Down Home Chili Cheeseburger Recipes

CHEESEBURGER CHILI

Steps:

• For the chili: Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the meat dry and add to the hot oil. Brown and crumble the meat until it is evenly caramelized. Add the chili powder and some salt and pepper. Stir. Add the garlic and onions; cook to soften, 7 to 8 minutes. Then add the beef stock, ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard and hot sauce, to taste. Stir in the beans and reduce the heat to keep the chili at a simmer. Cook to thicken, partially covered, about 20 minutes. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal. Reheat over medium heat. Stir frequently. For the cheeseburger sauce: Melt the butter in a sauce pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, cook 1 minute, then add the milk. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and thicken to coat back of spoon. Stir in the cheese in a figure-eight motion. Once the cheese has melted, stir in the relish and raw onions, taste the sauce for seasoning. Cool and store. Reheat over medium-low heat, partially covered, stirring frequently. Alternatively, reheat in a microwave oven, partially covered, stirring occasionally until evenly hot through, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on high. Serve the chili in shallow bowls, topped with Easy Oven Fries or chips, cheese sauce and onions.
• While the chili and sauce are heating up, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the oven rack in center of the oven. Cut the potatoes into planks lengthwise, then into thin sticks. Arrange the fries on a large baking sheet and spray evenly with cooking spray. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Then switch the broiler to high and cook until crisp, 10 to 15 minutes more, turning once.

CHILI BURGERS

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, brown beef; drain. Add beans, soup, celery, green pepper, onion, ketchup, brown sugar and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve on buns.

LOADED CHILI CHEESEBURGERS

Steps:

• Prepare the onion rings as the label directs; keep warm. Meanwhile, preheat a grill to medium high. Form the beef into four 6-ounce patties, about 3/4 inch thick; press the center of each patty with your thumb to make a 1/2-inch-deep indentation. Season the patties on both sides with salt and pepper. Lightly brush the grill grates with vegetable oil, then grill the patties, indentation-side up, until marked on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until marked and slightly firm, about 3 more minutes for medium doneness. During the last minute of grilling, top each patty with a slice of cheese. Remove the patties to a plate and let rest 5 minutes. Grill the buns, cut-side down, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Top the bun bottoms with the burger patties, chili and onion rings. Drizzle with the barbecue sauce, then cover with the bun tops.
• Photograph by Levi Brown

DOWN HOME CHILI

Steps:

• In a heavy-bottomed 6-quart pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, chili powder, cumin, Creole seasoning, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the onions are softened, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring, until the meat is brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes, breaking up any clumps. Spoon off and discard the rendered fat.
• Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add them to the pot along with their juices. Add the tomato paste, brown sugar, and stock; stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 50 to 55 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.

CHILI CHEESEBURGERS

Steps:

• Divide the ground beef in half and form 6 somewhat-thin patties out of one of the halves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fry the patties over medium to medium-low heat in a large skillet, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Set aside.
• In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the rest of the ground beef, the garlic, onions and some salt and pepper and cook until browned. Drain off the grease and mix in the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato paste, chili powder and cumin. Cook until nice and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Lay half of each bun on 6 plates (so each plate gets half a bun.). Lay 1 patty on each bun piece, then divide the cheese among the patties. Ladle the hot chili all over the patties. Serve with Thin Fries if desired.
• Peel and rinse the potatoes, then cut them into sticks by cutting each potato into 4 or 5 vertical pieces, then cutting each piece into sticks. Put the potato sticks in a large bowl, cover with cold water and swish them around to get off the extra starch. Pour off the starchy water and add fresh water. Continue washing the potatoes until the water runs clear. Cover with water again and allow them to soak for 2 or 3 hours. (You can also stick them in the fridge and let them soak for up to 3 days.)
• When you're ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay the potatoes sticks on baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot them with more paper towels to dry them.
• Heat a few inches of oil in a heavy pot until a deep-fry thermometer registers 300 degrees F. In 3 or 4 batches, cook the potatoes until soft, about 1 minute per batch. They should not be brown at all at this point! You just want to start the cooking process. Remove each batch and drain them on new/dry paper towels.
• When all the potatoes have been fried once, turn up the heat until the oil reaches 400 degrees F. Start frying the potatoes in batches again, cooking until the fries are golden and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
• Sprinkle the fries with sea salt and dive in!