Hamburguesa al Carbón Estilo DF

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Charcoal grill with a chimney starter, or a heavy cast iron comal
• •Wide metal spatula for flipping patties on the grill
• •Squares of waxed paper or aluminum foil for wrapping
• •Sharp serrated knife for slicing buns and avocado

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the patties

   Divide the ground chuck into four equal portions. Form each into a loose patty about an inch wider than the bun and a half inch thick. The patty shrinks on the grill, so make it bigger than you think. Press a shallow thumbprint in the center of each so it cooks flat instead of doming up. Season both sides with salt and pepper just before they hit the heat. No me vengas con atajos: do not work the meat past what is needed to hold it together. Overworked meat turns dense and sad.

   Chuck with 20 percent fat is the right cut. Lean ground beef makes a dry hamburguesa, and a dry hamburguesa is not a hamburguesa, it is a punishment.
2. 2

   Prep the grill or comal

   Light a charcoal grill and let the coals burn down to a steady orange glow with a fine ash on top. That is the al carbón part. If you are working indoors, heat a heavy cast iron comal or skillet over medium-high. Brush the grate or comal lightly with vegetable oil. The smoke from the charcoal is the soul of this burger. The carritos parked on the corner in Colonia Roma or Doctores cook with the lid off, on a flat plancha over coals, and the smell carries down the block. That is what you are after.

3. 3

   Prep the buns and the toppings

   Slice the buns open and spread the cut sides with the softened butter. Have the ham, cheese, hot dog halves, avocado, tomato, onion, lettuce, and pickled chiles laid out within arm's reach. Once you start cooking, this dish moves fast. The hamburguesa al carbón is built hot off the grill, in sequence, the way the man at the cart builds it: patty first, then the layers stacked while everything is still warm enough to melt into one thing.

4. 4

   Grill the patties

   Lay the patties on the hot grate. Do not press them. Pressing squeezes the juice into the coals and leaves you with a hockey puck. Cook four to five minutes on the first side, until a dark crust forms and the edges turn brown. Flip once. Lay a slice of yellow cheese on each patty. Cook another three to four minutes, until the cheese melts and the patty is just past medium. Total cook time around eight minutes for a half-inch patty.

5. 5

   Grill the ham and frankfurters

   Push the patties to a cooler edge of the grill. Lay the ham slices and the split frankfurters cut-side down on the hot section. The ham takes about a minute per side, just enough to char the edges and pick up the smoke. The hot dogs take two to three minutes, until the cut side is dark and the casing snaps. This is the especial. Without the ham and the hot dog, you have a regular hamburguesa. With them, you have what people line up for at Hamburguesas El Cuadrilátero or any decent corner cart in Cuauhtémoc.

6. 6

   Toast the buns

   Place the buttered buns cut-side down on the grill for about 30 seconds. They should turn golden with grill marks. Watch them. Buns burn the second you look away. Pull them off as soon as the butter darkens and the bread turns crisp at the surface but still gives in the middle.

7. 7

   Build the hamburguesa

   Spread the bottom bun with mayonnaise, mustard, and a stripe of ketchup. Lay down the shredded lettuce, then the tomato, then the onion rings. Set the patty with its melted cheese on top. Cover the patty with a slice of grilled ham. Lay the split frankfurter, cut side down, across the ham. Add avocado slices and the pickled jalapeños. Spread the top bun with more mayonnaise if you want it, close the burger, and press it gently with your palm so the layers settle into each other. Así se hace y punto.

8. 8

   Serve immediately

   Wrap the bottom half in a square of waxed paper or aluminum foil the way the carritos do. That wrap is not packaging, it is structural. It holds the layers together while you eat. Serve with salsa valentina or búfalo on the side and a cold Coca-Cola or a Boing de mango. Eat standing up if you want the full experience.

Chef Tips

• •Charcoal is not optional if you want this to taste like the carrito version. A gas grill works, a cast iron skillet works, but the smoke from real coals is the line between a burger and a hamburguesa al carbón. If you can light a chimney of mesquite charcoal, do it.
• •Queso amarillo is the correct cheese for this dish. I will not pretend otherwise. In other contexts I would tell you to find a proper Mexican cheese, but the hamburguesa especial is a street dish built around accessible supermarket ingredients, and the yellow cheese is what melts into the patty the way the carrito does it. Use it without apology.
• •The wrap in paper at the end is not for aesthetics. Wrap the assembled burger in a square of waxed paper or aluminum foil and let it sit for one full minute before eating. The bun softens against the patty, the cheese settles into the meat, the avocado warms slightly. This is how the layers become one thing instead of seven things stacked on bread.
• •Order it 'con todo' at any corner cart in CDMX and you will get the especial without saying the word. Order it 'al pastor' and they will add a layer of marinated pork on top of everything else, which is its own kind of madness and worth trying once.

Advance Preparation

• •The patties can be formed and seasoned up to four hours ahead, stacked between squares of waxed paper, and refrigerated. Bring them to room temperature for 20 minutes before they hit the grill.
• •All toppings can be sliced and arranged on a tray up to one hour ahead. The avocado should be sliced at the last minute to avoid browning.
• •This is not a make-ahead dish. The hamburguesa al carbón is built hot and eaten immediately. The carrito does not store leftovers. Neither should you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)