Chipotle-Bacon Bison Burgers with Toasted Pine Nut Guacamole and Roasted Chilies

Pairs well with:

Cabernet Sauvignon

This rich red easily complements your homemade chicken dishes, red meats, game, and mildly seasoned pastas.

Ingredients

For the Burgers:
¼ lb apple smoked bacon
2 lbs ground bison
2 tsp chipotle powder
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp lime juice
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
1 ½ tsp fresh ground sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
For the Guacamole:
¼ cup pine nuts
2 ripe avocados
1 tbsp lime juice
½ tsp Tabasco sauce
3 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp ground cumin
Fresh ground sea salt to taste
Finishing Touches:
4 whole fresh green chilies (Anaheim or similar mild chili peppers) cooking oil for grill
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
4 burrito-sized tortilla wraps

 

Instructions

Preparation: Burgers: In a small food processor, grind the bacon until finely chopped. Add ground bacon, ground bison, chipotle powder, cumin, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and gently mix together. Lightly wet hands with cold water and form 4 equal sized patties from the burger mixture. Dimple the center of each patty with your thumb. Set patties on a platter, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Guacamole: Preheat your grill to medium. Place the pine nuts in a tin foil pouch and place on the grill for approximately 4-5 minutes until fragrant. Remove and let cool. Place the avocados, lime juice, Tabasco sauce, sour cream, cumin and sea salt in a heavy duty bowl. Place the cooled pine nuts in a small clean food processor and pulse gently until well chopped. Add chopped pine nuts to the bowl with other ingredients and mash with a potato masher until well blended and relatively uniform in texture (a few small chunks of avocado are okay). Green Chiles: Preheat grill to high. Cook chilies for 4-5 minutes per side until outer skin is charred and bubbly all the way around the pepper. Place in a small paper bag and roll the top closed. Let cool in the bag, then remove and scrape the skin off with a small knife. Cut out the stem and remove all seeds. Cooking: Turn the grill to high. Oil the grate and place burgers on the grill. Cook approximately 4 minutes (until nicely browned) and flip. After approximately two minutes, place a slice of cheese on each burger. After approximately two more minutes, when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the burgers from the grill and let rest on a clean platter. If necessary, place the cooked and cleaned chilies on the grill briefly until warm and remove. Warm the tortillas on the grill and set each on its own plate. Spoon a generous amount of the guacamole onto a burger-sized area near the edge of each tortilla, place the burgers on top of the guacamole, and the chilies on top of the burger. To finish, fold each side of the tortillas in towards the burger, and fold the top over the sides and burger. Enjoy.