Don’t mess with (our) Texas Longhorn Burger

The old saying goes, “Everything is bigger in Texas!” We can’t argue that sentiment when talking about our Texas Longhorn Burger.

This burger has two all-beef patties with grilled onions, hot pepper jack cheese, jalapeño slices (with the seeds for a nuclear kick) and Q sauce corralled between two big slices of grilled Texas Toast.

Yep, it’s a mouthful!

Texas Longhorn Burger

• 4 Slices Texas Toast
• 1 pound Ground Beef (80/20)
• 2 slices Pepper Jack Cheese
• 1-2 large leaves Lettuce
• 1-2 thinly sliced tomato pieces
• 1 Red Onion
• 1 jalapeño
• 1/2 t Sea Salt
• 1 t Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 t Chili Powder
• 1 t Cumin Powder
• 1 t Garlic Powder
• Mesquite BBQ sauce

Combine salt, pepper, chili, cumin and garlic and add to beef. Mix well using the thumb-in technique. This technique is simply using your thumbs as the main mixing element in the bowl by pushing the ingredients on the bottom to the middle of the bowl with your thumbs and pulling it back from the top with your fingers. This is an efficient way to mix your beef without compressing it too much.

Loosely form your patties with the beef, making sure not to form too thick. This is a double-patty burger, so leave room for your mouth. LOL!

Light up the grill

Set up your grill for a hot fire leaving room for indirect grilling. A charcoal halo is perfect for burgers using this method. If using a kettle, set your bottom vent to 25 percent and the top vent wide open.

You can add your Texas Toast to the indirect side of the grill for five minutes, flipping once. If you want serious toast, place directly over the coals to brown, but be careful not to burn (It happens fast, so be aware).

Place the patties on the outer edge of the fire for eight minutes. Flip the burgers and grill another eight minutes. Check the internal temp on each patty to make sure it’s at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. A digital probe, such as the Thermapen Mark IV, is ideal for this step. When internal temp is reached, place each patty over the hot coals for one minute per side to sear.

Build your burger by adding BBQ sauce to grilled Texas Toast, then place a grilled patty on the sauce, then your cheese slices, then repeat with another patty. Top it off with grilled red onion rings, lettuce, tomato, jalapeño slices (not seeded) and more sauce. 

Serve immediately.

Yee Haw … and Happy Grilling!