Originating in Argentina, chimichurri is an intensely-flavored condiment made with fresh parsley, garlic and olive oil. Frequently served as an accompaniment for grilled steak, it makes an equally delicious flavoring for burgers. Our chimichurri burger not only uses this tasty sauce as a topping, it’s mixed into the burger itself for extra flavor.
PrintChimichurri Burger
These juicy, grilled beef burgers are flavored both inside and out with chimichurri, an Argentinian sauce made with fresh parsley, garlic and olive oil.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tablespoon panko crumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 slices fresh tomato
- 4 hamburger buns
For the chimichurri:
- 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley, lightly packed
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, lightly packed
- 1 to 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Dash of hot sauce
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to a medium-high temperature (about 400°F).
- Place the ground beef in a shallow bowl. Add the panko crumbs (see notes below), salt and a few grinds of black pepper but don’t mix yet.
- Add the parsley, cilantro, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the vinegar to the work bowl of a food processor. Add the oregano, hot sauce and a few grinds of black pepper and pulse the mixture until it’s finely chopped.
- Take a heaping tablespoon of this mixture and add it to the ground beef, then add the rest of the olive oil and vinegar to the processor along with the 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Pulse once or twice to combine, taste, adjust the seasonings and add more garlic if desired. Transfer the sauce to a small serving bowl and set aside.
- Use a wooden spatula to combine the meat mixture as best you can before doing a final, gentle mix with your hands.
- Gently form the meat into four patties and make a slight depression in the center of each with your thumb. This helps the burgers maintain an even thickness rather than developing a thicker “dome” in the center. Arrange the burgers on a plate, cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before grilling.
- Oil the grill grates and add the burgers. Grill until juices begin to bead on the top of each burger indicating that they are cooked through the center, approximately 4 minutes.
- Turn the burgers carefully and grill for an additional 2 to 3 minutes on the second side. Transfer the burgers to a plate and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- To serve, place a slice of tomato on each bun, top with a burger and a small amount chimichurri sauce. Pass the extra sauce at the table.
- Leftover chimichurri can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Notes
The secret to juicy grilled burgers:
A small amount of panko crumbs (1 tablespoon per pound of ground meat) will help to hold the juices in a burger during cooking without changing the flavor or texture of the beef. Unlike dry breadcrumbs, panko has a coarse texture won’t add a bread-like density to the finished burger.
You can use this technique with just about any kind of ground meat. For most burgers, we add 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise along with the panko, but for this recipe, the olive oil in the chimichurri takes its place.
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