Green Chile Burger
intro
Juicy grilled beef patties topped with smoky fire-roasted Hatch green chiles and melted Pepper Jack on toasted brioche—bold, satisfying, and packed with regional Southwestern flavor.
Ingredients
Steps
Roast green chiles
Preheat a grill or cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat (220°C / 425°F). Place whole Hatch green chiles directly on the cooking surface, roast for 8-10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes with tongs, until skins are fully blistered and charred on all sides. Transfer chiles to a heatproof bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and steam for 5 minutes to loosen skins. Peel off charred skins, remove stems and seeds, chop flesh into 1cm-wide strips, toss with 1 tablespoon (15ml) fresh lime juice, and set aside.
Form beef patties
In a large mixing bowl, combine 680 grams of 80/20 ground beef with 1 teaspoon (3g) kosher salt, ½ teaspoon (1g) black pepper, and ½ teaspoon (1.5g) garlic powder. Gently mix with clean hands just until spices are evenly distributed, taking care not to overwork the meat (which causes tough patties). Divide the mixture into 4 equal 170g portions, shape into 10cm-wide patties with a shallow 1cm dimple in the center to prevent bulging while cooking, then refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm up.
Toast brioche buns
Reduce grill heat to medium (190°C / 375°F). Brush the cut inner sides of all 4 brioche buns with 2 tablespoons (28g) of melted unsalted butter. Place buns cut-side down directly on the grill grates, and toast for 1-2 minutes until the surfaces are golden brown with faint grill marks and slightly crisp edges. Transfer toasted buns to a clean platter, spread ½ tablespoon (7.5ml) of mayonnaise evenly across each cut side of the top and bottom buns (60ml mayonnaise total), and set aside.
Grill cheeseburger patties
Place the chilled beef patties on the medium-heat (190°C / 375°F) grill grates, and cook for 4 minutes on the first side, never pressing down on the patties (this squeezes out flavorful fat and juices). Flip each patty once with a metal spatula, top each with one 28g slice of Pepper Jack cheese, and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until the patties reach an internal temperature of 71°C / 160°F for medium doneness.
Rest cooked patties
Transfer the cooked, cheese-topped patties to a clean metal plate, and let them rest for 2 minutes at room temperature. This rest period allows the meat fibers to relax and redistribute juices, ensuring every bite is juicy rather than having juices run out onto the plate when bitten.
Assemble green chile burgers
Set a rested cheesy patty on the bottom half of each toasted, mayo-schmeared brioche bun. Top each patty with 100 grams of the prepared roasted green chile strips, then place the top bun on to close each burger. Serve immediately while hot.
Tips
2.Resist the urge to press down on grilling patties with a spatula, as this squeezes out flavorful rendered fat and juices, leading to dry patties and unwanted grill flare-ups.
3.If fresh Hatch chiles are out of season, use 450g of well-drained canned fire-roasted Hatch green chiles as a convenient, flavor-matched substitute.
OMG these green chile burgers were a total game changer for our weekly family cookout! I roasted the hatch chiles a little extra like my abuela used to, and even my super picky 7 year old asked for seconds. SO good, we’re already adding this to our regular rotation. 10/10, no notes!
I was looking for an easy, crowd-pleasing burger to make for my work potluck and this did NOT disappoint. Cook time was exactly 40 minutes even with me prepping the chiles ahead, everyone was coming up to ask me for the recipe by the end of the lunch. Will 100% be making these again for our next tailgate!
Really solid burger recipe! The green chile adds such a nice smoky kick that regular cheeseburgers are totally missing. My only tiny note is I wish it had a little recommendation for what cheese pairs best— I used pepper jack and it was great, but next time I might try white American for that melty diner vibe. Still super easy to pull off on a weeknight!
Made these after a long day hiking with my partner last weekend and they hit SO hard. I added a little smear of lime crema on the bun like I get at our favorite local burger spot, and it paired perfectly with the roasted chiles. Easy enough to throw together even when we’re both dead tired post-trail, 10/10.
Wait y’all, I’ve never grilled burgers in my LIFE and these came out perfect? The instructions were so straightforward, I didn’t even burn the patties! My roommate said it’s the best burger he’s had all summer, I feel like a total pro now lmao.
Brought these to our neighborhood block party this past weekend and they were gone in 15 minutes flat. People were fighting over the last patty! I did a mix of mild and hot green chiles so folks could pick their spice level, which worked out perfectly for the kids and the spice wimps (read: me).
I meal prepped the patties with the chiles mixed in on Sunday and we ate these for dinner three nights in a row, no complaints from anyone. Even my teen who turns his nose up at everything said these are “actually not bad” which is basically a 5 star review from him. So easy, so flavorful, will be a staple in our house from now on.