It’s hard to comprehend the shear mass appeal of burgers in the US. Fast food chains have created empires with burgers as thier foundations, fine dining restaurants serve upscale “burgers” made of a variety of ingredients including Kobe beef, foie gras, and truffles. Some restaurants pride themselves on offering countless varieties of burgers, while other places vie for the title of “World’s Largest Burger.”

Part of the reason for this mass appeal is the burger’s adaptability. The burger lends itself to experimentation. From the meat used, to the seasonings mixed into the meat, to the toppings used to garnish them, the variations are endless. Unfortunately so are the number of crappy burgers and ill concieved toppings. Just because you can put it on a burger doesn’t mean you should. I also don’t believe in the adage that more is better, at least not in most cases. 3-4 well chosen toppings slipped into the bun, along with the burger is more than enough. More than that, and more often then not, you end up with all these conflicting flavors that mask the burger, which should be the star of the show. I am also not a big fan of mixing too many things into the burger meat. I have eaten too many burgers that taste and have the consistency of meatloaf. Sorry that is not a good burger. Typically, I leave all seasonings out of my burger meat and season only after the patty has been made. There are exceptions of course, one of those being when you combine 2 different meats to create your burger mix. The recipe below is one of those exceptions.

I am a huge burger fan, and although I prefer my burgers simple – topped with ketchup, mustard, onion, and pickle – most of the time, I do also like to experiment with numerous variations. That being the case, I imagine that burgers will make regular appearances here at “Wayward Chef” as I refine some of my favorite recipes.

Southwestern Chorizo Burgers

CORIANDER-CILANTRO MAYO
1/4 bunch Cilantro, stems removed
2 tsp. Coriander Seed, freshly ground
1 cup Mayo

Finely chop the cilantro and mix with the coriander and mayo. Make this a few hours ahead, or the night before to allow the flavors to develop.

PICKLED RED ONIONS
1/2 cup Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1 1/2 each Red onion

Peel the onions and cut into a julienne 1/4 inch thick. Meanwhile combine the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Add the onions, return to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow onions to cool in the liquid. When cooled to room temperature store in the refrigerator. This is best made a day or 2 before

BURGERS AND ASSEMBLY
12 oz. Burger Meat 80/20 (the lean to fat ration, most stores now show this on the label
12 oz. Mexican Chorizo
2 each Tomatoes, cored and sliced
4 each Burger Buns
Cilantro-Coriander Mayo
Pickled Red Onions

Light charcoal and allow to burn down until covered with white ash, or pre heat gas grill, on high. Gently but thoroughly combine the burger meat and the chorizo. The key is to not over work the meats, but to gently combine the 2. Form into 4 patties.
Season one side lightly with salt and pepper. Don’t go too heavy as the chorizo is well spiced. Grill over high heat until medium well. This is more done than I usually like my burgers, but with the added chorizo the texture of these burgers cooked less than that is a little soft. Besides the high fat content of the chorizo will keep these burgers plenty moist.

When done allow the burger to drain briefly on paper towel. Place burger on bottom half of bun top with tomato slices, and some of the pickled red onion. Spread a thick portion of the coriander-cilantro mayo over the top half of the bun and place on top.

If you are asking yourself what a Runza is, well, you are not alone. Up until about 1 1/2 years ago I had never heard of them either. At the time, I was helping a couple of guys develop the menu for a sports bar. A gentleman came in hoping to book one of the viewing areas, for his group of Nebraska Huskers alumni, to watch the the Nebraska football games. He also wanted to know if we would be willing to menu Runzas during the games. I had never heard of them before, but I figured with a little research I could come up with the answer and a recipe. A quick search of the Internet provided me with plenty of information and a number of recipes from which I could create my own version of this “sandwich.” I found out that the Runza is dish consisting of dough that is stuffed with a ground meat and cabbage filling and then baked. This stuffing is usually made of beef and cabbage and a good dose of onion for flavoring, but it can also be made with pork and/or sauerkraut. It is of German-Russian origins and is very similar to the many meat stuffed doughs and dumplings of the area. It was brought here to Midwest by German immigrants and has slowly disappeared in most areas. It has remained popular in Nebraska, especially around the University of Nebraska, mostly thanks to a chain of restaurants called “Runza.” Runzas are one of those foods that people seem to become fanatical about and now alumni groups, from Nebraska, spread across the country make their own Runzas to serve during game time. In fact, many alumni view hosting a football viewing party and not serving Runzas as something akin to sacrilege.

I, personally, am not quite so enamoured by Runzas as some alumni are, though I do really like them. There’s just something about baked dough filled with meat that makes my mouth water. It must be my German heritage or something. One of the great things about these is that they freeze beautifully so go ahead and double or triple this recipe. Once made and before the rise and baking, freeze them. To do this I usually freeze them on a cookie tray lined with wax paper. After they are frozen I wrap individually in plastic wrap and stack them in the freezer. To cook them from frozen, remove them from the freezer, allow to come to room temperature and then follow the instructions for rising and baking.

One note about the recipe below: the garlic and the Worcestershire sauce are not traditionally part of the recipe. I find most recipes make a Runza that is a little bland for my taste so I’ve added these ingredients to up the flavor a little bit. If you want something more traditional do without.

Runzas
Makes 8-10

1 pound Ground Beef
1/2 head Cabbage, shredded or grated
1 each Onion, finely diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
Salt
Pepper
2 loaves Frozen Bread Dough

Allow bread dough to come to room temperature. Meanwhile make the filling by browning the ground beef along with the garlic and the onions. Season with salt and pepper. When done, drain off the fat and add the cabbage and Worcestershire. Cook until the cabbage is tender and all the liquid has evaporated. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as needed. Chill thoroughly before moving to next step. Roll out each bread dough to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut out rectangles of 4″x8″. Place about 1/2 cup of filling in the middle of each dough then fold over the short sides followed by the long sides totally enclosing the filling. Place on a greased tray, seam side down, and allow to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 and bake the runza for approximately 20 minutes or until brown. Allow to cool and rest 5 minutes before serving.