Spanish Chorizo Beef Burger with Manchego and Alioli

About This Recipe

This burger blends ground beef with finely chopped Spanish chorizo, letting the cured sausage's smoked paprika and garlic flavor permeate the whole patty as it cooks — a trick borrowed from how chorizo is often used to season other dishes in Spanish cooking rather than eaten entirely on its own. Melted manchego on top and a garlicky alioli underneath round it out with two more distinctly Spanish flavors.\n\nThe technique that matters here is using cured, not fresh, chorizo, finely diced and mixed directly into the raw beef — its cured fat renders as the patty cooks, basting the beef from the inside and coloring it a deep red-orange. Because chorizo is already well-seasoned and salted, go lighter on additional salt than you would for a plain beef patty.\n\nAlioli — a garlic and olive oil emulsion, traditionally made without egg though most modern versions use one for stability — replaces regular mayo entirely here, giving the burger a punchy, garlicky backbone that complements the smoky chorizo.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gground beef
• 150 gSpanish cured chorizo(finely diced)
• 1 tspsweet smoked paprika
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 4burger buns(toasted)
• 4 slicesmanchego cheese
• 0.33 cupmayonnaise
• 2 clovesgarlic(grated)
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 1 tsplemon juice
• 1 cuparugula
• 1tomato(sliced)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the alioli

   Stir mayonnaise, grated garlic, olive oil and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until serving.

2. 2

   Mix the patties

   Combine ground beef, diced chorizo, smoked paprika and black pepper in a bowl. Mix gently just until combined — chorizo is already salted, so taste a small cooked piece before adding extra salt.

3. 3

   Shape and chill

   Shape into 4 patties, pressing a shallow dimple in the center. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes.

   Dice the chorizo finely and evenly so its fat distributes throughout the patty as it renders, rather than leaving pockets of pure chorizo in some bites and none in others.

4. 4

   Cook the burgers

   Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties 4-5 minutes per side until well browned and cooked through, adding a slice of manchego on top in the last minute to melt.

5. 5

   Assemble

   Spread alioli on both cut sides of the toasted buns. Layer arugula, tomato, the cheese-topped patty, then close and serve.

Variations

• •

  Add a few strands of roasted piquillo peppers on top for extra sweetness and a distinctly Spanish flavor.

• •

  Use ground pork instead of beef for a richer, fattier patty that pairs especially well with the chorizo.

• •

  Serve open-faced on toasted country bread with the alioli and toppings for a knife-and-fork presentation.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked patties separately from buns and toppings for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a skillet, then reassemble fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions