Asian-Style Pork Burgers
These grilled Asian-Style Pork Burgers are juicy and flavorful half-moon patties, made with ground pork. They’re nestled in warm bao buns on a bed of Chinese lettuce and topped with julienned carrots, green onions and Thai chilis and drizzled with sweet and tangy hoisin sauce. Kind of like open-faced egg rolls without the deep frying, […]
These grilled Asian-Style Pork Burgers are juicy and flavorful half-moon patties, made with ground pork. They’re nestled in warm bao buns on a bed of Chinese lettuce and topped with julienned carrots, green onions and Thai chilis and drizzled with sweet and tangy hoisin sauce. Kind of like open-faced egg rolls without the deep frying, these scrumptious burgers have an umami flavor profile that we think is even better than egg rolls.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serving Size: 6
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 1 carrot, julienned
- 2 green onions, julienned
- 2 cups Chinese or napa cabbage, thinly sliced
- 2 Thai chilis, thinly sliced
- 12 steamed bao buns or 6 regular burger buns
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Julienne – French term for cutting vegetables into thin strips or small, matchlike pieces.
Bao Buns – Bao buns are light, slightly sweet Chinese buns that are usually steamed. Find them at most Asian grocery stores in the freezer section.
Sambal Oelek – A simple hot chili paste with four ingredients: chili peppers, vinegar, water and salt. It’s available at most grocery stores.
Directions
- Preheat your grill to 450°F.
- In a skillet, sauté the garlic in vegetable oil over medium heat until it begins to brown. Add hoisin sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sambal oelek. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat to simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, approximately 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Divide ground pork into 6 equal-sized portions, form into patties and cut each patty in half to make 12 half-moon shaped burger patties. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place pork patties onto hot grill grates and cook until the internal temperature reaches 155°F on a digital meat thermometer , approximately 6 to 7 minutes per side. Brush both sides of the burgers with hoisin sauce during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
- Assemble in warm bao buns or toasted burger buns with a grilled pork patty, carrots, green onions, Chinese cabbage and Thai chilis. Top with sweet and tangy hoisin sauce.
HOT TIP: If using burger buns, keep burger patties whole.
