Chicago Style Chili Burger

I do love a good hotdog; well, hotdogs, burgers, steaks, cheesesteaks, etc. so, when I decided to put this together, I was thinking about my days at the tavern, creating burgers for National Burger Month. This was one idea I had wanted to put on the menu but, ended up so swamped with marketing and advertising, my contributions to the festive event were very limited. Finally, here it is, the Chicago Style Chili Burger!

The Chili:

1/2 tbs oil

1 tbs minced yellow onion

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 lb 80/20 ground beef

2 c water

1 tsp beef bullion

1/4 lb ground pork

3/4 tbs chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne

2/3 tbs sport pepper liquid

The Onions:

2 c yellow onions, sliced

2 tsp oil

water as needed

The Rest:

1 lb 80/20 ground beef

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp oil

4 hot dogs, split in half longways

4 bakery burger buns

1/4 c mayonnaise

1/2 c sport peppers

1 c shredded Colby-jack cheese

Start off by heating the oil in a sauce pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté until they become translucent. Add the beef, pork and water. Break the meat up until it’s as fine as you can get it. Add the remaining ingredients for the chili. Raise temperature to medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and lightly simmer over medium low for roughly 45 min – 1 hour, stirring often.

While the chili is going, start your onions by heating oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onions and reduce heat to medium. Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring periodically. To prevent the onions from drying out, you can add water, 1 tbs at a time.

As the onions cook, form your burgers into 1/4 lb patties. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Place on a plate, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

When the onions are done and the chili is about 10 minutes out, spray cut sides of your buns and toast them on your flattop over medium high heat for about 1.5 – 2 minutes until they’ve browned up. Remove from heat and smear with 1 tbs mayonnaise per burger. Set aside. Clean off your flattop and set it to 425 degrees. Allow it to heat up for about 5 minutes. Once up to temp, brush with oil and sear your split hotdogs until browned on both sides. Set aside. Drop your patties on the flattop and give them a hard sear on both sides. Cook to desired donness. Place 1 burger on each bottom bun. Top with 1/2 c chili, 1/4 c shredded cheese and 1 split hotdog per burger, followed by caramelized onions and a few sport peppers. An absolutely insane burger!