Jalapeno Popper Smash Burgers

Jalapeno burger on bun on wooden cutting board with fries.

Jalapeno Popper Smash Burgers

Don't be too intimidated when you see the ingredients list/steps on this one. It's really three easy steps - make the topping, smash the burgers, assemble the magic. Prep the topping in advance, fry up some bacon, toast the buns, and then cook your burgers. Once the burgers hit the grill, things move quick.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 3

Total Time 23

Servings burgers

Calories 872kcal

Author Karly Campbell

Ingredients

For the popper topping:

4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
¼ cup shredded cheddar
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
½ small jalapeno diced
½ teaspoon salt

For the burgers:

1 pound 80/20 ground beef
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 small onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt more to taste
½ teaspoon cracked pepper more to taste
4 slices cheddar cheese

For the burgers:

4 hamburger buns toasted with butter on a hot skillet
8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
honey

Instructions

To make the popper topping:

Add the cream cheese, cheddar, mayo, jalapeno, and salt to a small bowl and stir to combine.
Taste this and add additional jalapeno if you’d like it more spicy.
You can make this up to 3-4 days in advance, if necessary. Let come to room temperature before topping the burgers for the max meltability.

To make the burgers:

Add the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder to a bowl and work it together with your hands to distribute the seasoning throughout the meat.
Portion the meat into 8 balls, 2 ounces each.
Heat a large cast iron skillet or flat top grill over high heat. You want this to be around 450 degrees - very hot.
While the skillet or grill is heating, slice the onion into very thin slices.
If you’re working in a large skillet you’ll want to make two burgers at a time. If you’re working on a larger surface (like a flat top grill), you can make all of the burgers at once. Add a small amount of butter in each spot where you will place a burger patty and then drop a few slices of onion into a little pile over the butter. Let cook for 1 minute to brown a bit.
Add the balls of beef to the skillet or grill directly on top of the piles of onion. Immediately smash each one with a burger press or two large spatulas. Use a piece of parchment or wax paper between the press and the burger patty to keep it from sticking. The burgers should be smashed very thin, a bit larger in diameter than your hamburger buns as they will shrink a bit as they cook.
Sprinkle the flattened burgers with salt and pepper.
Let the burgers cook until the edges are browned and the tops are turning more of a gray-ish color, about 1 minute.
Flip the burgers, season again with salt and pepper and place a piece of cheddar over 4 of the burger patties. Stack the patties without cheese over the top of the patties with cheese so that each burger has a single slice of cheese in the middle.

To assemble:

Place each stack of burgers on a toasted bun and immediately spoon some of the jalapeno popper filling over the top.
Drizzle a thin swirl of honey over the inside of the top bun. You just want enough to add a slight touch of sweetness and help the bacon stick to the bun. You can spread this out with a knife for maximum stickiness.
Press the bun with the honey into the bacon pieces to coat the bun in bacon. Alternately, press the bacon into the jalapeno mixture.
Place the bun on the burger and serve immediately.

Notes

Timing: Smash burgers cook quickly - like, insanely fast. Very important to have everything assembled and ready to go once that first ball of beef hits the grill. Once that happens, you'll be moving and grooving - it's not hard, but it's best to have a streamlined process.

Spice: For less spice, use pickled/tamed jalapenos from a jar. They are much less spicy than a fresh jalapeno. As is, this isn’t super spicy unless you get a really hot pepper.

Cheese: Extra spice? Try pepper jack instead of cheddar.

Honey: I know! Crazy ingredient here, but use a thin drizzle to add a little pop of sweetness and help the bacon stick. Like a cheater version of bacon jam! We’ve also tested these with strawberry and raspberry jelly spread very thinly over the warm bun - also delicious! We do prefer the honey, but only just slightly. Maple syrup is also tasty.

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