Tex-Mex · main

The Kitchen Tourists' Best Tex-Mex Burger!

The Kitchen Tourists' Best Tex-Mex Burger! reads richness 5.0, sourness 4.8 and umami 4.8 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Tex-Mex main, about 30 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 5.3 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 3.1 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 6.1 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 3.7 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.3 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 5.0 · Sourness 4.8 · Umami 4.8 · Citrus 4.3 · Salinity 4.0 · Heat 3.8 · Smoke 3.3 · Herbaceous 2.6 · Fruity 2.5 · Earthy 2.2 · Sweetness 2.1 · Warm Spice 1.9 · Floral 1.3 · Allium 1.2 · Nutty 1.1 · Funk & Ferment 0.8 · Bitterness 0.7

What's in it (21)

• Guacamole Dressing
• 1 avocado
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 3 teaspoons fresh lime juice (or 2 tsps fresh lemon juice)
• 1 dash hot sauce (not too much, more heat will come with the minced chipotle)
• salt
• 1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile in adobo
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro, to taste
• Burgers
• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 4 slices monterey jack cheese or 4 slices cheddar cheese
• 4 whole wheat hamburger buns, we like them toasted on the grill (if you can get bakery, seeded rolls, so much the better)
• To garnish
• pickled jalapeno pepper, rings (store bought or Pickled Jalapeno Rings)
• 4 buttery-crisp lettuce leaves

Time & effort: about 30 min (25 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 179.8 kcal, 12.6 g protein, 7.8 g fat, 15.1 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Halve, pit and peel avocado.
2. Mash 1/4 of avocado with a fork; add mayonnaise, lemon juice, hot sauce and salt to taste; mash with back of fork until smooth.
3. Stir in tomato, chipotle, scallion, cilantro, and remaining avocado, cut into 1/4 inch cubes and fold together gently but thoroughly. Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Mix chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt into beef. Handling beef as little as possible, divide it into quarters; shape each quarter into a patty.
5. Heat a well-seasoned, ridged, cast-iron pan over moderately-high heat (or grill on bbq) until hot and cook the hamburgers 5 1/2 minutes per side for rare.
6. Top with cheese slices and cook, covered, for 1 minute, to melt cheese.
7. Transfer to a plate and let stand, tented loosely with foil, for 3 minutes, to finish cooking.
8. Transfer to hamburger buns; top with guacamole dressing, sliced, pickled jalapeno rings (to taste) and lettuce.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Chipotle Chicken Burrito with Roasted Corn — Tex-Mex
• Grilled Harissa Lamb Skewers — North African
• Smoky Chipotle Tofu Sofritas Bowl — Mexican
• Falafel with Roasted Tomato and Yogurt Sauce — Middle Eastern
• Quesabirria Tacos with Consommé Dip — Mexican

Keep reading: what richness, sourness, umami mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.