I have a confession to make. I have many items that were sent to me that I have on tap to review, and I will start hammering those out in the next couple of weeks. Good for all of you for content, good for me for content, and good for my publicist friends who are being patient!

Now, I have another confession to make. I love burgers, and I found these most excellent Kobe beef burgers at Trader Joe’s. You let them defrost for a day in your fridge (or under cold water in the package if you have less time), and either grill or make in a skillet on your stove. Yesterday I remembered that I bought some Melinda’s Habanero Ketchup, and so I paired the two items for lunch. Even better, I picked up a nice big kaiser roll at the grocery store to put it on. Man, I’m getting hungry again.

So since it was about 95 degrees at lunchtime, and my deck is right in direct sun, I cooked this burger inside, with a dome over the pan to keep the steam and juices all locked in. And for some burgers, you just can’t load on lettuce, tomato or even (gasp!) cheese. So I did this the way I like it–a little salt on the burger, and then just the ketchup on both sides. And I lucked out too by cooking the burger perfectly–a little pink in the middle, and with the juices intact. And with the spicy tang of the ketchup, it was a masterpiece.

The downside? I had to finish working rather than take a long nap.

Earlier this week I posted my recipe for a Green Chile Burger. And it got me thinking…I could do a whole month of burger recipes. Not that I’m going to, but hey, I can ask you guys to let me know what your favorite burger is.

So let me know…what are your favorite burgers–meat type or other fillings, toppings, bun, etc. I wanna know your favorite burger and why. So let me know in the space below, or on Facebook or Twitter after I post this. Have fun with it, and be honest! Heck, you might remember I posted a peanut butter banana burger recipe a while back too. Nothing is too crazy!

Last month I posted my green chile burger on Bullz-Eye.com’s Grub for Guys. I have always wanted to experiment with different burger variations, and this Southwest variation on the burger is one that I really had fun with. Mostly though, it came out awesome. Here is the recipe…give it a shot and let me know what you think……

A few years ago, I attended a conference in Albuquerque, and it was the first time I’d ever been to New Mexico or Arizona. But I have always been a fan of Southwest-inspired food. Well, the one thing that was ubiquitous with the Southwest that I noticed was green chile—not the chili you eat in the winter, but the chile pepper. There are, of course, several different types, but typically the one that is symbolic and representative of “green chile” and its affiliated recipes is the poblano pepper. So in the spirit of grilling season, I decided to present a recipe that you guys could surely appreciate—a green chile burger.

Ingredients:
1 pound (or more) of ground beef, preferably 80/20 or ground chuck
Kosher salt
2 large poblano peppers
Olive oil or vegetable oil spray
1 cup shredded cheese blend (I used ½ fontina and ½ extra sharp cheddar)
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
4 large Kaiser rolls or hamburger buns

Directions:
Preheat grill to medium-high. Make the “secret sauce”—combine mayo, ketchup and cilantro, and set aside. Divide beef into four equal portions and shape into patties according to how thick you’d like your burger. Make an indentation in the center with your thumb to avoid the burgers puffing up. Sprinkle with salt. Spray poblano peppers with cooking spray. Cook peppers on grill until slightly charred but not too burnt. Cook the burgers for 3-4 minutes per side or until desired doneness. When burgers are almost done, sprinkle with cheese, and cook for another 30-45 seconds or until cheese melts. Keep burgers under a foil tent while you prepare the peppers. Carefully peel the skin off the peppers, and then slice peppers into large, flat slices, and discard stems and seeds. To assemble, spread sauce on each bun half, place burger on bottom half, and top with roasted peppers. Now eat that thing like you mean it! Serves 4 (or 2 hungry dudes, or 1 extremely hungry and gluttonous dude).

I’m not going to profess being a restaurant critic, nor even a trendy food blogger. What I am is an average Joe with a food blog who knows good food when he eats it. And two Fridays ago when I had lunch with a buddy and business associate in Cleveland, we ate at Michael Symon’s B Spot and as you might expect, the burger I had was phenomenal.

I lived in Cleveland for 11 years, but I never went to Symon’s famed Lola Bistro in the Tremont section of town. Symon, of course, had his career blow up when he became a Food Network Iron Chef, and regular contributor to the network on shows such as “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” And I had the opportunity to chat with him for Bullz-Eye last year.

Anyway my buddy Jason is a vegetarian, but he told me to order the Symon Says burger, which one of his co-workers said was awesome. And it was…..a burger with a thick slab of fried bologna, some cole slaw, American cheese and whip sauce (a nifty blend of…wait for it…mayo and mustard). Everything about this burger was delicious….everything separately and everything together in harmondy. And the fries were thin and crispy with just a touch of salt and rosemary (and my wife will attest that I don’t like rosemary!). Washed down with a pilsner at lunch time, you can’t get any better than an Iron Chef-recipe burger and fries and beer. And next time we get to Cleveland, I plan on trying more of the burgers (they also specialize in bratwurst, bologna sandwiches, bar snacks, big salads and “badass” shakes–hence all the B’s)!