Sometimes a guy just want to find an excuse to use all the toys, uhm I mean tools in his Grilling arsenal. I saw this recipe from a guy I admire a lot, Michael Symon, and decided to try it. I couldn’t find all the ingredients he asked for, so I modified it as follows.
You’ll need a nice pork shoulder for this one, so I suggest stopping by my sponsor, Salmon’s Meat Products.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 Tbsp chili powder. (Choose your spice level: I used a Mexican Red Chile)
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 jalapenos, chopped (Again, choose your level, I deseeded and re-ribbed mine)
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 3 lb pork butt, cubed
- 4 poblano peppers
- 8 slices Gouda
- 8 brioche buns
- cilantro for topping
The night before you plan to make these burgers, cube your pork butt. I removed the entire fat cap and as much of the surface fat as I could. Combine the chili powder, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Mix the chopped garlic, shallot, and jalapenos with your pork cubes, then sprinkle half the spice mix over the pork, mix well with your hands to coat, then sprinkle again with the remaining and toss to coat once again. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Two hours before you plan to grill your burgers, put a metal bowl and your meat grinder components in the fridge so they are nice and cold. Then, about hour before you plan to grill your burgers, it’s time to grind! Use the small die and grind into a chilled bowl.
Separate the meat into nice sized 1/2 inch patties and get the grill ready for direct heat grilling. Start by charring your poblano peppers until they are nice and black. Then place them in a bowl and cover with some plastic wrap, let sit 10-15 minutes. At this point the charred skin should slide right off. Remove the skin, along with the ribs and seeds. Put the pork burgers on the grill. To keep them juicy and to avoid too many flare ups, try to leave them in one position. You’ll want to cook them 3-5 minutes per side, or until they reach minimum pork safe temp, 145 degrees.
About a minute before they are done, top with the Gouda slices and let the cheese get good and melty. You can also lightly toast your brioche buns at this time if you like. (I did not)
To assemble the burger, place the poblano on the bottom bun, set the burger on top, and top with some fresh cilantro. It was a little weird to me that this recipe had no sauce for the burger, but I’ll tell you, it didn’t need it!
Full disclosure: my wife thought these were a little spicy. I would eat one every day. 🙂
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