A juicy beef and chorizo patty topped with hogao and avocado, Colombian street-food style.
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.
Serves 4
Combine ground beef, chorizo, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix gently and form into 4 patties.
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.
Heat remaining oil in a separate pan or on a griddle over medium-high heat.
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.
Toast buns cut-side down in the same pan for 1 minute until golden.
Layer lettuce, a patty, a generous spoonful of hogao, avocado and sliced tomato on each bun.
Chop the chorizo very finely so it distributes evenly through the patty instead of clumping.
Cook the hogao while the patties rest after shaping -- both take about the same amount of time.
Don't overwork the beef mixture when forming patties, or they turn dense instead of juicy.
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.
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.
Colombian burger culture, especially in cities like Bogota, blends American fast-food format with distinctly Colombian toppings, reflecting the country's broader habit of adapting global dishes with local sauces like hogao and local proteins like chorizo.
Yes -- use all ground beef and add a half teaspoon of smoked paprika to approximate some of the smokiness chorizo brings to the patty.
Canned diced tomatoes work as a substitute; drain some of the liquid first so the hogao still thickens properly.
The chorizo adds extra moisture and fat, so chill the shaped patties for 15 minutes before cooking to help them hold together on the grill.
Per serving (330g / 11.6 oz) · 4 servings total
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