I grew up on Mexican food in Alvin, Texas, where there was an excellent local restaurant that served fresh, authentic, and inexpensive meals—and with a big family you can bet that the price of the meal was an important consideration for my parents. This grilled chorizo burger blends spicy sausage and ground chuck, and is part of the tradition of Tex-Mex cooking that’s based on regional ingredients and distinct Mexican flavor combinations.
I have developed a taste for all types of southwestern regional interpretations of Mexican food, from Sonoran dishes in Arizona to the lighter and less spicy Baja style that is popular in southern California. When I pitched for the Angels I really enjoyed going out for fresh-cooked Mexican food when we’d have a day off, or on an evening when we’d had a day game—a rarity with the Angels.
MAKES 8 BURGERS
PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES, PLUS 30 MINUTES TO CHILL THE MEAT
COOKING TIME: 10 TO 14 MINUTES
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon steak sauce of your choice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound fresh Mexican chorizo
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 pounds ground chuck (80-20 meat-to-fat ratio)
1 pound asadero cheese, grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Outer leaves of 1 head iceberg lettuce
2 large tomatoes, sliced
8 hamburger buns, toasted
1 Preheat the grill or a grill pan to medium-high. If using a grill, lightly oil the grill grates.
2 Combine the Worcestershire and steak sauces in a small bowl and set aside.
3 In a cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat and cook the chorizo until crisp. Drain off the fat and transfer the chorizo to a plate lined with paper towels; set aside.
4 In the same skillet, sauté the onions in the remaining tablespoon oil until golden brown. Keep warm over low heat.
5 Form the ground chuck into 16 patties. Place 8 of the patties on a baking sheet and top each with some chorizo and cheese. Place the other 8 patties on top of the cheese and chorizo; form a seal so that the sausage and cheese becomes a filling between the patties. Season the patties with salt and pepper to taste—go easy on the salt, as chorizo has a naturally high salt content. Refrigerate the patties for 30 minutes to allow the seasoning to flavor the meat.
6 Grill the burgers (in batches, if necessary) for 5 to 7 minutes per side for medium doneness; brush with the Worcestershire–steak sauce mixture while cooking.
7 Place lettuce leaves, tomato slices, burgers, and caramelized onions on the bottom burger buns. Top with the other half of the bun and enjoy.