The New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger
Thick ground-chuck burgers grilled over a two-level fire, topped with melted cheese and a heap of freshly roasted, peeled and chopped New Mexico green chiles, on soft buns with tomato and lettuce.
Nobody can say for certain who first put green chile and cheese on a hamburger, New Mexico Magazine wrote in its oral history "Burger Kings" (May 4, 2022), but most experts give the Owl Bar and Café in tiny San Antonio, New Mexico, the most convincing claim. The Owl opened in 1945 to feed workers from the nearby Trinity site, where the first atomic bomb was tested (Wikipedia:). Third-generation owner Janice Argabright told the magazine her grandfather first served cheeseburgers with a side of red and green chile, then switched to fresh local green chile, and began putting it straight on the burgers one day when the dishwasher didn't show up.
The Buckhorn Tavern, kitty-corner across the street, served green chile burgers too. Paul Harden of the Socorro County Historical Society told the magazine both opened in 1945, "within weeks of each other", and he could never prove which came first. Santa Fe's Bert's Burger Bowl also claimed it, and Blake's Lotaburger, opened in Albuquerque in 1952, says it was the first chain to promote green chile on burgers. In 2008 Cheryl Alters Jamison, a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, helped create the state's Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Thick ground-chuck burgers grilled over a two-level fire, topped with melted cheese and a heap of freshly roasted, peeled and chopped New Mexico green chiles, on soft buns with tomato and lettuce.
🇩🇪 The original
Germany's Frikadellen are pan-fried patties of beef and pork with a soaked roll, onion and parsley, eaten with mustard and potato salad, with no bun. The burger's name points to Hamburg, though how it got there is disputed. See the German Frikadellen (Hamburg-Style Meat Patties) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Fire-roasted chiles
Charring the skin black steams the flesh soft and adds smoke, and peeling leaves only the sweet, hot, vegetal chile that makes the burger.
Two heat levels
A fast sear over high heat builds the crust, then medium heat cooks the thick patty through without burning the outside.
Step by step
- Step 1
Build a two-level fire: for charcoal, bank most of the lit coals on one side; for gas, leave one side on high and turn the other to medium. Heat 10 to 15 minutes.
- Step 2
Char the chiles over the hot side, turning, 6 to 10 minutes, until the skins are blackened all over. Put them in a bowl, cover tightly and let them steam 10 minutes. Wearing gloves, peel, seed and chop them.
- Step 3
Mix the chuck, salt and pepper gently and shape 4 patties 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, with a slightly hollow center.
- Step 4
Grill the burgers uncovered over high heat 1 1/2 minutes per side. Move them to the medium side, giving each a half-turn for crisscross grill marks.
- Step 5
Cook 5 to 6 minutes per side over medium heat, until crusty and deep brown and the center reads 160°F. Lay a slice of cheese on each after the last flip. Toast the buns at the edge of the grill if you like.
- Step 6
Put the burgers on the bottom buns and pile on the chile, at least 2 tbsp and up to 1/4 cup each. Add tomato, lettuce and any condiments, close and serve.
The New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger
Serves 4 · 4 cheeseburgers · 50 min total
Chiles
- 4 fresh New Mexico green chiles (such as Hatch or Big Jim)
Burgers
- 1 1/2 lb freshly ground beef chuck (about 80% lean)
- 2/3 tsp kosher salt
- 2/3 tsp coarse-ground black pepper
- 4 burger-size slices mild cheddar, Monterey Jack or American cheese
- 4 soft hamburger or brioche buns
To serve
- 4 thick slices ripe tomato
- 4 leaves crisp lettuce
- Ketchup, mayonnaise, onion or dill pickles (optional)
Method
- Build a two-level fire: for charcoal, bank most of the lit coals on one side; for gas, leave one side on high and turn the other to medium. Heat 10 to 15 minutes.
- Char the chiles over the hot side, turning, 6 to 10 minutes, until the skins are blackened all over. Put them in a bowl, cover tightly and let them steam 10 minutes. Wearing gloves, peel, seed and chop them.
- Mix the chuck, salt and pepper gently and shape 4 patties 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, with a slightly hollow center.
- Grill the burgers uncovered over high heat 1 1/2 minutes per side. Move them to the medium side, giving each a half-turn for crisscross grill marks.
- Cook 5 to 6 minutes per side over medium heat, until crusty and deep brown and the center reads 160°F. Lay a slice of cheese on each after the last flip. Toast the buns at the edge of the grill if you like.
- Put the burgers on the bottom buns and pile on the chile, at least 2 tbsp and up to 1/4 cup each. Add tomato, lettuce and any condiments, close and serve.
Adapted from Cheryl Alters Jamison, "Green Chile Cheeseburger", TABLE Magazine New Mexico (September 9, 2025), serves 6. We scale it to 4 (2/3 of the recipe, rounded): 1 1/2 lb ground chuck, 4 fresh New Mexico green chiles charred on the grill, mild cheddar, soft buns, tomato and lettuce. The two-level fire, the 1 1/2 minutes a side over high heat and the half-turn for crosshatch marks are Jamison's. She cooks 3 1/2 to 4 minutes more per side "for medium doneness", with a bare hint of pink; our extra 1 to 2 minutes a side reach 160°F. newmexico.tablemagazine.com. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- Out of season, use frozen roasted New Mexico green chile, thawed and drained.
- Jamison puts cheese either under or over the chile; New Mexicans accept both.
- She skips mustard ("mustard belongs on hot dogs") and treats mayonnaise as an equal to ketchup.
- Roast a big batch in late summer, chop and freeze it flat in bags for the year.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- The Owl Bar invented it. Disputed: New Mexico Magazine's experts lean to the Owl, but the Buckhorn opened within weeks in 1945, and Bert's Burger Bowl and others have claimed it too.
- Blake's Lotaburger was the first chain to serve it. Documented only as the company president's claim in New Mexico Magazine.
- The Owl's owners were among the only witnesses to the first atomic blast. Folklore: Wikipedia introduces it with "it is said".
- Cheese over the chile, or under. Documented as a matter of taste (Jamison: both are acceptable).
- Grill over fire, or cook on cast iron. Disputed: Jamison grills over fire; the Owl's owner describes a seasoned, aged grill and Bobcat Bite's owner built cast-iron grills (New Mexico Magazine).
- Medium is best. Disputed: Jamison cooks to medium with a hint of pink; USDA says 160°F.
Every other burger
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Germany's pan-fried meat patties, made with half beef and half pork, a stale roll soaked in milk, sweated onion and parsley, then fried slowly to a deep brown crust and served with mustard.
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