Jalapeño Pepper Jack Smash Burger with Chipotle Mayo
A spicy smash burger with molten pepper jack, pickled jalapeños, and smoky chipotle mayo.
- Prep
- 12min
- Cook
- 8min
- Total
- 20min
- Serves
- 2
- Calories
- 790per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
Twenty minutes gets you two burgers here, each built on one smashed patty. The beef hits a very hot pan, gets pressed to about 1/4 inch (6 mm), and forms a dark crust in 2 minutes; the pepper jack goes on right after the flip so it melts in the short time left.
The heat comes from three directions. Pickled jalapeños are sharp and vinegary, chipotle mayo is smoky and slow, and pepper jack adds a mild, creamy warmth. Thin tomato slices are the only thing cooling it down, so add more if you need them.
Jalapeño Pepper Jack Smash Burger with Chipotle Mayo
Prep 12 min, cook 8 min, total 20 min. About 790 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/firecracker-jalapeno-pepper-jack-burger
Serves 2.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over high heat and lightly grease with 1 tbsp vegetable oil.
Season 10 oz ground beef with salt and pepper, then form into 2 balls. Place on the hot surface and use a sturdy spatula to smash each to about ¼ inch thick.
Cook patties for 2 minutes until edges crisp and char, then flip and immediately top each with a slice of pepper jack cheese. Cook for 1-2 minutes more, until the cheese melts and an instant-read thermometer in the center of a patty reads 160°F (71°C).
Toast brioche buns cut-side down on the skillet until golden, about 30 seconds.
Spread 2 tbsp chipotle mayo on both halves of each bun.
Assemble burgers: place cheesy patties on bottom buns, top with pickled jalapeño rings, tomato slices, and crown with top buns.
Tips
- Smash in the first few seconds, pressing a second spatula or a small pan down on the first for leverage. Once the beef starts searing, pressing only squeezes out juice.
- Pat the pickled jalapeños dry on a paper towel. Brine dripping onto the bun turns it soggy.
- Toast the buns cut side down in the beef fat left in the skillet; on that heat, 30 seconds is enough.
- Thin patties overshoot quickly. Check one for 160°F (71°C) a minute after flipping.
Substitutions
- Homemade chipotle mayo: stir half a minced chipotle in adobo and a little of its sauce into 30 ml mayonnaise.
- Fresh jalapeño slices instead of pickled: crunchier and greener, without the vinegar bite.
- Monterey Jack instead of pepper jack: the same melt with less heat, if the jalapeños and chipotle are plenty.
- Double stack: divide the beef into four 70 g balls and stack two per bun; the thinner patties cook a little faster.
Make ahead & storage
Smash burgers are best eaten within minutes, while the crust is crisp. Chipotle mayo keeps up to 1 week covered in the fridge. Cooked patties keep 3 to 4 days; reheat in a hot skillet to 165°F (74°C).
