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
Sorry I am confused picture shows ground pork but in you description at first and your ingredients you say ground beef
When I initially published this we ate pork but we gave it up and so I suggest beef or other substitutes in my recipes now 🙂
I haven’t tried apple in a pork patty, sounds delicious. Might try this as breakfast sausage with sage and red pepper flakes. Fresh mushrooms are another “moistener” in ground meats, especially ground turkey breast and hamburger. Gives a really earthy flavor to them. Thanks for all your delicious recipes. Thanks, D
These burgers look very, very interesting!! I bought the ingredients today and I’m going to make them for tomorrow’s 4th of July supper!! Here’s to hoping you’re right Mrs. Jordan, not that I’ve ever had a bad recipe I received from your blog!
I hope you enjoyed the burgers and had a Happy 4th of July Thomas!!!
I did, they were wonderful and even my picky 8 year old loved them!! I love your recipes and blog!!
Thank you so much for letting me know Thomas, so glad to hear they were a hit!!!
I made these for dinner. I had no idea what they would taste like as I have never….no NEVER…bought ground pork before! Don’t ask me why…just never ran across a recipe that called for it. Anyway…I followed your recipe exactly. (I drank the apple juice too, Barbara. Delicious! ) I made the burgers just like I would beef hamburgers. Toasted buns, mayo, lettuce, tomato and onion…absolutely delicious. My husband loved them too. Thanks so much for another wonderful recipe. We will enjoy this again soon.
xoxo
I am so glad you liked them!!!!!
I drank the apple juice and then chopped up the peel and core and added them to my salad greens. Didn’t waste a thing! I followed your recipe for the first 2 burgers then added the chopped dried rosemary in the last 2. I had fresh rosemary in a flowerpot but Sheba the kitten decided it needed re-potted then eaten. They were both excellent. Mixed them by hand cause I love the way pork fat makes my skin silky smooth after it is wiped off with a paper towel. LOL, hated to wash it off. This , like all of your recipes, is a keeper. TY for sharing.
I am so glad you liked it Barbara!! Love that there was no waste!!
The pork patties are very good. I couldn’t taste the apple.
Christy:
Thanks for the recipe! I had one as a sandwich, with cheese and pickle yesterday, and it was good. Today, I just put the patty on my plate and put warm orange sauce over it with Bok Choy and bread on the side, and that was really good. There is a surprising amount of juice in an apple, and DON’T throw it away-it’s great to drink. It’s also nice to know that it works with turkey and chicken, and applesauce as I generally have the little plastic cups of unsweetened apple sauce on hand. I’m thinking you could add it to meatballs as well. I wonder if it would work for the Extra Lean ground beef as well?