Friends are asking what we’re doing this weekend the answer is a simple “nothing”. Doing nothing means cooking and just stuffing our faces with bbq and grilling over the weekend. This is the best type of “nothing” you can treat ourselves to. These jalapeno cheddar stuffed burgers are going to be the heroes at your next cookout. Trust us!

Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffed Burger on a plate
Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffed Burger patties on a plate

Video: Drool over the Cheddar Jalapeno Stuffed Burgers Recipe

Tips on How to Cook cheddar stuffed burgers

  • We like using beef that is around 85% meat/fat ratio. This percentage meat shrinks less than the super fatty and you’ll have less “cheese oozing out” issues. Besides there’s still plenty of flavor without the extra fat because we added more seasonings in the patty mix. But still has enough fat to keep it nice and juicy.
  • If you want to really get into it, grind your own meats or have your butcher custom grind it. Chuck steak with a nice bit of brisket is our favorite mixture! Or go really crazy and grind in some bacon!
  • Don’t overwork the meat. Try not to over mash or handle the ground meat to much. It is best to preserve a little separation in the texture and not have everything mashed together in a heavy paste like texture. That will make the meat seems too dense and less juicy when you grill them. Work it just enough to get the shape you need and don’t get obsessed with trying to make it perfect.
  • You can always flavor the meat up more. Add some garlic powder, or fish sauce, or Worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning, etc… Whatever you love! Even if you don’t add anymore seasonings to the ground meat, make sure to season the outside of the patties with salt and pepper. That will be the first thing to hit your palate and is the most important seasoning.
  • Grill the buns, please! The hamburger patties are so delicious, you can’t serve them on cold hard buns. After grilling while the patties rest for a minute or two, throw the buns on the grill to warm them.
  • Create the most amazing burger bar. It’s fun to create a spread with different toppings so everyone can customize their burgers. We have a list of different topping ideas below.
  • If you want to make a batch of non-spicy cheddar go for it. Just leave out the jalapeño. In fact, if you like other cheeses like gouda, swiss or blue cheese, stuffed the burgers with those. Blue cheese stuffed burgers are amazing.
  • If you want a little more spice, use a spicy pepper jack or similar cheese. Or use spicier chili like a serrano or habanero.
  • Preheat grill before placing the patties on it. You want a nice char and it is harder to get on a cold grill.
  • Make sure to serve and eat the burgers hot. An amazing hot burger will easily become blah when it gets cold.
  • All jalapeno stuffed burger recipe details are in the recipe box below.

The spice (or lack of) in jalapeños

Jalapeños are notorious for varying greatly in spiciness. Feel like they are much more mild than what you remember? It isn’t just your imagination. They have always be inconsistent, but for ease of production in commercial salsa, a mildly spicy jalapeño variety was developed and has become the dominant type grown. But occasionally we’ll still come across some with a nice zing. For a more consistent spicy chili with flavors similar to jalapeños, serrano chilies are a great option. Or go for a Thai chili, habanero, or whatever chili you like or crave!

Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffed Burger halved

Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffed Burgers

Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
A spicy version of a Juicy Lucy, a classic cheese stuffed burger. Adjust your spice by the amount of jalapeño used, as well as if you keep the seeds or not. Jalapeños will also vary greatly in spice level, so if you want a more consistent spicy chili, serrano chilies are a great.
Fish sauce adds amazing flavor, but if you're still cautious then we have other umami adding recommendations below.
Feel free to use any good melting cheese you like. If you want a little more spice a pepper jack is a nice choice.
5 from 3 votes
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Ingredients

  • 1.5 pounds (680 g) ground beef (preferrably about 85/15 meat/fat ratio)
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) fish sauce , (or Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, steak sauce, etc.)
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) garlic powder
  • 4 ounces (113 g) cheddar cheese , grated or sliced (or any good melting cheese you like)
  • 1-2 jalapeños or serrano chilies, sliced
  • salt , to taste
  • fresh cracked black pepper , to taste
  • oil , for brushing grill grate
  • 4 Hamburger buns

Optional Toppings

  • greens of choice (lettuce, arugula, shredded cabbage, etc.) , etc…
  • tomato, pickles, and additional slices chilies, grilled, raw, or fried onions
  • ketchup, BBQ sauce, mustard, hot sauce, mayo, guacamole, salsa, etc/

Equipment

Instructions 

  • If grilling: preheat the grill on high to medium-high (depending on your grill's intenseness) or if using coals or charcoal, set the grill up for direct grilling over the hot coals. Scrape the grill clean and smooth.
    Scrape Grill Clean
  • Gently mix the 1 1/2 lbs. (680g) beef with the 1 Tablespoon (15ml) fish sauce and 1 teaspoon (5ml) garlic powder.
    Raw beef mixture
  • Divide the ground beef mix into 4 portions. Divide each portion into approximate halves. Gently flatten each half into thin patties. Try to keep the meat loose (don't pack it too much). It will give a better texture to the cooked burger.
    Raw patty divided
  • Place cheese in a small pile in the center of a patty. Add the sliced jalapeños to taste.
    Cheese and jalapenos in middle of patty
  • Top with a bit more cheese. Lay matching meat patty on top.
    Topping with second meat part of patty
  • Pinch the meat patty seams close. Slightly flatten into a good patty shape (don't work it too much-better to be rough looking than an overpacked meat. The looser meat structure is so nice! And if a little cheese melts out while cooking it gives it a nice little crispy texture to add to the burger). Repeat assembly with remaining patties/cheese/chilis.
    Sealing the stuffed patties
  • Season the outsides of the stuffed patties with salt and pepper.
    Raw patties seasoned with salt and pepper
  • Heat the your pan or flat top on medium-high heat or if grilling, brush the pre-heated grill grates with oil. Cook the burger patties until browned and cooked to your preferred doneness, usually about 2-4 minutes per side for medium rare.
    Cooking patties on grill
  • While the burgers cook, slightly spray or brush the bun faces with oil. Toast the inside faces of the buns on the grill or pan.
    Toasting buns on grill
  • Serve with desired burger toppings and enjoy! Make sure to eat them while they are hot! A cold burger is a bleh burger.
    Stuffed jalapeno cheddar burger cut in half

Video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 673kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 45g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 17g, Trans Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 149mg, Sodium: 928mg, Potassium: 563mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 349IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 296mg, Iron: 5mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 673

Topping ideas for cheese stuffed burgers

The flavors of these jalapeno cheddar stuffed burgers burgers are fantastic already but it’s always nice to have some different toppings. Extra texture and flavor is always great. Here’s some delicious ideas to make your burger bar the star of the party:

Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffed Burger and Chipotle Guacamole on a plate
  • Avocado or guacamole. These are our go-to toppings for burgers. Who doesn’t love creamy avocado?
  • Heirloom tomatoes are in season during Summer so rather than offering sour commercial tomatoes, offer some slices of juicy sweet heirlooms.
  • Different sauces beyond ketchup and mustard: bbq sauce, ranch and if you love spicy, make our chili garlic crunch!
  • Extra cheese: ok, if you love cheese add another slice of different cheddar cheese on top for a cheddar stuffed cheeseburger.
  • Go crazy with your greens. A crisp lettuce it always nice, but beyond the leaf you can shred the lettuce. Or use shredded cabbage or add a little more spice with our next recommendation.
  • Arugula is always great. The bit of spicy bite of fresh arugula is a nice balance to the rich burger. Use baby arugula for a bit more tame flavor, or get some great full-grown arugula and tear it into smaller pieces.
  • Pickles! Our homemade bread and butter pickles are amazing and pickled red onions are fantastic. Or go dill. As much as we love our bread and butters, we are just as much a fan as a good snappy dill pickle.
  • Check out all our burger recipes here.

Can you freeze leftover burgers?

Freezing leftover burger patties are simple. Just store them in airtight containers or bags. Before serving again, bring them out the freezer to thaw overnight. You want to make sure that these thaw completely before re-heating. The cheese will be frozen in the center and you want to make sure when re-heating, the cheese is melty and delicious.

If you know you aren’t going to use all the formed patties, you can also freeze the raw patties and store them in airtight containers or bags.

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