Meet the Spanish Fly Burger

Submitted by Matt Flintrop, burger expert for Marx's Pioneer Inn

I am Matt Flintrop and I live in Raymond Wisconsin. Although I am the Service Manager at The House of Harley in Milwaukee, I am passionate about cooking. I started cooking at a very young age. I baked with my grandmother, cooked with my mother and grilled with my dad. Recently I consulted with Mark from Marx Pioneer Inn, W180 S7808 Pioneer Drive, Muskego on some new burgers. It was great to be back in a professional kitchen, and a big thrill.

I really enjoy traveling to new places and trying new and different foods. The fun is trying to recreate those dishes after I get home. There is nothing like having your favorite food from around the world whenever you want it.

Burgers are an excellent vehicle for experimentation. They are classic Americana, and can vary from simple to complex in design. Even though they seem to be very straight forward, a great one can be difficult to master. 

My favorite burger is something that I call the Spanish Fly. It has a warmth and depth of flavor that I really crave and isn't as spicy as you would think.

The Spanish Fly Burger

3/4 pound of 80/20 ground beef.
1/2 pound of chorizo sausage
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Toppings

1/4 cup mayo
2 tsp garlic chili paste such as sriracha
Pepper jack cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Put the ground beef with the chorizo in a large bowl along with the salt, pepper and the egg. Mix by hand until well integrated, but no further, then make into 4 to 5 patties depending on the size of your buns. Let the burger sit and come up to room temperature while you prepare the grill, as it's easier to cook it through.

Light the grill and make certain that the coals don't have any black showing. I like to spit my coals into two zones. I like one area to be very hot, so that I can quickly sear the outside of the burger and put those terrific grill lines on. The other area should use indirect heat, to cook the burger through. 

Make sure that you follow the rules:

• Get a nice crunchy crust on the outside of that sucker.
• Cook the burger through until the juices run clear.
• Don't press on burger; they need to stay juicy.
• Melt that cheese all the way. No one likes cold cheese that hasn't melted.
• Let them rest before you serve them, it gives the juices time to redistribute instead of running out.

Serve with grilled potatoes

4 large potatoes

2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 tbs lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

The potatoes are easy. I cubed 4 large potatoes and mixed them with three quarters of the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can either put them in the grill basket, or on a cookie sheet on non stick aluminum foil at 450 degrees. When they are all nice and brown, and cooked all the way through, put them in a large bowl, add the additional olive oil, lemon juice, and the remainder of the seasoning. That's it!

More tips from local burger experts

Lizz Fabel, The Traveling Chef, Caledonia

Mike Toman, Butcher Block, 9340 S. Chicago Road, Oak Creek

Justin Furhman, Weissgerber’s Gasthaus, 2720 N. Grandview Blvd., Waukesha

Dennis Weber, Wendt’s, 6031 W. Layton Ave., Greenfield