Juicy Ground Pork Burgers With a Surprise Ingredient
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These 2-ingredient ground pork burgers have a surprise ingredient that really helps to add flavor. With this quick and easy recipe, you’ll be enjoying your deliciously tender juicy burgers in no time.
Every now and then you come across a new recipe that has you thinking, “This is so simple and tastes so amazing. Where has it been all of my life?” These juicy ground pork burgers definitely fit into that category. In fact, just before I sat down to write this I had to get some more pork out to thaw because there is no way I am sharing this recipe with you today, talking about it, emailing about it, and NOT getting to have it! The trick is in that one surprise ingredient that I did not see coming, but it makes all the difference in the world.
I tried this recipe for the first time in my first HelloFresh delivery and instantly fell in love. My husband and kids were fans from the first bite as well. I adapted it just a wee bit (leaving out the fresh rosemary because I’m just not someone who has fresh rosemary hanging around) and the flavor is still every bit as amazing. It’s truly hard to believe how simple this is. Serve these with one of these type fries and you will have the perfect meal; zucchini fries, sweet potato wedges, potato salad, or parmesan oven fries.
The secret ingredient reveal…
Okay, I’ll stop talking and tell you the secret ingredient! These ground pork burgers are made with ground pork, salt, pepper, and… apple! Yep! The grated apple works so well with the pork, holds the patty together, and ensures every bite of the burger is ridiculously juicy and tender. All you need to do is grate the apple, combine it with the other ingredients, shape it into patties, and then cook. Serve with some salad and fries and you have a main dish that’s better than takeout.
Another thing that amazed me is that if you make extra patties, they reheat well in the microwave or air fryer. Usually, hamburger steaks toughen up a bit, but these heat up as if they just came out of the skillet. Seriously. PLEASE, I implore you to try these as soon as you possibly can. Let me show you how easy they are to make!
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground pork (or ground beef)
- Granny Smith apple
- Salt and pepper
Helpful Kitchen Tools
That’s it. But the trick is in what you do with that apple.
How to Make Ground Pork Burgers
Peel your apple and grate the entire thing (well, not the core of course) on a cheese grater or Microplane.
Next, place the grated apple in the center of a paper towel. Hold the paper towel over a plate or bowl and squeeze tightly to remove most of the juice.
In a large bowl, mix by hand the grated apple, pork, salt, and pepper until combined.
Form this into four pork burger patties and pan-fry over medium heat until juices run clear.
Try not to flip each pork patty until the meat releases, which takes about four to five minutes or so (depending on your heat level). If you try to flip the meat and it sticks, it isn’t ready yet. Protein shrinks up as it cooks so this is what causes it to release from the skillet and allows for easy flipping.
And, you’re done. Told ya it was quick and easy!
Enjoy your deliciously tender juicy grilled pork burgers. I love to serve mine on a soft burger bun with a simple green salad and fries. But keep reading for more serving suggestions.
Storage
- When stored in an airtight container, leftover burgers will last for up to 4 days. I recommend reheating in a 350-degree oven or air fryer for 5 minutes until heated through.
- You can also freeze cooked burgers for up to 3 months if you want to do some meal prepping. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating them as above.
Recipe Notes
- For added flavor, I recommend adding up to 2 teaspoons of your favorite dried herbs to the pork mixture. Some seasonings that work really well with pork include dried oregano, dried basil, dried sage, dried rosemary, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, and Italian seasoning.
- Instead of an apple, try this recipe with a ripe pear instead.
- If you don’t want to use a Granny Smith apple, you can swap it for another tart but firm apple variety, like Pink Lady, Braeburn, Fuji, or Honeycrisp.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use a different type of ground meat?
Absolutely! You can use ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken instead. Pork and apple are just such a common and delicious match!
Is pork good for burgers?
Ground pork is great for burgers because it’s just a little bit fatty but very flavorful.
How do you keep pork burgers from falling apart?
Some key ways to prevent pork burgers from falling apart include…
- Ensuring the meat is nice and cold before forming into patties.
- Only flipping the patties once (see above for tips).
- Using a beaten egg as a binding agent if all else fails. However, I’ve never had a problem with this particular pork burger recipe.
How do you serve ground pork burgers?
First, let’s talk about the grilled pork burger itself. Grab a hamburger bun and serve it with your favorite salad and burger toppings, like lettuce, tomato slices, grilled pineapple rings, red onion, a cheese slice, coleslaw (also try burger slaw), cooked crispy bacon strips, pickles, ketchup, barbecue sauce, or mayonnaise.
Then on the side to make a deliciously filling main meal, serve it with zucchini fries, sweet potato wedges, potato salad, or parmesan oven fries.
I think you’ll also love these recipes:
Crockpot Hamburger Patties With Ketchup Gravy
Delicious Hamburger Steak Recipe With Fried Onions
Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe, Southern-Style
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large Granny Smith apple
- 1 pound ground pork
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and grate the apple. Wrap the grated apple in the center of a paper towel and squeeze to remove as much of the juice as possible.1 medium to large Granny Smith apple
- In a large bowl, place ground pork, grated apple, salt, and pepper. Mix with hands until well combined and then form into four pork burger patties.1 pound ground pork, salt and pepper to taste
- Pan-fry over medium-high heat until each pork patty is no longer pink in the center, flipping once. Enjoy!
Nutrition
“No such thing as spare time. no such thing as free time, and no such thing as downtime. All you got is a lifetime. Go.”
~Henry Rollins
I used a potato masher to combine the pork and apple. Worked well. Frying them up now.
I’m going to try the “apple trick” in our venison. And pork ! Pork and venison together..Hmmm. What do you think of that meat combo ??
Have you ever substituted another variety of apple? I don’t always have a Granny Smith available to me, but usually have some apples in the root cellar. This sounds wonderful – looking forward to trying it. There is something about apples and pork that just enhance each other. Love your posts and your positive attitude. You help keep me focused on what is important in life and remembering to value it. Thanks!
I haven’t Dawn, it would work with any apple, just would change the taste slightly I think. Let me know if you give it a try.
I not only love the recipe, but I love the skillet. I’ve ordered several that I haven’t been happy with, too big, too curving sides, but this looks just like what I need to fry up
some burgers, bacon, etc. Would you mind sharing the brand, specifics, etc?
Also, I made the apple dapple cake this weekend for a church event. Everyone raved
about it – especially the singers (Rob Mills & Family) Don’t know if you’ve heard of them, but they do great southern gospel and are funny, too. Anyway, the apple dapple was wonderful. Thanks for any info. about the skillet.
That is from a set of Wolfgang Puck pots and pans that I got on my thirtieth birthday – well over a decade ago. They have held up like an absolute dream. The set came from Sam’s Club and was about $100. I have had companies send me high end cookware and this ranks right up there with pots and pans ten times the price.
I have a friend who does the apple trick with turkey burgers it helps keep them moist
I love Rosemary – if it were added, do you know how much to add?
This looks very good – thanks for your great recipes.
If you are using fresh about a tablespoon of chopped. Dried I’d do a teaspoon or two. 🙂
These look incredible! Did you top them with anything besides lettuce?
My husband likes mayo and I’m the really weird one, I sneak a little ketchup. But for lunch today I just had the patty by itself. It has so much flavor and is so juicy I didn’t need anything else.