Here in the Land of Enchantment, we're known for our green chile. You can easily eat this for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and desserts every day without thinking it's weird. (Yeah, I see you out-of-staters over there thinking it's weird. It's not.) We even have Hatch Green Chile wine - delicious!
Gloves? Pshft, who needs 'em. Also, I am totally an expert, despite making the biggest BBQ mistake you can make. Phsft, just go with it.
In anticipation of our annual Edible New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Smackdown at Santa Fe Brewing, coming September 9th, 2023, here are tips for creating your own award-winning burger right on your very own grill. A self appointed award counts and you should be proud. Great job!
This green chile cheeseburger would be even better if that cheese was melty. Yes, melty is a word, thankyouverymuchsppellcheck.
Top 5 Rules for Making the BEST, Most Authentic New Mexican Green Chile Cheeseburgers at Home
You don't eat 7 green chile cheeseburgers in 3 hours without learning a thing or two.
- Not Too Tidy - You're not making a sandwich to serve with a dainty lil' cup of tea. Let that green chile juice run down your arms!
- Not Too Hot - You have an iron stomach and insist there's no such thing as too spicy? Save your hottest peppers for another use, otherwise they'll overpower the other ingredients in your burger and the only thing you'll taste is fire. I suppose if you are a dragon, you can skip this rule.
- Minimal Bread - This isn't a Big Mac and you don't want the bun to be the main flavor you taste. Even worse? If your burger-to-bun ratio is off, you're going to have a dry burger.
- Top Toppings - The ingredients that best complement a green chile cheeseburger are white onions, thick-sliced pickles, crispy bacon, and tomatoes. These enhance while still allowing the green chile to be the shining star of your burger.
- The Right Cheese - You need a rich, flavorful cheese to match the bold flavor of Hatch green chile, such as a sharp cheddar, and it needs to melt. Parmesan has no place here.
Inspired by the 15 contenders in last year's Green Chile Cheeseburger Smackdown, I'd like to provide a bonus tip:
For top presentation, serve your burger stabbed with a knife. I think that's pretty bad @ss, plus your guests will be a little bit afraid of you so they'll clean up after themselves and not overstay their welcome.
No, the lower right contender is not another state sneaking into our Smackdown. Here in New Mexico, we even have our own Las Vegas. Land of Enchantment indeed.