It’s Burger Month again and this time, I made a pork burger! If you’ve been around here awhile, you know my deep-seated love for all things pork and that love extends to pork burgers. I wanted to create something that reminded me of pork tacos. I wanted heat, the vinegary bite from pickles, the creaminess of avocado all mixed with the juicy pork burger. I think I nailed it.
I enjoy spicy food. I don’t want my face to melt off, but I like the tingle of “ooh, that’s got some kick”. I made these burgers for dinner and invited our neighbors over to partake. I used a habanero cheese in the middle of the burger for an extra bit of heat. Here’s how that went: I barely even registered that it was spicy. I could tell it had a little kick, but my mouth wasn’t burning. C and V both said it wasn’t too spicy to handle, but it was “on the verge” and T – he had to take it out. It was too much heat for him. So, the lesson here is: know your tolerance for spicy foods and have a backup for people who may not be able to handle the heat.
I would like to thank Kita of Girl Carnivore for all the hard work, time (and love!) she puts into organizing this epic collection of burgers and the folks who created them. Trying to wrangle that many people can be like herding cats, so thank you! All of us who participate in this event look forward to it for months, it is so much fun to see everyone’s burger creations!
- 1 lb ground pork
- 4 oz diced chiles *see note
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp granulated onion
- 4 - 1 oz slices of habanero or pepper jack cheese
- 4 Brioche Buns, sliced
- 1 extra large red onion, sliced into 1/4" rings
- 1 tablespoon pickling spice **see note
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar (not the gallon jug of plain white vinegar!)
- 1/4 cup water
- Provolone Cheese
- Sliced Avocado
- Cilantro
- Grilled Chile Pepper Strips (for the chile heads only!)
- Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde)
- The day before serving, make the pickled onions. Bring a kettle of water to boil. Place onion slices in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak for 3 - 4 minutes, then drain.
- Combine the pickling spice, salt, sugar, vinegars and water in a glass jar and add onions. Put the lid on, give it a little shake and refrigerate overnight.
- Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands until combined. Divide into 4 equal portions and flatten slightly. Place 1 slice of spicy cheese into the middle and fold pork around to cover the cheese. Flatten into patties and place on a lined sheet pan. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
- Heat grill to medium high (500°F) and grill for 4 - 5 minutes per side. Top with provolone cheese, remove from heat and let them rest for 5 minutes. Remember that you have molten cheese inside and a trip to the ER with a burn on the roof of your mouth isn't fun for anyone...
- Place burgers on buns and top with pickled onions, cilantro, avocado and salsa.
- *Diced Chiles - I had canned hatch chiles, if you cannot find these at your market substitute a small can of diced green chiles from the Latin Food section.
- **Pickling Spice: 1 teaspoon each: mustard seed, allspice berries, black peppercorn plus 2 bay leaves, 2 cloves garlic cut in half lengthwise, 1 dried chile pepper broken in half.
- A word on the cheese - I stuffed a slice of Cabot Habanero cheese inside, but if you don't care for that much heat, downgrade to pepper jack or you could omit altogether.
Pin Pork Burger with Hatch Chiles:
This epic, colorful burger creation is my own for #BURGERMONTH 2017, I would like to thank American Lamb Board, Anolon. Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner, Char-Broil, Curly’s BBQ, Cuttingboard.com, Melissa’s Produce, Primal Stone, Spiceologist , Thermoworks , & Veal Made Easy for the kick butt grill prize packages! Click here to enter the giveaway!
PRIZES:
● American Lamb Board – 5 lbs of ground lamb, apron, meat thermometer
● Anolon – 10″x 18″ Double Burner Griddle and Grill Pan
● Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner – beefy grilling-themed goodies
● Char-Broil – Char-Broil Kettleman Grill
● Curly’s BBQ – Curly’s BBQ Pork Pack
● Cuttingboard.com – Olive Wood Carver Box
● Melissa’s Produce – Baby vegetable box
● Primal Stone – XL Primal Stone
● Spiceologist – 4 Rub Grilling Spice Set
● Thermoworks – Thermapen Mk4
● Veal Made Easy – 5 lbs Veal and grilling gear
THIS POST IS PART OF THE #BURGERMONTH CELEBRATION HAPPENING ALL MONTH LONG AT GIRLCARNIVORE AND ACROSS THE INTERWEBS WITH 100 OTHER TALENTED FOODIES!! BE SURE TO FOLLOW #BURGERMONTH TO CHECK THEM ALL OUT!
