star burger

For the 4th of July party main course(s), I made beer-boiled and grilled brats, oven-roasted BBQ chicken thighs (recipe to follow), and chile-cheese stuffed burgers.

Far and away, the burgers were the star. (Look for Sheila’s Old-Fashioned Potato Salad recipe tomorrow.)

Tram and Julie, filling their plates with burger and brat.

This recipe makes enough burgers for a crowd. It can easily be halved or quartered. One thing you’ll need is a 5-inch template to form the burgers with. The center green area of this plate is exactly 5-inches, so I used it as my guide.

The Grill Pit – where the Magic Happens!

Chile & Pepper Jack Stuffed Burgers

6 Anaheim chiles
4 large jalapeño chiles
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
12-ounces shredded pepper Jack cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 pounds ground beef, divided into 32 three-ounce portions
16 hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls, split and lightly toasted

Lettuce leaves, onion and tomato slices, sweet pickle relish, mustard, and ketchup, for serving

Roast the Anaheim and jalapeño chiles on either the grill or stovetop until blacked on all sides.

To prevent the jalapeños from falling through the grates, use a stovetop-roasting grate, which can be found at kitchen stores such as Sur La Table or ordered online from HERE.

Once blackened, place chiles in a plastic or paper bag or in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap to steam and cool.

Remove from bags and using your hands and paper towels, peel the chiles and discard the stems and seeds.

Do not run under water to remove the skins, that removed the roasting flavor you just put in.

Dice the chiles and place them in a bowl along with the minced garlic.

Fold in the cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Form two of the 3-ounce portions of beef into 5-inch patties.

Place 1/4 cup of the chile-cheese mixture in the center of one patty. Carefully top with the other patty.

Press around the edges to seal.

Flatten from the center until the burger is flat and even.

Push in on the edges and fatten to configure until the round 5-inch shape is regained.

Place on a baking sheet that is lined with waxed paper. Continue with the remaining 3-ounce portions of ground beef and the filling until 16 burgers are formed.

May be made up to 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Patties may be layered between sheets of wax paper to save on refrigerator space.

Preheat grill. Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the burgers over a hot fire, turning once, for about 10 to 12 minutes for medium to medium-well meat.

Place the burgers on the buns and top with lettuce leaves, onion, tomato, mustard, and ketchup.