Chipotle Cheeseburgers Basted with Worcestershire-Coffee Glaze and Spicy Ranch Sauce

Recently we had one of our favorite, most flavorful burgers – chipotle cheeseburgers basted with Worcestershire-coffee glaze and served with spicy ranch sauce. While you’d think these burgers have a lot of flavors working - too many - they rock! The glaze adds a sweet, rich compliment to the spice of the burgers and the sauce, which is fresh with a subtle kick and could be used as a veggie dip as well.

I originally got the recipe from Epicurious but have significantly changed it by substituting chipotle for jalapeno because it gives more depth in both the sauce and the burgers, used cilantro in the burger instead of parsley, and cut the sauce and basting glaze by half. I omitted the bacon, and even my carnivores agreed that it is not needed. I also reduced/changed wherever logical to reduce calories/fat, such as using low fat mayo, sour cream, and subbing honey in lieu of corn syrup in the basting glaze, with no detriment to taste. Epicurious reviewers complained how time-consuming these burgers are to prepare, but everything can be made in advance, and if you’re so inclined, prepare a big batch of the burgers as they freeze well.

(Photo from Epicurious)

Chipotle Cheeseburgers with Spicy Ranch Sauce

Makes 3 burgers *big* burgers or 4 normal-sized burgers

Spicy Ranch Sauce
1/2 C mayonnaise
1/2 C sour cream
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
2 T fresh lime juice
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 T minced chipotle pepper

1 T canned adobe sauce (that’s in the can of chipotle adobe)

Burgers
1 pound ground beef or bison
1/2 small onion, chopped, about 3/4 cup
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 T chopped chipotle pepper
1 t salt
1 t ground black pepper

Worcestershire-Coffee Glaze
2 heaping T honey
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T ketchup
1 t instant coffee or espresso crystals
1 t golden brown sugar
1 1/2 T butter

High quality hamburger buns

Cheese of your liking - sharp cheddar cheese or pepper jack work nicely
Assorted additional toppings (such as lettuce, tomato and grilled onion slices)

For the spicy ranch sauce:

Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

For the burgers:

Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. Form mixture into three (or four) 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick patties. Place on small baking sheet. Cover and chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

For the glaze:

Stir first 5 ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat until coffee is dissolved. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Season glaze to taste with salt and pepper.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Toast buns until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer buns, cut side up, to plates. Place lettuce on each bun bottom. Grill burgers 5 minutes, basting with glaze. Turn burgers, baste with glaze, and grill until cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes longer for medium. Top each burger with cheese and allow to melt.

Place some sauce, then 1 burger on each bun bottom. Top each with 2 slices bacon and desired additional toppings. Cover with bun top. Serve with remaining sauce.