Chipotle Ranch Animal Style Burger

This post is sponsored. All opinions are my own. You may have heard of In-N-Out Burger’s not so secret menu that contains the famous animal style burger. This is my version. 

Burgers are a creative cook’s dream meal. There is no limit to the number of ways you can combine cooking techniques, toppings and bun varieties.

Burgers are never boring.

Beyond being totally delicious, this is the reason they are one of my favorite foods.

Throughout my blogging career, I have experimented with many varieties of burgers (see below) after much delicious trial and error, I’ve determined that the ultimate burger recipe must contain 3 key tenets;

1. It must be made from beef
2. It must be cooked on the grill
3. It must contain a cheese element.

Maybe your burger rules are different than mine, but IMO that’s the basis for every classic burger recipe.

Now that summer, aka. grilling season, is heating up, I’ve got burgers on the brain. I’ve teamed up with Sprouts to bring you my latest beef on a bun creation, the chipotle ranch animal style burger.

If you’re not from California, or  you’ve never eaten at an In-N-Out burger, you may not be familiar with the term “animal style burger”. Animal style burgers are grilled with mustard, and then topped with grilled onions, extra pickles and extra 1000 island dressing. They are sloppy and delicious.

My animal style burger starts with Sprouts’ fresh ground beef (never frozen!). I love this stuff because it’s the same high quality beef you can get at a steak house, but at the always incredible low Sprouts price. I season my meat simply with salt and pepper.

The real animal style magic starts once the patties hit the grill. This is when I brush them with mustard while they cook. Since I was going for a spicier burger this time, I used Sir Kensington’s spicy brown mustard, but any mustard will do.

While those cooked, I prepared my sloppy sauce and onions. Usually animal style burgers are topped with grilled onions, but I opted for pickled onions to change things up a bit.

My sauce turned out to be a happy accident. I was going to make a 1000 island-ish sauce with hot sauce, ketchup and greek yogurt, but the yogurt I had in the fridge was expired so I decided to use ranch dressing instead.

Sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways because….YUM! The ranch added an awesome tanginess to the burger.

I piled everything onto a grilled bun and I finished this beauty off with chipotle cheddar, more pickles and a slice of crispy prosciutto.

TIP: I like to add crispy prosciutto to burgers instead of bacon because it’s crisps up in a round shape to give you total patty coverage.

I would say more but my mouth is full and my hands are covered with juicy, cheesy, sloppy slaw.

Now for the exciting part. My Chipotle Ranch Animal Style Burger is in the running to be named BEST BURGER!!! Head over to Sprouts.com and vote for me in the #MyBestBurger Challenge, then leave me a note in the comment below telling me what your favorite burger combination is!

I’d love to try out some new recipes this summer.

Get the recipe for Chipotle Ranch Animal Style Burger Below

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5 from 2 votes

Print

Chipotle Ranch Animal Style Burger

Animal style burgers are grilled with mustard and served with extra sauce and extra pickles. This spicy version features chipotle cheddar, crispy prosciutto and pickled red onions.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 6 burgers

Calories 591 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 small red onion
• 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 6 slices prosciutto
• 4 Tablespoons spicy mustard I used Sir Kensington's brand
• 6 slices chipotle cheddar cheese
• 2 cups purple cabbage thinly sliced
• dill pickle hamburger chips
• 6 hamburger buns

For the Chipotle Ranch Sauce

• 1/4 cup ranch dressing
• 1 Tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon chipotle hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat your grill to medium high heat.
2. Form your ground beef into 6 patties that are slightly larger than your buns. Refrigerate while the grill heats, and you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
3. Thinly slice the red onion. In a medium bowl combine onion, 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar and a generous pinch of salt. Toss to combine. Set aside.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto slices carefully as to not tear them. Cook, turning occasionally until crisp. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
5. To prepare the chipotle ranch sauce, whisk together all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Remove burger patties from the fridge. Generously season both sides with salt and pepper and place on the grill over direct heat. Brush the top of each patty with 1/3 Tbsp. of spicy mustard. Cook 4-5 minutes, flip, and brush the other side with spicy mustard. Cook until burger reaches desired doneness. Top each burger with a slice of cheese and close grill lid until cheese melts, about one minute. Remove from heat.
7. 7. To assemble the burgers; Toss purple cabbage with burger sauce. Place a generous spoonful of cabbage mixture on the bottom of the bun. Top with a cheesy burger patty. Add a slice of crispy prosciutto, sliced dill pickles, and top with a pinch of pickled red onions. Add top bun and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Chipotle Ranch Animal Style Burger

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 591 Calories from Fat 288

% Daily Value*

Fat 32g49%

Sodium 1143mg48%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 46g92%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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