They’ve got spice. They’ve got creaminess. They’ve got crazy crispy bacon strips. They are my grilled ancho chili burgers!
Burgers are literally my husbands favorite food. Like, when we go to a fancy restaurant, he is that guy that will immediately seek out the one burger item on the menu and order it regardless of what other deliciousness lies in wait for us on the rest of the menu. It drives me nuts, but it’s also led me to make an effort to create some tasty “outside-the-box” flavor combos for our burgers, which he loves!
Today I’m sharing my recipe for these ancho chili burgers. They have a wonderfully smoky heat from the ground ancho chili powder throughout the burgers and the goat cheese mayonnaise on top. The nice thing is that you can adjust the spice level to meet your own taste buds: these burgers can definitely get kicked up a notch by either doubling the amount of ancho chili powder in the burger patties, or by increasing the amount in the mayonnaise!
Let’s talk about these toppings. These toppings are all about complementing that ancho chili heat, and I absolutely love it! I mean, first of all, you just can’t go wrong with bacon, right? The fattiness is the first step to cutting through the spice from the ancho chili powder. Next up we have a quick and simple kale slaw that was macerated in fresh lemon juice for a bright acidic note and also to help break down the tough fibers of the kale.
Lastly, we’ve got this super yummy goat cheese mayonnaise. Yes, you heard correctly: goat cheese mayonnaise. Crumbled bits of goat cheese, fresh lemon juice, and a hint of some more ancho chili powder make this a creamy sauce that I’d eat on any burger, any day!
Now it’s your turn: what are your favorite burger toppings? Share with me by commenting below!
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. ancho chili powder
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 4 hamburger buns
- 4 pieces of bacon, cooked and cut in half
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 cups kale, shredded
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 pinch ancho chili powder
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, ancho chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix until fully combined. Form into 4 patties and set aside.
- Heat grill to medium-high heat. While grill is heating, prepare other toppings.
- When grill is heated, cook burgers for about 4 minutes per side for medium rare. When burgers are almost finished cooking, grill hamburger buns for about 1-2 minutes per side until char marks develop.
- Serve burgers on charred hamburger buns with macerated kale, mayonnaise, and bacon. Enjoy!
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Add kale and toss to combine. Allow to sit while the burgers cook to help the lemon juice break down the toughness of the kale.
- Whisk ingredients together thoroughly in a small bowl. Adjust seasonings as desired.
Sarah is a food blogger from Metro Detroit who believes that gourmet food should be accessible to all home cooks. 
Whoa! I started drooling on my desk when I saw the pictures. Glad no one was sitting here with me. Definitely going on my list of “must try!”
This looks so delicious! This would be perfect for an end-of-the-summer cookout! Can’t wait to give this recipe a try! Thanks so much for sharing it!