Jalapeno Popper Beer Can Burger

Name: Jalapeno Popper Beer Can Burger
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 ½ lb ground round or chuck; 2 tbsp Moore's Original Marinade; 1 beer can, 24 oz; 2 fresh jalapenos, chopped; 1 cup cream cheese, at room temp; 4 oz sharp white cheddar, shredded or chopped; 4 oz Black Forest ham, chopped; 2 splashes Worcestershire sauce; 4 burger buns, toasted; 1 cup buttermilk; ¾ cup sour cream; 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped; 1 lime, juiced; 1 tbsp sea salt, more to taste

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Juicy Beer Can Burgers stuffed with jalapeños, cream cheese, cheddar, and smoky ham — basically a jalapeño popper in burger form. Served on onion-poppy seed buns with creamy buttermilk cilantro sauce, these burgers are messy, melty, and over-the-top delicious.

If you’ve ever looked at a plain burger and thought, “this could use jalapeños, cheese, and maybe a little chaos,” then you’re in the right place. These Jalapeño Popper Beer Can Burgers are the overachievers of the grill – stuffed with white cheddar, cream cheese, diced jalapeños, and smoky ham, then carefully sealed and cooked until molten and juicy. They’re messy in the best possible way, and yes, the name comes from literally shaping the patties with a beer can.

The creamy buttermilk cilantro sauce on top cools things down just enough to make you feel responsible. Spoiler: you’re not.

Form and Technique Jalapeno Popper Beer Can Burger

Before I get started on form, let me just get this PSA out of the way: Wash your beer can before using it as a kitchen tool. I know I’m not your mom, but I had to put it out there. Basically, you’re forming a burger patty and shoving a can of beer in the center to make a well. I happen to think it’s fun, and what you stuff it with is only limited by your imagination. After you wrap the meat around the beer can, remove the can and fill it with whatever you want to.

Go crazy.

For this burger, I decided to stuff it with jalapeno popper goodies – chopped jalapeños, cream cheese, etc. I didn’t use bacon because my experience with using it as a stuffing hasn’t exactly been fantastic – it became kind of limp and weird. I still achieved the taste I was looking for, however, with black forest ham, jalapeños, cream cheese and white sharp cheddar.

After you fill your little “well”, make another burger and carefully place it on top, sealing the edges. Be delicate when doing this, because if you get all hasty and rush it you’ll end up with gaps, and everything you stuffed will become unstuffed on the grill.

Grill or Pan Fry?

Now that you’ve filled and formed your burger, it’s time to put it to the heat. You can grill or pan fry it, or even smoke it, which I have done and it’s amazing. If you’ve never put your burger on the smoker, it needs to be on your to-do list.

If you pan fry, make sure to cover it after you flip it so the center gets done. What I mean by “done” is heating and melting of the cheese and center area of the burger.

I discovered the idea of a stuffed burger using a beer can from Kelly at Wildflour’s Cottage Kitchen. She’s a fellow food blogger that makes some pretty amazing food. Check her out.

This burger is exceptional, and has become one of my very favorites. I’ve made so many burgers, I know, but this one truly is special. It also gets a lot of attention.

The filling in this burger held together very well. I was a little worried about it, mainly because of the cream cheese, but it really did fantastic. I also made this amazing buttermilk cilantro sauce that’s a perfect contrast to the popper flavors.

I’ve always loved piling everything on my burgers; arugula, red onions, fresh tomatoes, pickles, etc. This one, however, doesn’t need anything but the sauce. I think if I added anything else it would have definitely taken away from the taste of the burger.

Here’s my brother’s version topped with spicy mustard…

At the end of the day, these Jalapeño Popper Beer Can Burgers aren’t just burgers – they’re an event. Juicy, cheesy, spicy, and a little messy, they make every backyard grill session feel like a celebration. Serve them with your favorite sides, slather on that creamy buttermilk cilantro sauce, and prepare for everyone to ask for seconds (or thirds). If you loved making these as much as you do eating them, share the recipe, tag your friends, and let them in on the secret, because burgers this over-the-top deserve an audience.

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