I grew up in West Texas during the oil boom of the 50’s and 60’s.   The oil flowed like water and everybody who wanted a job had one.  In those days oil field workers worked 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, 365-days a year.  Holidays were hard to squeeze in with family.  We sometimes had Christmas on an alternate day if Daddy was not going to be home.   Wink is 7 miles from Kermit (nothing to do with the frog).  Wink is famous for the “Wink sink hole” and Roy Orbison (He sang Pretty Woman).   We are talking big west Texas oil towns here.  Some of the best tastin’ food I have ever eaten was right there.  Hamburgers as big as a dinner plate at the diner after  football games, Frito pies at the DQ at lunch,  hot dogs and hamburgers at Cook’s store across the street from the elementary school,  soup and a sandwich at the drug store counter at lunch in Jr. High.  Good memories.  I was sick and missed a class reunion.  I guess that’s what got all this started.

Do you know what a Mexican hamburger is?  I (living in El Paso) had never heard of that, but my mother introduced it to us and even took my family to Wink to eat one.  You would have thought they had invented sliced bread.  Those were the talk of the town at afternoon coffee.  I made these more often than grilled burgers for a while.   The little diner where we went to eat these was deserted.  I wasn’t too sure about this, except my mom was a very picky eater and loved good Mexican food.   The plates of food they produced were huge.  Platter size white flour tortillas were spread with refried beans (pinto not black beans) and filled with fajita flavored burgers fried on the flattop griddle, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions and green chilies or jalapeños, and cheese.  These were served with sides of guacamole, cream cheese, and salsa.  These are more or less a folded burrito.   But “drippin’ down your elbows” good food!

I sort of “healthified” these, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.  If my son had been home they wouldn’t have been so healthy.  I made my own refried beans from leftover beans I had cooked by reducing the liquid and mashing them.  I used whole wheat tortillas.  They actually tasted good toasted on the griddle.

Mexican Hamburgers

• 1 pound ground meat
• Fajita seasoning blend
• 1 can refried beans (I made my own from pinto beans I cooked with not so much salt and no lard)
• grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
• lettuce shredded (like for tacos)
• diced tomatoes
• chopped Hatch green chiles (roasted, peeled and diced)
• grilled onions
• salsa (hot or not to your taste) (I used my home canned salsa)
• sour cream
• avocados sliced or guacamole
• sliced pickled jalapenos
• large flour tortillas (I had whole wheat)

Form the ground meat into patties about 5” long by 3” wide.  Sprinkle with the dry fajita seasoning blend or seasoning of your choice.  Set aside.

Grate the cheese, dice the tomatoes, prepare the avocados.  Set up a serving station with all the burger toppings and sides in small dishes so everyone can make theirs according to their taste.

Fry the patties and allow to form a good caramelized crust on both sides.  Meanwhile toast the tortillas in a non-stick skillet or on a round griddle.  Toast just until slightly crisp and warmed.

Assembly:

• A layer of beans spread on the entire surface of the tortilla
• Meat
• Grilled onions
• Cheese
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Green chiles
• Avocado/guacamole
• Salsa
• Sour cream
• Fold over to make a very large taco
• Several napkins

This will make 4 very large Mexican hamburgers.

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