Spicy Jalapeño Cheeseburgers
Updated Sept. 3, 2025
- Total Time
- 10 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 5 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2hamburger buns
- 8ounces ground beef (preferably 20 percent fat), loosely rolled into 2 even balls
- ⅓cup diced yellow onion
- Salt and black pepper
- 2slices American cheese
- Mayonnaise or Thousand Island dressing, for spreading
- 4dill pickle chips
- 1small jalapeño, thinly sliced
Preparation
- Step 1
Ventilate your kitchen well by turning on the hood vent and leaving a nearby window or door open. Melt the butter in a large skillet over low. Split the buns open and, using your hands, move the bun halves around in the butter, cut sides down, to coat. Leave to toast until warmed through and golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, heat a large stainless-steel skillet over medium-high until very hot. To check the heat, flick water droplets into the skillet; the skillet is hot enough when the water instantly beads up and evaporates.
- Step 3
Add the balls of beef to the skillet, spacing apart. Using the bottom of a heavy-bottomed saucepan, smash the beef as thin as possible and leave the saucepan there for 10 seconds, then carefully lift the saucepan. Add half of the onion to the tops of the beef and the other half to the empty part of the skillet. Season the beef and onion with salt and pepper. Cook until the beef is browned, 1 minute. Using a flat, thin-edged spatula, scrape up the edges of the patties and flip them, top with the cheese slices and cook until the beef is browned and the cheese is melted, another 1 minute. Stir the onion a little.
- Step 4
Apply a little mayonnaise to both sides of the toasted buns. Add the pickle chips to the bottom buns. Transfer the burger patties to the bottom buns, then top with the remaining cooked onion and a layer of jalapeño slices. Sandwich the burgers and eat immediately.
Private Notes
Comments
Two smashed patties (ground chuck 20% fat), American cheese, a dab of ketchup, a drop of mayo, and a squirt of yellow mustard, along with a thin tomato slice and a bread and butter pickle chip, all on a brioche roll. I make a third patty for Kona the dog, but she goes without the accoutrements.
So much attention to the burgers but none to the buns. A typical store burger bun is just Wonder bread in a different shape. Yuck. Get a decent bun for the best experience, such as the kimmelwick buns sold at Wegman's.
Wait, what happens to the onions on top of the beef when you flip the patties?
I made this for my nephew who loves Jalapenos. He rated it 9 of 10. His only request next time was to add a little catsup. Hawaiian buns worked perfect.
Really delicious. Cooked my jalapeño with the onion, still provided some heat. Big hit.
I found placing a square of parchment paper between the patty and the cast iron smasher to be a game changer. I also put the beef ball down first and then sprinkle the onions on top and then smash with a cast iron smasher. You def won’t lose any on the flip that way! Squirt of yellow mustard. And the Martin’s paper roll comments equally agree.