Chili Cheeseburgers with Bison Chili

If you are a fan of The Original Tommy's World Famous Hamburgers, these Chili Cheeseburgers will definitely hit the spot. 

I first got introduced to Tommy's, and the "Tommy Burger," when I was in college in Los Angeles. After late nights of studying for midterms or finals, someone would suggest making a "Tommy run," and we'd all hop in the car and head over to Beverly and Rampart, not the best part of town, even then. 

This was their original location, and it was just a hamburger stand, but it was open 24 hours and incredibly popular. 

We'd all order chili cheeseburgers and grab a soft drink from the ice box and head back to school. If you were the driver, you had to make sure that no one left even a hint of a wrapper in your car or it would carry a reminder of that chili for weeks! 

Tommy's now has over 30 locations, primarily in Southern California and three in the Las Vegas area, but nothing compares to the original location. From what I understand, it is still open 24 hours and now has taken over the entire corner lot to accomodate the constant stream of customers. I'm sure that there are still college students making "Tommy runs" to this day. 

Ingredients:

The burger consists of 80% lean ground beef served on a toasted bun along with double-thick American cheese, onions, dill pickle chips, a tomato slice, and yellow mustard. along with the amazing chili, which is served on just about everything they make at Tommy's. 

For the American cheese, try to buy American cheese from the deli section and avoid the individually wrapped slices. 

For my burgers, I skipped the sliced tomato. 

Chili Ingredients: 

Ground Beef or Bison: Preferably 80 percent lean. 

The Sunday Funday group of bloggers is posting recipes for the theme "Hunter/Gatherer," so I substituted bison for the ground beef. Fortunately, I was able to "hunt" some down in my freezer. My grocery store usually has it near the beef section too. 

You can also find bison in various lean percentages at Wild Fork. Feel free to use ground beef when you make this chili if you prefer. 

The ground bison looks just like beef but the flavor is slightly sweeter and it is typically leaner than ground beef. In the chili, you can't really tell the difference because of the flavors and spices in the chili mixture. I'm looking forward to trying some of the bison roasts and steaks that they carry at Wild Fork. 

You Will Also Need: Salt, pepper, vegetable oil, tomato paste, chili powder, all-purpose flour, minced garlic, ground cumin, brown sugar, water, and just a little bit of dill pickle brine. 

To Assemble the Burgers:

First, begin with a toasted bun. I broiled the cut side of the buns lightly in the toaster oven. Be sure to watch closely so that you don't burn the buns. You could also toast the buns on your griddle or skillet while you are cooking the burgers. 

Next, spread two tablespoons of the chili on the bottom burger bun and top it with a cooked burger that has been topped with American cheese while the burger is still in the pan so that the cheese is all melty. 

After that, add another two to three tablespoons of the chili on top of the cheese and top it with the onions, and pickles. 

Spread the mustard on the top bun and place it on top of the assembled burger. 

Tip:

You can make the chili the day you make the burgers, but it might be even better made the day before and then reheated before assembling the burger. You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze it for up to a month. It's also great on hot dogs and French fries (chili cheese fries). 

It might be fun to make a Tommy-style Burger and and a In-and-Out Style Burger and see which California-based burger you'd drop everything for to make a midnight run! 

Sunday Funday - Our theme is Hunter/Gatherer:

• Chili Cheeseburgers with Bison Chili from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Dried Rosemary from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Momiji Tempura ;from Culinary Cam
• Roast Pheasant Crowns from Food Lust People Love
• Urban Foraged Stovetop Potpourri from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Venison Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Chili Cheeseburgers with Bison Chili

Yield: 4 Servings

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 50 Min

If you are a fan of The Original Tommy's World Famous Hamburgers, these Chili Cheeseburgers will definitely hit the spot. 

Ingredients

For the Chili

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 8 ounces 80 to 85 percent lean ground bison (or beef)
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon dill pickle brine (from the jar)

For the Chili Cheeseburgers

• 1 pound 80 percent lean ground beef
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 8 slices American cheese (6 ounces total)
• 4 hamburger buns, toasted
• 1 small white onion, Thinly sliced
• 12 dill pickle chips (I used more)
• Yellow mustard

Instructions

To Make the Chili

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the beef, onion, and salt. With a wooden spoon, break up the beef while cooking. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, flour, garlic, cumin, sugar, and pepper. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly.
3. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the water. Scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Mash the beef with the back of the spoon or a potato masher until it is finely minced, about one minute. Bring the pan to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until thickened. Turn off the heat and stir in the pickle brine.

For the Burgers

1. Divide the beef into 4 equal pieces and press into 4 1/2 inch patties that are about 1/2 inch thick. Make an indentation in the center of each patty that is 1 inch wide and 1/4 inch thick.
2. Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the tops of the patties with half of the salt and pepper. Add the oil to the skillet and swirl the pan to spread. Add the patties to the skillet with the salt and pepper side down and sprinkle the tops with the rest of the salt and pepper. Cook the beef for 3 minutes. Flip the meat over and place 2 slices of the American cheese on top. Cook until the cheese is melted, about 2 more minutes.
3. To assemble the burgers, place to tablespoons of the chili on the bottom bun. Top it with the burger, add two heaping tablespoons of the chili on top of the cheese and top with the onions, and pickles. Spread the top bun with mustard and place it on the assembled burger.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

736

Fat (grams)

46 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

19 g

Carbs (grams)

36 g

Fiber (grams)

4 g

Net carbs

32 g

Sugar (grams)

11 g

Protein (grams)

45 g

Cholesterol (grams)

154 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2025/10/chili-cheeseburgers-with-bison-chili.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

burger, chili

main course

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @karenskitchenstories.com on instagram and hashtag it #karenskitchenstories

Recipe adapted from Cook's Country, August/September 2025.