Pimento Cheese Burgers
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Pimento Cheese Burgers combine a perfectly grilled hamburger with some delicious Southern Pimento Cheese, all piled on top of grilled brioche buns. These are great for summer entertaining and backyard parties!
Burger Night should be a regular thing, especially when you have lots of hungry peeps. Next time, try my Juicy Lucy Burgers (with Goat Cheese) or my Grilled Poblano Burgers with Apricot Preserves!
Best Cheeseburgers
After making my Southern Pimento Cheese for my guys (they loved it!), I decided to use it in a burger. Cheese makes everything taste better, wouldn’t you agree? I mean, have you tried my Smoked Pimento Mac and Cheese yet? There is some SERIOUS cheese going on in that recipe!
We LOVE our burgers, and it’s fun to think of new ways to enjoy them. So if you have some good ideas for me, send me a message! Would love to hear from you. 😀
Grilling season is the best. So if you are craving MEAT (hello, I have a bunch of boys here), then you should definitely try out some other recipes too. My Smoked Pork Butt Recipe is super easy and my Smoked Spatchcock Chicken with Blackened Seasoning is a new favorite. We just made Stuffed Flank Steak again too, and oh that goat cheese!
Ingredients for Pimento Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese – Sharp cheddar cheese is what I normally use, but you could also try a combo of sharp cheddar and white cheddar (which is what I did for this recipe). Make sure you use a block of cheese and shred it yourself. Pre-packaged shredded cheese is ok, but it’s often coated with something to keep it from sticking together. The flavor is just not the same. Trust me, friends!
- Cream Cheese – I recommend the full-fat version. Light is ok, but tends to get watery faster, and you want it to stay fresh for as long as possible.
- Pimentos – A 4 oz. jar is all you need, and make sure you strain the liquid off. Some people like to use roasted red peppers and dice them up themselves. It’s totally up to you.
- Green Onions – This adds a nice bite to the dip. I highly recommend topping the dip with diced green onion.
- Mayonnaise – I went super light on the mayo because the cream cheese makes it creamy enough. My preference is a mayo made with olive oil, but any version you like is A-ok.
- Sriracha – For some kick. You can leave it out for a milder dip. But you know me. Spice is the key to good cooking!
- Seasonings – Just a simple combo of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (optional, for a kick). Feel free to play with the mixture of seasonings as well.
How to make Southern Pimento Cheese
Ya’ll, this is SO SIMPLE. Make it soon and impress your guests!
- Freshly grate your cheese. I can’t tell you how important this step is. The pre-shredded cheese is often coated with something that’s not all that tasty. Grate your own for the best tasting dip!
- Combine ingredients. Combine all the listed ingredients (softened cream cheese, grated sharp cheddar, drained pimentos, mayo, sriracha, and spices). Top with green onions.
How to make the best pimento cheese burgers
- Choose your beef. When shopping for your beef, make sure you buy a cut that’s no greater than 85% lean. We normally go with 80-85%. Buy enough to allocate 6 ounces (or more!) for EACH burger. I used 8 ounces for these.
- Divide the beef evenly. Place the ground beef in a bowl, and use your hands to divide in four equal sections.
- Form patties. Form each patty into round, flat shapes. Place on a baking sheet.
- Grill. Light an outdoor grill to 400 degrees. Add seasonings to both sides of patties and place on grill. Close lid and try not to mess with the burgers until ready to flip. Grill to your desired doneness.
- Add cheese. Add a big dollop of pimento cheese and let it melt. Watch it closely so it doesn’t run off completely.
- Grill buns. Spread a little butter on each half of the buns, and grill until you see some grill marks. Be careful to avoid burning them!
- Serve. Serve pimento cheese burgers on the grilled buns, with a sliced tomato and red onions, if desired.
Big Green Egg
We LOVE our Big Green Egg and recently bought a new one, after gifting the old one to our oldest son. We intended on upgrading to the XL version but decided the Large was big enough. Take a look at that snazzy handle on the grill too. Mike surprised me with that for Mother’s Day this year! He’s the best.
Don’t have a grill? No problem! Just use a hot cast iron skillet with just a light coating of oil on the bottom. Making burgers on the stovetop is a great alternative, especially when the weather is bad!
What to serve with Pimento Cheese Burgers:
Choices for ground beef for burgers:
- Ground Beef – {70% lean/30% fat} – Cut from the trimmings of inexpensive cuts like brisket and shank, this usually contains the highest fat content. It has a lot of flavor, but will shrink the most when cooked.
- Ground Chuck – {80% lean/20% fat} – Comes from the front area of the cow around the shoulder. A great all-purpose beef with less fat but good flavor. Also labeled as lean ground beef.
- Ground Round – {85% lean/15% fat} – Ground from the lower end of the cow near the tail. This beef should be combined with sauce and/or veggies for best flavor, as it is pretty lean.
- Ground Sirloin – {90% lean/10% fat} – Comes from the midsection of the cow, and is the leanest ground beef. This is the healthiest choice and most expensive, but will be a drier cut when cooked.
Burger Doneness Temps:
We usually aim for medium rare burgers. Just a little pink in the center makes for a perfectly cooked burger (in our opinion)!
- Rare: 120 – 125
- Medium Rare: 130 – 135
- Medium Well: 150 – 155
- Well Done: 160 – 165
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Pimento Cheese Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground chuck – use 80-85% lean
- seasoned salt, garlic powder, black pepper – to taste
- 4 hamburger buns
- other condiments like tomatoes, pickles, and onions
For the pimento cheese: (This is half of my pimento cheese recipe. Feel free to make the entire recipe and use it for a snack or use it in a grilled cheese!)
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese – freshly grated
- 4 oz. cream cheese – softened
- 2 oz. diced pimentos – drained
- 1/4 cup green onions – diced
- 1 ½ Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon sriracha – or more
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
Instructions
- Make pimento cheese. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to blend everything together. Top with a few extra green onions.
- Store pimento cheese in the refrigerator. You can also make a full batch of this cheese and use it for other things – like as a dip or in a grilled cheese.
- Prepare beef patties. Form equal sized patties, using your hands to form them. Try not to over-handle them. I like to use a heavy skillet to press them down.
- Grill burgers. Light an outdoor grill to 400 degrees. Add seasonings to both sides of the patties and place on grill. Close lid and try not to mess with them until they are ready to flip. Grill to your desired doneness. (See temps below.)
- Add pimento cheese. When burgers are almost ready to come off the grill, add a big dollop of pimento cheese and close grill. Let the cheese melt for a couple of minutes and remove before the cheese starts to drip off. Let the burgers rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Grill buns. Add a little butter to cut sides of the buns, and grill for a few minutes or until they get warm and a little toasty.
- Serve. Serve the cheese burgers on grilled buns. You can add a slice of tomato and some red onions, if desired.
Notes
Burger Doneness Temps:
We usually aim for medium rare burgers. Just a little pink in the center makes for a perfectly cooked burger (in our opinion)!- Rare: 120 – 125
- Medium Rare: 130 – 135
- Medium Well: 150 – 155
- Well Done: 160 – 165
Nutrition
Let’s eat burgers!! 😀
I’ve been looking for a GREAT burger recipe lately…. and this it! The pimento cheese topping takes these burgers to the next level!
I agree! Thanks for trying it, Josh!
This might be the best burger ever!
It’s all about that pimento cheese!