Green Chili Burger

[Daniel]

Been thinking of a burger I had over in New Mexico.. One of the better things I have eaten.. Anyone know a place that makes a good version?

[gfron1]

When I read the title of your post my answer was, "everywhere." Then I read the post...even our McDonald's will throw green chile on the burgers. Good luck on your quest!

[TongoRad]

Is it just a topping, or more integral to the burger itself? If the former, then you may just be better off sneaking a bottle of La Victoria green sauce into your fave and/or local burger joint. At least you'll know that the 'burger' part will be up to snuff. Wear cowboy boots for the sneaking part

[ludja]

Hey Daniel--If you're looking for that New Mexico roasted green chile taste it is difficult to get the further you are away from New Mexico. The chiles are a variant of Anaheim but typically have more heat and flavor. The flavor and heat are reputed to really be influenced by the "terroir" so Anaheim chiles grown in other places just don't taste the same. That being said, I don't know if anyone has tried growing some of the New Mexico cultivars, for eg. Big Jim, outside of the state and compared them. The green roasted chile needs to be frozen so that limits the ease of selling it/bringing it to other places. (I do ususally carry a few tubs back on the plane in a insulated case each time I visit NM.)

If nobody in NYC comes up with a response you could try some of the following: Roast some Anaheim chiles, maybe a few pobanos as well and use that on a homemade burger. It is possible to order roasted green chile from Bueno Foods in ABQ although the shipping gets pricey. Their website says you can also email them and ask if there is a distributor near your location.

edited to add: Canned or bottled green chiles or green chile sauce will not approach the flavor you remembered.

Edited July 19, 2006 by ludja (log)

[ludja]

I've always wondered why a company like Bueno or anyone else does not try to distribute frozen roasted New Mexico Green Chile more widely across the US. Most people with any tolerance for chile heat love the green chiles when they visit NM. Green chile cheeseburgers, green chile stew, enchiladas, etc... I've wondered if they could produce enough to ship a substantial amount of green chile out of state or if they think there is not enough outside interest. Export would certainly not be tolerated if it cut into local consumption at all though!

Or maybe it is a controlled plot by the NM tourism board to keep visitors coming back to New Mexico for their green chile fixes.

Edited July 19, 2006 by ludja (log)

[Daniel]

Is it just a topping, or more integral to the burger itself? If the former, then you may just be better off sneaking a bottle of La Victoria green sauce into your fave and/or local burger joint. At least you'll know that the 'burger' part will be up to snuff. Wear cowboy boots for the sneaking part 

←

I will take a look at the green sauce.. But basically this is what I want.. This is from Nellie's in Las Crucas NM.. Its like a green chili gravy.. And there are chili's in the burger too.. So good..

Thanks for your help Ludja.. My co-worker has this amazing garden in Jersey.. She just came in second place in this contest where people come to your backyard to judge your garden... Anyway, over the last 3 years she has been growing me peppers. She grows me everything from Chocolate Habeneros, to the Biker Billey Pepper, to Anaheim, Hungarian, and a few other green chile.. So, I am definately hooked up.. I just was hoping a restaurant would have it for me to try..

Edited July 19, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[TongoRad]

Freakin' sweeeet! Almost looks like those fries got the old enchiladas suizas treatment.

I can't say I really disagree with anything ludja said in regards to making your own green chile sauce, I do the same thing myself, but that La Victoria sauce is surprisingly good for something that comes in a ketchup bottle.

[donbert]

I'm guessing you're looking for roasted fresh chilies but it looks like Adriana's Caravan in Grand Central Market carries dried whole new mexico chilies. I saw it on their websitewhile looking up info for the other chilie inquiry thread that was just started.

[Jason Perlow]

Order some New Mexico Green Chiles and make some yourself. That's how they made them at the Gothamist/A Hamburger Today QBQ a few weeks ago.

Google Video: Gothamist/AHT QBQ at Water Taxi Beach

Edited July 19, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[Sneakeater]

Yeah, but if he makes them himself he has to invite the whole board over to have some. That thing looks GOOD!!!!!!!!!

Edited July 19, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[weinoo]

The only place I know of in the city that does New Mexican cuisine is:

Los Dos Molinos

119 E 18th St - Btwn Irving Pl & Park Ave S

New York, 10003

212-505-1574

According to menu pages, there's no green chili burger, but they do things with ground beef, so maybe if you were really nice...

I've never been, but a New Mexico native who now lives in the city claims it's pretty good.

[Daniel]

Thanks I will check at Los Dos Molinos.. I have wanting to go there for some time.. So, its not too bad if they dont have the burgers.. I find it strange that this wouldnt be available anywhere in NYC..

[Eatmywords]

Yea, I googled "burger, green chile, spicy, New York" and got Red Barn in Colorado. Is that too far to travel? Chkd a couple NYC burger menus and found nothing with the greens. Island Burger (9th ave & 50th) does 4 or 5 spicy renditions with jalapenos, habaneros and thai chiles but that's worlds apart from what you're looking for.

I gotta think some off the radar little Mexican place could produce a hybrid

gluck D

[Jason Perlow]

You can't make a Green Chile Burger without New Mexico Green Chiles. Jalapenos, habaneros and anything else is not going to cut it. They are indigenous to New Mexico, have a very specific flavor profile, and you have to get them from there.

http://www.hatch-chile.com/

http://www.dagiftbasket.com/store/catalog/...lt.php?cPath=98

Edited July 19, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[gfron1]

The only other thing that I'll add is that after you get beyond the red versus green debate, then within the green camp there is the with or without cream of mushroom soup. I think those that add soup seem to be further north. Down south we don't add the cream of mushroom too often. And while I agree that the peppers make a difference, its more about the roasting of the peppers. You don't really roast them in the oven, but when you buy them at the store they dump them in a roasting bin and blacken them over large bunson burners.

[Eatmywords]

Thx for sharing that gfron......interesting stuff.........you know, as I go through this thread learning about the origins, uses and preparation of green chilies (a topic I know nada about) it really makes me appreciate the creation of egullet and all who come together to share their knowledge and experience esp when it comes to topics as obscure as this one.

Perlow and FG, you guys should be praised daily for building this thing!

Nice going!!

[Robin Meredith]

The Rodeo Bar offers green chile rojas as a topping for its burgers - that may be as close as you're gonna get.

Also, as a former Westerner who's been visiting Santa Fe regularly for about 20 years, the notion that you can't make a green chile burger without New Mexico chiles seems kind of silly - it's a burger, for pete's sake. The Anaheims you see in local markets are admittedly a poor substitute, but Mark Miller markets a great Green Chile Sauce in his Coyote Cocina line - grab a jar of that and do a little experimenting and you're bound to come up with something good.

[Jason Perlow]

Also, as a former Westerner who's been visiting Santa Fe regularly for about 20 years, the notion that you can't make a green chile burger without New Mexico chiles seems kind of silly

Its called a Green Chile Cheeseburger because it has New Mexico Green Chiles on it. If you put an Anaheim or something else on it, it won't be a Green Chile Cheeseburger, will it?

New Mexico Green Chiles are not a DOP thing. Its a unique cultivar, despite the fact that they are a cousin of the Anaheim, they taste very different. They only grow in New Mexico and in certain parts of Texas. Its not like saying you can replace a New Jersey beefsteak Tomato with a Long Island or a California one. Its unique.

http://www.zianet.com/focus/chile.htm

http://web.ecs.baylor.edu/faculty/gravagnei/nmchile.html

Edited July 20, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[misstenacity]

Funny that this post came up - I just had a blurb yesterday about the varietals and some history of green chile in my weekly food blog post.

Read it here (on Duke City Fix).

I just did a little bit of hunting and found an image of a roaster: Chile Roaster. The SMELL, however, is freakin' incredible and must be experienced on site. This is one of the BEST parts of living in New Mexico - driving through town in the late summer and fall and smelling all of those little cracklin' chiles blackening in the bin.

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

[Daniel]

I moved the construction of the burger to the cooking forum.. I think the only thing to do, like Jason says, is to make my own..

Constructing a Burger