Chipotle BLT Cheeseburgers are a summertime favourite for us. I’ve livened up this delicious American classic burger with a little hit of  chipotle spice and smoky flavour.

The Perfect Burger Starts With the Beef

The best ground beef for the juiciest burgers shouldn’t be too lean, because the burgers will be dry. It shouldn’t be too fatty, either, because the burgers will catch fire on the grill. Look for sirloin, chuck or round with 15-20 percent fat. My favourite is lean ground chuck (as opposed to “extra lean”), which is exactly 15-20 percent fat.

Burger Mix-Ins

I like to use as few mix-ins as possible, keeping the creativity to the toppings. The burger itself is just simply the meat, seasoned with salt & pepper. That’s all.  Adding beaten egg, breadcrumbs, rolled oats, etc, does stretch the meat a bit, but it also takes away from the flavour and texture of a great burger.

Forming the burger patties

The secret to a tender, juicy burger patty is to handle the meat gently. Try not to over-handle and overwork it. This will toughen the meat, and your warm hands will melt the fat. Start with cold meat, and gently divide it into even portions before quickly shaping into patties. And, check out this genius trick for forming perfectly shaped and hands-off burger patties.

Food Safe Burgers

It’s important to be careful with ground meats to be sure we are food safe. Some steps to take:

• Wash hands thoroughly before, and after, handling raw meat
• Use clean surfaces to prepare raw burgers
• Keep ground meat in the fridge until right before cooking.
• Wash all surfaces in contact with meat thoroughly with hot water and soap.
• Cook all ground beef to an internal temperature of 160° (This is the temp for medium done)

Grilling Burgers

Burgers should be grilled over direct high heat. Try to resist the temptation to keep flipping the patties. You should ideally flip only once to achieve even cooking and perfect grill marks. Internal temperature for medium burgers should be 160°

Toppings for Grilled Chipotle BLT Cheeseburgers

There are no limits to what you can top your burger with. Mushrooms, fried eggs, avocado, grilled pineapple, salsa, onion rings, mac & cheese; I could go on forever. They are all delicious novelties, but I like to keep it simple. The cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomato are classic burger toppings. However, those classic toppings should be top-notch for the best burger. I’m talking ripe, juicy tomatoes, crisp fresh lettuce, and thick-cut bacon cooked to just the right crispness.

There’s a burger for everyone. If you want to include vegetarian friends and family in your barbecue cookout, try  Southwestern Veggie Burgers. Accompany your burgers with some oven-baked home fries, and salads like Cucumber Melon Salad, New Potato Salad or Fennel Cabbage Slaw.

And don’t forget the drinks. Lavender Lemonade for everyone, and for the adults, try a refreshing Rhubarb Gin & Tonic

Grilled Chipotle BLT Cheeseburgers

Colleen

A classic Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Cheeseburger livened up with a hit of smoky chipotle.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Sandwiches & Wraps

Cuisine American, Canadian

Servings 4

Calories 668 kcal

Equipment

• barbecue grill

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Chipotle Mayonnaise

• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp chipotle powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

Burgers

• 1 lb lean ground chuck 20% fat
• 1 tsp lime juice
• salt & pepper
• 4 slices of Havarti cheese
• 4 brioche buns
• ketchup, mustard, pickles
• 8 slices of bacon cooked
• 1 tomato large, sliced
• lettuce

Instructions

 

Chipotle Mayonnaise

• In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder and lime juice. chipotle powder
• Store the chipotle mayo in the fridge until ready to use.

Burgers

• Preheat grill to high
• oil the grill grate with cooking spray
• Divide the ground beef into four equal portions, shaping each portion into patties about 3/4" thick.
• Season patties on both sides with salt & pepper
• Grill over direct high heat 4-5 minutes.
• Flip the patties over, and place a slice of cheese on top of each one.
• Grill 4-5 minutes further.
• Put the burgers on buns and top with bacon, lettuce and tomato
• Slather the top half of the buns with chipotle mayonnaise

Notes

Prep all your toppings before cooking your burger patties.

Chipotle mayonnaise is delicious on burgers, but also so much more. You can increase  this recipe and it will keep in the fridge for using on tacos, sandwiches, or as a dip for fries, sweet potato fries, or veggies.

If you like your buns toasted, put them on the grill, cut side down, alongside the burgers for the final 2 minutes of cooking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 668kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 39gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 815mgPotassium: 615mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1585IUVitamin C: 4.6mgCalcium: 280mgIron: 3.8mg

Keyword bacon, lettuce & tomato burger, chipotle burger, grilled burgers, homemade burgers

Tried this recipe? What changes did you make?Let us know how it was!