Taco Rubbed Burgers

I have to be honest here - I love Tex Mex.  So any time that I get to incorporate it into something else that I love - like these burgers - I'm so happy.

And instead of incorporating the spice mix into the meat, we're going to coat the patties in the spice mix like a rub.  

You might worry that it won't work to flavour the meat - but I wouldn't be sharing this with you if I didn't think so.

The first thing you're going to do is combine five spices in a bowl, whisk it all together, and dump it into a vessel of your choosing.  Something flat bottomed and large enough to hold a burger patty.

I have a functional style breading station from Pampered Chef that I like - but I thought I'd class it up and use this pretty square dish.

I's so fancy.

Now - the original recipe just says to throw salt and pepper into the meat.  But I still prefer my method of hamburger patties - so I did that instead.  I also think that it would have been delightful to fine crush up tortillas and use them in place of the breadcrumbs.

Plus then there wouldn't be any leftover tortilla chips to stuff in my face after supper.  

So make the patties and then dredge them in the spice mix.  I tried to make sure I got all around the edges as well.

Then grill and top with Monterey Jack cheese slices.

Then assemble.

You're going to want some lovely, ripe, and creamy slices of avocado - sliced as thick or thin as you desire.

Put the patty on the avocado and top with salsa.

And maybe some salsa verde too.  Definitely salsa verde.

Then tortilla chips.  Jessica recommends blue tortilla chips - but I couldn't find any.  So regular chips had to suffice.

You could crush them up if you want.

But then you could eat these without making a huge mess. 

How boring.

You could absolutely add a teaspoon of the mix into the meat mixture.  I also highly suggest using crushed up tortilla chips instead of bread crumbs in the mixture too.

Truthfully - I'm not sure what is not to like about these burgers.  The spice rub has a ton of flavor that is offset by the creamy avocado.  And then factor in the salsa - the burgers are a variety of flavours that all happen at once.

Not to mention that they aren't wildly over-complicated - so the easy factor is high here.

If you need another Tex Mex burger in your rotation - this one is an EXCELLENT choice!

Stay classy - Heather

Taco Rubbed Burgers

4 - 5 prepared hamburger patties

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 Tablespoon smoked paprika

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 Tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Slices of Monterey Jack (or other desired cheese)

1 avocado, sliced

Salsa verde

Red Salsa of your choice

Tortilla chips (blue is suggested if available!)

Hamburger buns

1. Combine the cumin, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder together.  Pour the spice mixture into a plate or dredging platter.
2. Dredge the hamburger patties into the spice mix, making sure to get the edges.  Use your hands to pat the spice mix in.
3. Grill the hamburger patties until cooked through and top with cheese.
4. Top the bun with the avocado, patty, both salsa, and tortilla chips.

Source:  How Sweet Eats