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What I love about this burger is that the toppings are what makes it. It is extremely versatile and can be easily made into a turkey, black bean or veggie burger.

 

This is another recipe from my friend Barb – who so graciously gave me a boatload of her restaurant recipes.

 

The star ingredient – jalapenos. I slice them and leave the seeds in, because I couldn’t think of anything better than a burger so spicy you can barely eat it. Right?

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Just make sure you have 400 oz of beer water on hand to dull the spiciness.

 

 

My favorite ingredient? The tequila. I may have done a few thousand shots before adding it to the jalepenos.

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After the jalapenos are sauteed, the tequila goes in to deglaze the pan. 

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Word to the wise: stand back from the stove. I stood overtop, and got a rush of spicy jalapeno fumes + pure alcohol release straight into my sinus cavity.

 

The next 2 hours were spent sneezing, coughing, snotting, fleming, and all sorts of those words. This all happened while my eyes were pouring with tears.

I couldn’t see, couldn’t smell, and couldn’t breathe, but I still managed to find the tequila bottle sitting on the counter.

 

It’s all about priorities.

 

 

I toasted some whole wheat buns. Make sure you toast or grill your buns!

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I tell myself the same thing every day because I am super pasty. I am mostly Irish, so I guess I’m supposed to have nice, milky, peaches and cream skin?

I don’t. I have pasty, red patched, freckled skin. And my husband is a ginger. We are already prepared for our children to get beat down on the playground.

 

 

Now it’s time to start layering.

The burger goes on first – I grilled 92% lean beef.

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Top with some monteray jack cheese. Luckily we had some left, since I consume cheese like it’s the last available food on earth.

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I’m like a camel. But think I can store cheese instead of water.

 

Next comes the blasted sinus-cavity-wrecking jalapenos. The taste fantastic.

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Add a little salsa. I went with medium.

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Next comes cilantro. Can’t do without it! 

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Finally, some chopped stolen avocado. 

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Finish it off with the top of the buttery, grilled bun.

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It’s a stacked, spicy, chunky burger. And I can even eat some veggies on it.

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I’m sure it would also be fantastic with some chipotle mayo on it, but I am not really a fan of mayo.

 

 

What are your favorite burger toppings?

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South of the Border Burger

1 whole wheat bun, grilled or toasted

1/4 lean ground beef, formed into a patty and grilled

1 teaspoon butter

1 jalapeno

1/4 cup tequila

1 slice monteray jack cheese

2 tablespoons salsa

2 slices of avocado, chopped

some chopped cilantro

Prepare bun and burger ahead of time.

Slice jalapeno. On high heat, saute jalapeno in butter until soft. Standing back, add tequila to deglaze the pan. Saute for 20 seconds before removing.

Add a slice of monteray jack cheese to the burger. Top with jalapenos. Add salsa, cilantro, and avocado.

Serve with with a chipotle mayonaise if you’d like.

 

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I enjoyed this burger in all of my searing, disinegrating-sinus-cavity glory. It was totally worth it.

I hope you like it, too!

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