It’s a great weekend for a Green Chile Cheeseburger don’t you think?
New Mexico’s chile season is upon us! Yesterday I went over to one of my favorite local suppliers, Sichler Farms, and bought my first 10 pounds of chile – 5 pounds of medium and 5 pounds of hot. When I got home I couldn’t wait to try it, so I lit up the grill and started roasting and peeling. For supper we made the Quintessential Green Chile Cheeseburger. Both of us agreed that, even though we’ve eaten A LOT of green chile cheeseburgers in our lifetime, this was the best hamburger we had ever made and possibly ever eaten. Every bite was a burst of spicy, meaty chile complemented with the sweetness of Golden Jubilees picked fresh from our garden. A burger can’t get much better than this.
The main thing that people must know about this burger is that it’s all about the chile. As long as you have some meaty and spicy, roasted New Mexico green chile, you can make this burger. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but there is no substitute. This particular green chile cheeseburger was made with almost all local ingredients, including the cheddar cheese; and yes, we do made cheddar cheese in New Mexico. See the end of this post for the ingredient suppliers as well as suppliers of New Mexico FRESH green chile that can be shipped right to your door.
Green Chile Cheeseburger
I have no idea who created the Green Chile Cheeseburger, but I would love to give him or her a big kiss for creating such an awesome burger!
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“*” See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
- 1/4 tsp. cumin-coriander mix
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- Several slices of Cheddar Cheese
- Roasted and peeled New Mexico green chile left whole or chopped
- Slices of homegrown tomatoes
- Onion, finely chopped (optional)
- Lettuce
- Mayonnaise or Dijon mustard
- Good hamburger buns
- Combine the ground beef with the garlic powder, oregano, cumin-coriander mix, salt and pepper.
- Divide the beef into quarter pound burgers. You can make 3 – 1/3 pound burgers if you want.
- Heat up a grill or a griddle and cook the burgers to your liking. About 1 minute before removing them, top each burger with some cheese.
- Remove when the cheese has melted and the burgers are done.
- Place the buns on the grill or griddle, cut side down and lightly toast.
Build your burger by topping the cheese with green chile, tomato and whatever else you want.
Green chile – Whole or chopped? Sometimes people leave the chile whole, but we like it chopped. Whole chiles can be pulled out of the burger on the first bite. The chopped chile stays put so that you get some in every bite. As far as the spiciness of the chile, for these burgers – we go for hot! However, if you can’t handle the heat, then mild and medium are just as good.
Tomatoes – You need to use good tomatoes. The yellow tomatoes in the pictures are heirloom Golden Jubilees from our garden. They are so sweet which is a wonderful complement to the spicy, spicy chile. Some people chop their tomatoes, but we like to use slices.
Cheddar Cheese – The cheddar is from the Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory in Tucumcari, New Mexico, our favorite cheddar cheese. You can slice it or grate it. Your preference.
Hamburger Buns – Our favorite hamburger buns are these Brioche Buns from the Fano Bread Company in Albuquerque. When the weather cools off and I start baking bread again, I’m going to give these hamburger buns from Alterkitchen a try. They look quite delicious!
Mayo or mustard – Well, that is definitely a personal preference. I am not a mustard fan, so I prefer mayo. However, Bobby is just the opposite and prefers Dijon. Some people like yellow mustard and some even like ketchup; therefore, this particular condiment is your choice.
Suppliers of Fresh New Mexico Green Chile
Growers in the southern part of the state are already picking green chile and will start shipping around the middle of August. Growers in the northern part of the state will start shipping around the first of September. If you live in New Mexico, there is no reason to have it shipped because this time of year, you can find fresh green chile just about every where. However, if you live outside of New Mexico and love good food, the cost of having fresh green chile shipped right to your door is worth it.
I usually buy my fresh chile at the growers market from a couple of small, local farmers or from Sichler Farms, a farm near San Antonio, New Mexico, about an hour south of Albuquerque. Sichler has a market place set up in Albuquerque, which makes it very convenient. All of these farmers and the ones in the southern part of the state (including the farmers in Hatch, New Mexico) grow a variety of New Mexico chile – Big Jim, Sandias, Rio Grandes, Joe E. Parkers, and others. These chiles range from mild to very hot. To learn more about New Mexico chile, please click on over to my Red or Green? post.
Below is a list of suppliers (that I know of) that ship FRESH New Mexico Chile.
NOTE: No one asked me to do this post, no one paid me, and no one gave me any product. I just love Green Chile Cheeseburgers and feel that everyone should try at least one in their lifetime. You’re going to love these burgers!
Here are a few complementary sides for any burger:
Just have to check if our green chile is Mexican… hooked already 🙂
Davorka, you can actually use any roasted green chile on this burger as long as it’s not too hot to kill the taste buds. 🙂
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Hi there! My Husband is the grandson of George Sichler, an old time farmer in the valley of Los Lunas i wanted to tell you about our coffee shop/ European Market/ and in-season Farm stand. We’ve remodeled George’s old farm stand to create the Coffee shop, but it seems like something that might be interesting to you! I’ve really enjoyed reading a few of your articles! Do you have a cook book for sale?
Thanks Girl!
-Amanda Dollahite
Europa Coffee. Tea. Bakery
Ps. My husband sold eggs to La Mantanita, we’re Peculiar Farms, and also we have organic Grass fed beef we sell through Sweet Grass and Panarama to Whole Foods and La Montanita.
Hey Amanda, Yes I am very interested! We should chat. I’ll send you an direct email with contact information. Thanks for dropping by and leaving this comment!
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MJ,
These burgers are just what we need to make this week! We love green chilis but can’t get them fresh in Alabama. I am definitely going to order some asap. Thanks for the resources, recommendations and great recipe! Glad to have you at the Friday Frenzy Link Party this week.
Thanks Melissa!
That looks like the burger o my dreams, MJ!
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This looks amazing and a must try for dinner soon! Can’t wait to sink my teeth into this burger!
Thanks Pamela! I hope you enjoy!
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As you can tell, I’m very behind on my blog reading and commenting. 🙂 I love that you broke down the NM green chile cheeseburger for the world and the avenues for others to access NM green chile who aren’t here in NM! This is the first year that I bought my green chile for Sichler Farm… I was extremely happy with my chile and the service. I also bought powedered red chile from them and it is definitely superior to some of the other brands out there! I will definitely become a patron of theirs. 🙂 I hope that you’re doing well!!
Thanks Renee! It’s such a great burger than everyone should enjoy it. Could YOU eat a burger without green chile? I thought not. 🙂 So glad to hear that you found Sichler’s! I love going over there. Everyone is so nice. I haven’t tried the red chile powder. Maybe I should run by there before they close for the year and buy a bag. Thanks for the heads up!
I just got back from buying 4 bushel of fresh roasted green chiles….and my car smells uh-mazing Ü I really, really wish there was some way to capture that roasted chile aroma and make it into an air freshener for my car. Anyways, I was perusing Pinterest in hopes of finding different green chile recipes and I’m happy to say I’ve subscribed to your blog! Absolutely Perfect ♥
My husband and I would never have a burger cooked at home without roasted green chiles on it. Lil’ trick we do is to spoon the chopped chiles directly onto the burger when its almost done….THEN add the cheese on top of the chiles. Close the lid and let the cheese melt over the chiles which encases them underneath the cheese and makes it much easier to keep on your burger while snarfing Ü
I’m tempted to make Eau de toilette of Green Chiles tonight after I’m finished bagging my beauties up leaving all that wonderful juice……aaaaahhh! I’ll send you some. Just a dab behind the ears Ü
Oh Tracy – thank you so much for your comment and for subscribing to my blog! 4 bushels of green chile? Lucky you! I’m so with you about capturing the smell. I’ll keep an eye out for that bottle of roasted green chile eau de toilette. 🙂 Love you method of making a green chile burger! I’ve had them made that way, but have never done it myself. I’ll have to change that. If you try some of my green chile recipes, please let me know. Thanks again!
Thank You for your recipe. MJ’s did not mention when to add the green chile at all. You need to take over this recipe. Much better.
Becca, Thanks for your comment! The green chile is listed in the toppings list so I assumed that with pictures and “assemble the burger” was enough. Guess not.
Wow! This looks absolutely delicious – will definitely remember for our next cookout!!
Thanks Carrie!
Now that’s a burger, MJ! You always inspire me to use more chiles! I just want to reach right into the photo and take a bite! Great post and delicious burger!
Thanks so much Bill! Oh, one can never eat too many chiles. 🙂
Such a delicious burger! Especially the last photo is superb!
Thanks Katerina! In reference to the last picture, the bokeh is caused by light hitting my large jade plant. It’s pretty cool in the late afternoon. 🙂
This is going to sound crass, but I saw that picture and I had an uptake in my saliva production. I wanted to open my mouth and take a bit. Wonderful picture—-obviously. Great Burger!!!!
An uptake in saliva production is a very natural reaction for this burger. 🙂 Wish I could make you one. Thanks Carol!
Oh, my gosh, this is one magnificent burger!!! Gorgeous, too!
Thanks so much Liz!
I bet this is very tasty with the cumin coriander mix.
Thanks Lee! Yep- that spice mix does make the difference IMO! 🙂
I figured it out and this is the most simple and easiest way… I will fly to NM to see you and have this burger! 😀 You guys did an amazing job photo shooting this burger too. Very appetizing and looks like one on magazine or TV commercials! I know it’ll be spicy, but I would love to try this authentic version without substituting any ingredients!
Sounds good to me! I’d love to make you and your family this burger and I promise I’ll keep the chile mild enough for you and the kids. Of course I’ll give Mr. JOC the spicy stuff. 🙂 Thanks Nami!
The best ever says it all…I’m sure it was great.
Thanks Karen!
Wow I love that last photo! well done.
And yes I love this recipe, now I feel like having a burger for lunch
Thanks so much for the photo comment Raymund! My large Jade plant in the background creates a nice bokeh with the afternoon light. Knowing what you enjoy eating, I’m sure you would love this burger. 🙂
Just roasted some last night. Alas, they were Okie grown from our garden and not NM. Have to improvise I guess.
You’re forgiven Debra. 🙂 I knew that if anyone was growing chile it was you.
MJ, This is a gorgeous burger. Spicy and juicy and I bet oh so delicious. You know my teenagers love the heat so this burger would get two thumbs up from them for sure. Happy Grilling! Take Care, BAM
Thanks Bam! Oh I KNOW your teenagers would love this burger! Hope you would too.
This burger looks extra yummy… because I love anything with chile!! Mmmm! I got some hatch chilies recently… gotta look around your blog and find ways to use them up. 🙂
Thanks so much Ramona! So exciting to see that you have some Hatch chile! Hope you find something here that you love!
That burger looks amazing. I don’t like things so hot my lips rot off but I’d be willing to give it a go just because it looks so good. 🙂
Thanks Maureen! I promise you that your lips won’t rot off, but they might burn a little bit. And if you have a cold or stuffy nose, this burger will most certainly clear that up. 🙂
“The following measurements are not exact, but close” ~ and suddenly, I don’t feel so alone ;-). I’ve often wondered if I’m the only one who has trouble recollecting precise measurements after the fact…I do the best I can but there’s definitely some variance and I just hope nothing major turns on it. This cheeseburger sounds (and looks) amazing MJ and I know what you mean about no substitute for the New Mexico green chile. I once came across a Thai recipe where the author said something like… “if this recipe could speak, it would simply ask you to use the ingredient that makes it what it is…” I thought that was brilliant :).
Thanks Kelly and no – you are not alone! Until I started blogging I never measured! And most times I still don’t the first time I made something. Then if it turns out good, then I’ll make it a couple times more and measure everything. Of course something like a hamburger, why measure at all? 🙂 I love that last statement!! Thanks for sharing that! It definitely speaks to this burger.
this cheeseburger looks amazing! definitely craving one right now.. can’t remember the last time i had a cheeseburger!
Thanks Thalia! We don’t eat cheeseburgers very often either, but when we do, this is it. 🙂
I’d never heard of a green chile cheeseburger before reading this post. Now I feel as though I’m missing out on something startlingly good! Now, to get my hands on some New Mexico Green Chile…….there’s really no substitute at all? I doubt I can get them in Europe……..
Oh Lisa, you are definitely missing out! A substitute? Not to a New Mexican. 🙂 However, yes, any meaty chile that can be roasted and peeled would work. The flavors would be different, because with a burger like this, it is always about the chile. 🙂
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!! I made this for dinner tonight. We ate it open-faced. Instead of bread I made a side of mashed potatoes. Brynn and Jim had cheddar and I had mozzarella. I piled mine and Jim’s high with the roasted peppers and sautéed onions. The combination of seasonings for the meat was genius! WOW was it good down to the last bite!. We just got up from the table and I’m not over the sensation yet. This will be repeated often. Love you.
AWESOME!!! I’m am so glad that you enjoyed these burgers especially since Jim is not a burger person. I too like these opened face at times, especially when you have big buns like these. Have never served them with mashed potatoes and what a great idea! Glad you added the seasoning to the ground beef. I’ve never been a fan of just plain ground beef and have found that just a little bit of seasoning makes all the difference in the world. I love you and always appreciate your trying my recipes and providing such great feedback!! Sweet Dreams Darlin!
I have never actually had chile in a cheeseburger, your recipe looks like a must-try 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks Uru! Have never had chile on a cheeseburger? Well, you definitely need to give it a try. You’ll love it!
Cool, MJ ~ This will be my first summer to buy and roast a LARGE batch of fresh New Mex chiles! Cannot wait to try them in this cheeseburger, chopped up as you suggest ~ don’t want to chance missing out on the best possible taste.
Oh how exciting! I still remember the first bag we roasted back in 1976. We bought HOT and WOW – they were HOT!!! but SO good! 🙂 How you enjoy your green chile cheeseburger! Thanks for stopping by!
I have never eaten a Green Chile Cheeseburger in my life. I want one now. It looks amazing and cool you got mostly local ingredient. Like the spice mix too! I am baffled each time by the quantity of chile you always buy lol.
Thanks Evelyne! I hope you get a chance to eat a real green chile cheeseburger some day. There is nothing like them. 🙂
MJ, this is my kind of burger…delicious! I love the roasted green chile…what a great idea to give a burger a little something extra. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Jodee and thanks so much for all of your sharing!!!
A scrumptious burger and great photos, MJ. And you are so good using different kinds of chillies in your recipes.
Thanks so much Angie! When you’re a chile addict like me, you’re always looking for new ways to use them. 🙂
I was going through fb and I saw this photo. It is mouthwatering! The problem is, I haven’t had breakfast yet and then I saw this? This is torture, MJ! Now I want to have a burger instead of the my healthier breakfast which is oatmeal with bacon and sausage. Ha ha ha! On a serious note you. . . really got me drooling on this burger. I hope you and Bobby are having a good week my friend. 🙂
So Ray…did you have a burger for breakfast? 🙂 Actually your oatmeal, bacon and sausage sounds like a delicious breakfast, but I’m not sure if it’s any healthier than this burger. Ha ha ha is right! 🙂 Glad to have grabbed your attention with my burger and thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend my friend!
I always love reading your informative and detailed posts.I will swap beef with lamb and make these burgers coz i am sure my family is going to love these.
Thanks Darlin! What a great idea to use lamb! I have some ground lamb in the freezer. I might have to give that a try. I bet it would complement this chile very nicely. Thanks for the idea!
This looks soooo good! Jim’s not a burger fan but maybe this one will change his mind. It’s Hatch chile time around here too with peppers running about 78/88 cents a pound. The local grocers have all kinds of in-store made products. Many have a big roaster out front running all day. One has the most amazing Hatch chile cheese bread that they make. We pick up a loaf almost every time we go by there. I made shrimp tacos the other night and thinly sliced some fresh mild ones in rings to pile on instead of cabbage or lettuce. I used fresh for the crunch. They were so good. I think I’ll make these burgers tonight. I still have quite a bit of chopped roasted peppers in the freezer. I sorta went overboard last year. Now my mouth is watering. Got to go get the ground beef out of the freezer.
Yesterday I was thinking of you when I saw huge (american style) chiles MJ. Before I buy them I will need to decide on one of your many recipes and most probably I ll start with your burger because we are loving burgers right now. =)
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
What a wonderful feeling knowing that someone on the other side of the world saw large green chiles and thought of me. 🙂 I hope you do go back and buy them, especially if they are new to you. There are so many things to do with them, but this burger is a GREAT place to start. Thanks for your wonderful comments Helene!
This looks amazing! We are always looking for different dinner ideas. I’m pinning this for later!
Thanks so much Jen!
Great burger! There’s a small hamburger chain called Five Star Burgers that has a nice Hatch chile burger (pretty mild chile, though). There’s a branch in Albuquerque, although I suspect your burger is better. I’ve got some Hatch chilies (frozen) that I’m all excited about! Good recipe — thanks.
Thanks John! I’ve never heard of Five Star Burgers, but I just looked them up. I see that they do have a green chile burger with green chile mayo. That sounds good. It’s interesting that they are only located in New Mexico and Missouri. That’s kind of weird actually. Since it’s located on the other side of town, I’ll probably be sticking to my homemade burgers. 🙂 Enjoy your Hatch chile!!
I continue to pick and roast the green chiles that i have grown from dried chiles that I brought back from New Mexico last fall. For your taste, they may qualify as mild, but they have some discernible heat, along with the flavor. I typically roast 12 or 15 at a time and chuck them into a zipper bag to cool. The skins come off easily this way. You have given me something else to use these chiles for since my tomatoes are just starting to ripen. I’ll be looking forward to the green chile cheesburgers.
Bill, that is so cool that you are growing NM chile! I wish I had the patience to start chile plants from seeds. 🙂 It they do have some discernible heat, then they might be considered medium. Mild chile usually has no heat, but then that’s coming from a person that likes it hot. 🙂 Glad to have provided another idea for your chile! You’re going to love this with those homegrown tomatoes! Thanks for commenting Bill!
MJ, this hamburger looks like a piece of art…. The fresh green chile must be THE jewel of the whole lot of course. This is by far the most appetising hamburger I have ever seen. How did you have the patience to take photographs???
Of course I won’t be able to get Mexican fresh chile, but I must try the same recipe with Turkish long green chiles (they are called aci sivri and are medium hot, which for me means slightly hotter than jalapeños). They are very aromatic (nothing to do with bell peppers or bird’s eye chilies…. when you leave them for one hour the whole flat smells of them…) and I have been pickling them in vinegar for the last two weekends…
I must also add I’m glad to see you also spice up your ground meat. I hate hamburgers made with unseasoned ground meat. I will steal your seasoning mix idea next time 😉 (I usually add cumin, salt, pepper and chile powder and fried onion).
I wonder what you will be doing with the remaining chile…
PS I rarely make hamburgers, but when I do, I put both mayonnaise and mustard and my homemade ketchup too 😉
Thanks so much Sissi! Oh yes, NM green chile IS the jewel of many southwestern meals, and yes, it was hard getting through the photo session. Needless to say, the hamburger disappeared shortly thereafter. 🙂 Yep – I don’t think NM suppliers ship to Europe until you have lots and lots of money! 🙂 Therefore, it would be fun to have you give this a try with the aci sivri chiles. I remember you mentioning them before and wish I could find some here. They sound very interesting and like my kind of chile. In reference to seasoning the meat, you gotta do it. To be honest, they isn’t anything more bland that unseasoned ground beef, even the organic, grain-fed beef I normally use. Definitely needs some seasoning. Hope you’re having a great week!
Dear MJ, if I can send you seeds of aci sivri, let me know, I would be delighted! I don’t know if you would like the taste, but the aroma is amazing… Let me know if I can at least try…
You are SO sweet! When I looked up aci sivri the last time we talked about this, I saw that I could buy some seeds and actually seedlings in the US; therefore, I have already added them my list for growing next year. They are such a pretty pepper and, being originally from Turkey, I’m sure I would enjoy them. Ford’s Fiery foods has turned me on to Turkish peppers and so far, I haven’t found one I didn’t like. 🙂 Thanks Darlin!
I’m glad you can find them and I hope you will like them.
A great-looking southwest burger, through and through! Thanks for sharing, MJ.
Thanks Viviane!