Mexican punch in a delicious burger. The burgers are dusted in a mole rub before grilling. Then Manchego cheese is melted on each burger before topped with a creamy, tangy, spicy avocado salsa.
This post is sponsored by the Certified Angus Beef ® brand in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
Certified Angus Beef ® brand is on a mission to help everyone build a better burger this month. They’re even doing a Facebook live event tomorrow to show you how to form a better burger patty. To which I replied that I totally needed help in this area.
I am the worst at forming patties. I start and then the hubs just takes over and remakes mine into perfectly formed burgers. Honestly, I don’t know how he does it, but he just does. He tries to coach me, but to no avail. I just suck at it! So, hopefully tomorrow I can learn some tips and tricks to form perfect patties.
The live event they had a couple of weeks ago taught us how to build a better burger. Starting with putting mayonnaise on the bottom bun to keep it from getting soaked with the juicy, delicious, Certified Angus Beef ® brand goodness. Then you put the lettuce, tomatoes and onions UNDER the burger. I never thought of that!! Genius! I always learn something new with their live events.
I tried my hand at forming these patties. That’s why they’re three different shapes and sizes. At least they didn’t fall apart when he grilled them. That’s usually what happens. They start to crumble because I haven’t pressed them together well. At least I think that’s what happens. We’ll find out on Monday what mistakes I can fix to press the perfect patty.
I truly believe I could eat a hamburger every week and never get bored or tired of them. Hamburgers and hotdogs are my go to comfort food after lasagna, of course. That’s my most comforting food. But that’s another post for another day.
What is about burgers that make them so irresistible?
Is it the grill flavor? Or the juicy meaty goodness? And then there’s the toppings! So many possibilities for so many different burgers. I could eat one every day for a year and probably not duplicate a single one.
Hamburgers are quick and easy for any dinner. Growing up, we had burgers all the time during summer. Who didn’t, right? They’re quick and easy to whip up after a long day at the pool or sightseeing. We did at lot of that when we first moved here. You work up an appetite walking around museums or going to concerts. All you have to do is form some patties, grill, and eat! They’re the original 30-minute meal!
Mom is the queen of finding the best things to see and do in any city. When we first moved to this area, we didn’t have a lot of money. So, Mom networked, chatted, and found the best parts of the newspaper to find inexpensive things to see and do. We toured all the museums! We saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown several times. One crazy night, Mom piled us all into the car in the wee hours of the night to head downtown. She wanted us to see the changing of the guard as the last unknown lied in state at the Capital building.
We saw the torchlight tattoo at the Naval yards downtown and at the Iwo Jima Memorial. Then there’s the countless times we piled up the car, along with several coolers, to head to the Capital lawn for the Fourth of July. With the National Symphony Orchestra playing for the likes of Roberta Flack, Dolly Parton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Barry Manilow, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin the Capital Fourth was always an amazing concert with THE BEST fireworks ever.
Burgers like this mole burger with avocado salsa are also great for camping.
They don’t require any special tools to cook or eat. You only need a spatula and your hands. Well, a plate would be a good idea, too. You can slice your onions, tomatoes, and other toppings you like before you leave. If you like mayonnaise, mustard, or ketchup you can make your own packets with some sandwich bags. Simply cut the corner and squeeze some on your bun.
Of course, it goes without saying that burgers are perfect for barbecue parties for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and even Labor Day. And anything in between like birthdays or just because you want to get together with your friends and family. That’s what preparing the patties ahead of time would be a great idea. Simply cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook them.
That would be a great idea with these burgers. It would allow the rub a little longer to penetrate the burger giving it spicier mole flavor. Not that this rub is that spicy. It’s really not. There’s just some chipotle chili powder in there which you could easily replace with the regular chile powder. I just like the smoky flavor that the chipotle gives the rub.
This is a simple rub. I’m sure you have everything you need to make it in your spice drawer already. If you cook anything Tex-Mex or southwest you should have everything in your pantry. With the exception of the chipotle chile powder that is.
It also goes without saying that the best burger is built with Certified Angus Beef ® brand ground beef. Their ground beef has THE BEST flavor no matter how you like your burger cooker. I’m a medium person. I like my burger a little pink in the middle. Of course, with their beef I don’t mind if it’s cooked a little under. Certified Angus Beef ® brand beef pack such amazing flavor in their products. No matter how you cook it up, even well cone, it will taste like the best angus beef you’ve ever had.
That’s what my dinner looked like. I had to put a little extra salsa on my plate because, well, I didn’t want it to go bad. And you cannot, no matter what you try, keep avocados from turning brown. At least I can’t. Maybe there’s a trick to it besides slather it with lime juice. Even if I encase it completely in plastic it still turns. So, I’m forced to eat the rest of it.
And that’s skillet jalapeno fried corn. We grilled four ears last weekend and I decided that this mole burger with avocado salsa needed some skillet corn. We always cut the cooked corn off the cob to use in either fried corn or salsa. For this corn, I fried it in a little butter and olive oil along with a finely minced jalapeno; seeds and membrane removed.
Side note. I sliced into that jalapeno and it took my breath away! It was spicy! I started couching and then sneezing. So, just keep an eye out for super spice jalapenos. If it knocks the wind out of you, use way less than you want or thought you needed.
I build my burger from the bottom up like we learned in the Facebook live with Certified Angus Beef ®. I put the mayonnaise on the bottom bun, then topped with avocado instead of lettuce. Then it was onions, tomato, and then burger with melted Manchego cheese on top. Finally, I topped with the salsa and the top bun. Yes, it was quite a mouthful but well worth every napkin I used eating it.
It has the rich mole flavor which is packed with chili and cocoa powder with some cumin, garlic, and onion in there, too. The salsa has fresh tomato and creamy avocado flavor. I think this is my new favorite salsa. And I think this is my new favorite burger!
Grab some more burger goodness:
Authentic Loco Moco Hawaiian Burger
Ultimate Burger Bowl
Garlic Truffle Burger
Breakfast Burger Waffle Sandwich
Bacon Jam Burger
Jalapeno Cheddar Stuffed Burgers
I know! Don’t they sound delicious??

Mole Burger with Avocado Salsa
Mole Burger with Avocado Salsa packs a Mexican punch in a delicious burger. The burgers are dusted in a mole rub before grilling. Then Manchego cheese is melted on each burger before topped with a creamy, tangy, spicy avocado salsa.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- pinch cinnamon
- 8 to 10 dry roasted peanuts
- 1 1/4 pound Certified Angus Beef ® brand ground beef
- 4 ounces sliced Manchego cheese
- 1 1/2 cups diced avocado
- 2 cups diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Thinly sliced avocado, tomatoes, and red onion
Grind the first eight ingredients (cocoa powder through peanuts) in a spice grinder.
Divide the ground beef into 4 equal portions and form into patties. Sprinkle both sides with the mole rub, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Remove the hamburgers from the refrigerator 15 minutes before grilling.
Combine the diced avocado, tomatoes, and onion with the lime juice, salt and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Preheat grill to high heat.
Cook the burgers 3 minutes, turn 45 degrees (to get those picture perfect grill marks) then turn the burgers over and repeat. After you turn the burgers on the second side, top with cheese to allow it to melt.
Remove the burgers from the grill and let rest 5 minutes before building your burger and diving in!
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 2873Total Fat 230gSaturated Fat 48gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 156gCholesterol 178mgSodium 515mgCarbohydrates 95gFiber 39gSugar 25gProtein 145g
Eat at your own risk!
It’s the opposite at our house! My husband makes burgers that look like tennis balls, so I’m in charge of shaping the burgers. Love all your toppings!!!
Thank you! Mine are okay, but they just don’t hold up some times.
Wow, I never thought of using mole in a burger! What a great idea.
Thank you! It adds a nice layer of flavor you don’t expect.