I love a grilled burger. It’s the official mark of the beginning of the summer grilling season for me. I do love a traditional all beef burger, but I also love a blend of pork and beef in my burger. The flavor and additional fat of the ground pork adds an amazing dimension to the burger. These burgers are a 50/50 blend of ground beef and ground pork (hence oink and moo). The cheese is mixed in with the burger meat to ensure that cheesy goodness is saturated through every bite. A simple blend of salt, pepper, and garlic powder is generously sprinkled across the top and bottom of the burgers before grilling. That is all there is to it. After all, it’s a burger, not meatloaf; it shouldn’t be stuffed with filler ingredients.
Ingredients
1 ½ lbs ground beef
1 ½ lbs ground pork
2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
½ tbsp black pepper
In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, ground pork, and cheese by hand. Mix well until everything is well blended.
Form the meat into burger patties thar ate approximately 3 ½ to 3 ¾ inches in diameter and ¾ inch thick. Use a ring mold if needed to get the proper shape and size. I typically use a 3 ½ inch ring mold and fill the mold half way with ground meat. Then I take a small Tupperware container and gently press down on top of the meat to mold the burger into shape. You should get about 12 burger patties in total.
Start a grill and allow it to heat to 450°F to 500°F. I aim for the high end of 500°F myself. While the grill warms, mix the salt, garlic powder, and pepper in a small bowl.
When the grill is ready, brush the burgers on both sides with olive oil. Season both sides of the burgers generously with the salt and pepper blend and place them on the grill. Grill the burgers for approximately 4-5 minutes, until a nice crust forms on the bottom of the burger. After this time, flip the burgers and cook for approximately 4-5 minutes more or until burgers are done. If you aiming for a medium burger, 4 minutes per side should do it, and if you are aiming for a well done burger, then I would grill for 5 minutes per side. Burgers are ready when the internal temperature is 145 °F (medium), or if you prefer a burger well done, then grill it longer until the internal temperature is 160 °F.
I like to let the burgers rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve on your choice of bun (I like brioche) with your choice of toppings. As for toppings, I recommend shredded lettuce, thinly sliced onion, sliced tomato, ketchup, and mayonnaise, but you do you as far as burger toppings go!