I’m not going to lie, burgers are without a doubt my favourite food group. There isn’t much they can’t do. From straight forward cheese burgers to crispy chicken monsters to these spice infused Mexican Beef Burgers. As long as it’s served in a bun (I don’t do bunnace) I’m a happy, happy woman. I think this love of burgers comes from my dad. He worked at many steakhouses in South Africa where I always ordered the burger. His burger recipe at our takeaway was well known and loved by many of our locals. Basically, I learnt everything I know about burgers from my father.
My love for burgers runs so deep that if Michael and I ever argue, he knows he just has to buy me a burger and he’s back in my good books.
My other favourite food group is Mexican food. Sometimes, food groups are just destined to collide.
The great thing about these burgers is that they are so easy and quick to make that they can be done during the week.
I served these on a Monday night and the longest part of the whole meal was the wedges I served these with. And that included doing some homemade beans. You can also serve these with a bit of guacamole but we didn’t have any so I went for a medium spice salsa and a homemade chipotle mayo. I’ll definitely be making these again and serving them as a DIY burger so people can pop their own selection of toppings on their burgers.
If you have your favourite taco, burrito, fajita etc seasoning then please go ahead and use that (you can even use a homemade selection of spices) but personally I just use a packet mix. It makes life easier and the burgers don’t suffer for it. You can also choose your favourite cooking method (Michael prefers a grill pan whereas I prefer to pop them in the oven). The good thing about burgers is they’re pretty easy going. Much like the Jennifer Lawrence of the food world.
- 1/2 Brown Onion
- 1 Packet Pam's Taco Seasoning Mix
- 1TBsp Tomato Sauce
- 1 Egg
- 1kg Lean Beef Mince
- Dice your onion really fine and pop it into a large mixing bowl with the tomato sauce, mince, egg and almost all of the seasoning mix (leave about 2TBsp of seasoning for the homemade bean recipe or use it all if you're omitting the beans).
- Use your hand to knead the mixture until it binds. You'll notice the slimey egg texture will disappear and you won't be able to see the individual strands of the mince anymore. If your mixture still looks and feels wet then it won't bind properly and will fall apart in the oven.
- You can weigh out each patty if you like or just split the mixture into 6 or 7 evenish patties. Restaurant patties can vary between 70g and 150g (pro tip, the patty normally weighs the same as the bun being used).
- Use your hands to mould the mixture into rounds and then flatten using a spatula.
- I popped mine on a grill plate on top of a grill pan and cooked in an oven at 200°C for 15 minutes. If you want to cook it on the stove or you've made your patties bigger/smaller, make sure you check them before you serve them.
- Serve hot on a bun with garnish.
- 1 Can Pam's Four Bean Mix
- 1 Packet Tomato Soup Mix
- 2TBsp Mexican Spice Seasoning
- 1C Water
- Drain the Four Bean Mix and pop them in a small to medium pan.
- Add the Tomato Soup Mix and the Mexican Spice Seasoning (homemade or from a packet) and the water.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat and stir occasionally.
- Allow the mixture to simmer until desired consistency.
If you’re really into homemade burgers you could save these Mexican Beef Burgers for the weekend and make your own burger buns!
I chose wedges to accompany these burgers but you could also go with some steakhouse fries covered in my Sweet and Spicy Seasoning. Chuck some cheese on top of those bad boys, grill them for a few minutes and serve with a dollop of sour cream. And if this is a weekend venture (or a stressful weekday venture) then you should totally make a batch of margaritas to go with your burgers.
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