H-Bomb Burger

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The recipe for this burger was one of the 5 finalists in the LA Times Burger Battle 2012. It is relatively easier to find the ingredients than some of the other winning recipes. You can substitute regular bacon and use any bread you like, if you cannot find the jalapeno cheese buns. It is definitely a spicy burger and adjusting the heat level to your taste is highly recommended. Do this by reducing the number of chiles that go into the burger or substituting them for milder versions. You can also opt out of the habanero relish. The chipotle mayo is not that spicy and adds a wonder sweet smokiness, so I would recommend keeping that. It is a very involved recipe that requires a lot pf prep for the components. Recipe was submitted by Richard Amiel of Cathedral City.

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  • 8
  • 120 mins

Ingredients

  • Burger patties**
  • 2 pounds ground beef chuck
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon seeded, chopped jalapeño pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Habanero relish**
  • 8 habanero peppers, finely chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • Salt
  • Chipotle mayonnaise**
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 chipotle peppers (canned in adobo sauce), chopped
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • Salt and pepper
  • Caramelized onions**
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 1/2 pounds onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • The H-Bomb burger**
  • 16 slices jalapeño bacon
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 16 serrano chiles
  • 8 hamburger buns or jalapeño-cheese hamburger buns, split horizontally
  • Chipotle mayonnaise
  • Burger patties
  • Caramelized onions
  • Habanero relish
  • 8 leaf lettuce leaves
  • 8 large slices tomato
  • 8 slices habanero jack cheese

Preparation

Step 1

Burger patties:
In a large bowl, gently combine the beef chuck with the chopped onion, cilantro, Worcestershire sauce, jalapeño, salt, ground pepper and cayenne pepper. Form the mixture into 8 (half-inch to three-fourths-inch-thick) patties. Place the patties on a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to 1 day.

Habanero Relish:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the habanero peppers, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro and vinegar. Process to a smooth paste. Taste and season as desired. This makes a generous 1½ cups relish. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours

Chipotle mayo:
In a food processor, pulse together the mayonnaise, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use. This makes about 1 cup chipotle mayonnaise, which will keep, covered and refrigerated, up to 1 week.

Caramelized onions:
In a large skillet, preferably cast iron, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat, then stir in the onions. Stir in the salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar and continue to cook, stirring and scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the onions are golden-brown, 20 to 30 minutes.

H-Bomb burger:
1. Working in batches, fry the jalapeno bacon slices in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned and crisp. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.

2. In another skillet, add the oil and fry the serrano chiles until softened and browned. Be careful, because the oil will splatter as the chiles fry. Remove the chiles and drain. Peel and seed if desired, and slice the chiles into strips.

3. Prepare the barbecue or grill and heat over medium-high heat. Spray the grill rack with nonstick spray. Toast buns until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer buns, cut side up, to plates. Spread each bun bottom with some chipotle mayonnaise and top each with a lettuce leaf and sliced tomato.

4. Place the burgers on the grill and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the burgers and continue to cook to desired doneness, about 5 minutes longer for medium. Shortly before the burgers are done, top each burger with caramelized onion, the fried and sliced serrano chiles and a spoonful of habanero relish. Place a slice of habanero jack cheese on each burger and top with 2 slices jalapeño bacon. Continue cooking just until the cheese melts.

5. Place the burger patties on the bun bottoms, spread each bun top with a little more chipotle mayo and place over the burger. Serve immediately.

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