Colombian Chorizo Burger with Avocado and Hogao

About This Recipe

This burger takes cues from Colombian chorizo and the country's love of hogao, folding both into a format familiar to anyone who's had a burger, but flavored distinctly Colombian. Mixing chorizo into the beef patty adds smokiness and a little extra fat, which keeps the burger juicy through cooking, while a spoonful of hogao standing in for ketchup or plain tomato gives the burger a deeply savory, slow-cooked flavor most fast burgers don't have. Colombian burger stands, especially in Bogota and Medellin, are known for piling on toppings -- quail eggs, crushed potato chips, pineapple sauce -- but this home version keeps things simpler and more weeknight-friendly: hogao, sliced avocado, and a few slices of tomato and lettuce for crunch. The result leans savory and rich rather than sweet, letting the beef-chorizo patty and hogao carry the flavor. Griddled hot so the patty develops a real crust, then piled onto a toasted bun with these toppings, this is a Colombian spin on comfort food that works just as well for a weekend cookout as it does for a fast weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 0.75 lbground beef
• 0.25 lbchorizo(casing removed)
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 0.25 tspblack pepper
• 2 tbspolive oil(divided)
• 1tomato(diced)
• 2scallions(sliced)
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 0.5 tspground cumin
• 4burger buns
• 1avocado(sliced)
• 4 leaveslettuce
• 1tomato(sliced, for topping)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the patties

   Combine ground beef, chorizo, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix gently and form into 4 patties.

2. 2

   Make the hogao

   Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook scallions and garlic 1 minute, then add diced tomato and cumin. Simmer 10 minutes until thick and jammy.

3. 3

   Heat the griddle

   Heat remaining oil in a separate pan or on a griddle over medium-high heat.

4. 4

   Cook the patties

   Cook patties 4 minutes per side until well browned and cooked through, since the chorizo needs full cooking.

   Press a shallow thumbprint in the center of each patty before cooking to keep it from puffing into a dome.

5. 5

   Toast the buns

   Toast buns cut-side down in the same pan for 1 minute until golden.

6. 6

   Assemble

   Layer lettuce, a patty, a generous spoonful of hogao, avocado and sliced tomato on each bun.

Variations

• •

  Add a fried egg on top for a heartier version, common at Colombian burger stands.

• •

  Cheese version: melt a slice of mozzarella or queso over the patty in the last minute of cooking.

• •

  Spicier: stir a diced aji into the hogao while it simmers.

Storage

Cooked patties keep in the fridge up to 2 days; reheat in a hot skillet 2 minutes per side. Hogao keeps separately up to a week and reheats well; assemble the burger fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions