Mexican Chorizo and Ground Pork Burgers with Messy-Good Fixin’s

ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes | TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes | SERVES 4

With a bigger-than-usual meat patty topped with mashed avocado and fresh pico de gallo, these burgers are a double handful of drippy good fun. Mexican chorizo does the heavy lifting, flavor-wise, along with a bounty of fresh cilantro in both meat and pico. As for the cheese, American is the platonic ideal for burgers—salty, creamy-melty, and, well, what burgers need in order to taste like burgers.

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems *

  The Globa Pantry Cookbook Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray

• ½ cup finely chopped tomato, seeded if desired

• ¼ cup finely chopped onion

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

• ¾ pound ground pork

• ¾ pound Mexican chorizo

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 medium ripe avocado, pitted and peeled

• 1 medium clove garlic, grated on a Microplane

• 4 onion rolls or other hamburger buns

• Neutral oil (such as canola), for oiling the grill rack

• 4 slices white American cheese

*Flavor Booster: Use All the Cilantro. We are big fans of using cilantro stems, not just the frilly, leafy parts.

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat your gas grill to medium-high (450˚F to 475˚F) or prepare your coals to maintain medium-high heat (gas will take 20 to 30 minutes; charcoal will take about 45 minutes).

2. While the grill heats, combine 1⁄4 cup of cilantro, the tomato, onion, and lime juice in a small bowl; set aside.

3. Combine the pork, chorizo, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1⁄2 cup cilantro in a medium bowl, stirring well with your hands until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, and shape each into a 1⁄2-inch-thick patty. Set the patties aside.

4. Mash the avocado with a fork in a small bowl; stir in the garlic and remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

5. Place the roll halves on the grill rack, cut sides down; grill until toasted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the grill. Oil the grill rack and arrange the patties on the rack; close the grill lid and grill until well-marked on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn the patties over, close the grill lid, and grill until almost done, about 4 minutes (the patties should look crusty on the outside and feel firm when poked). Top each patty with 1 cheese slice; close the grill lid and grill until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. 

6. Arrange 1 burger patty on the bottom half of each roll; top the patties evenly with the avocado mixture and the tomato mixture. Place the tops of the rolls on the burgers.

“Excerpted from The Global Pantry Cookbook: Transform Your Everyday Cooking with Tahini, Gochujang, Miso, and Other Irresistible Ingredients by Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray. Workman Publishing © 2023.”

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