Pork Burgers

These juicy Pork Burgers have quickly become a family favorite! Made with ground pork, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, and a chipotle seasoning mix, these pork patties are the perfect burger to simplify your busy weekday! I bet you’ve never eaten such a flavorful burger!

When I was growing up in the ’70s, mom made pork chops covered in Shake N’ Bake. You KNOW the ones I’m talking about! It was seriously the only way she knew how to cook them, and they were like hockey pucks, dry to the bone because they were so overcooked.

I promise these burgers are the opposite! They are juicy, tender, and full of flavor. You’ll want to make this delicious burger recipe again and again!

Did you know?

Did you know that one-third of the pork produced in the United States comes from Iowa? That’s a lot of pigs! When you buy any pork product at your favorite grocery store across the U.S., you are supporting family farms in Iowa and throughout the United States! Pretty cool, huh?

I really enjoy pork and have so many delicious recipes to use this flavorful meat here on the blog. Besides these burgers, I love a good Spicy Pork Tenderloin or delicious pork chops like these savory Parmesan and Pesto Pork Chops.

How to cook a burger with pork properly

It’s really important that pork is cooked to the proper temperature to avoid any illness. Here’s what you need to do to ensure your pork is properly done:

Always use a digital cooking thermometer. I love my instant-read thermometer.

• Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat without touching any bone. Of course, there aren’t any bones in your burgers, but this is important to know when cooking cuts of meat that do have bones.
• Once the desired internal temperature has been reached, remove it from the heat and allow it to rest for three minutes.
• Thumbs up to that blush of PINK in the middle for those cuts of pork, too!
• REMEMBER: 145°F is your safe internal temperature for fresh cuts of pork, 160° F for all ground pork!

Pork Burger Ingredients

You only need four simple ingredients to make these delicious ground pork burgers!

• 1 pound lean ground pork
• ¾ cup shredded cheddar/Colby Jack cheese
• 2 teaspoons Chipotle and Roasted Garlic seasoning mix
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (more as needed)

How to make my easy Pork Burger recipe

This recipe makes the perfect pork burgers in just a few steps:

Prepare: Preheat the grill by turning it on to high and letting it sit for 5 minutes. Scrape the rack with a grill brush to remove any residue.

Make the pork burger patties: In a large bowl, combine the pork, shredded cheese, and seasoning. Mix with your hands until completely incorporated. Divide the ground pork mixture evenly into four equal portions and flatten each into round patties.

Place on a plate and baste both sides of each patty with the olive oil. Add more olive oil if necessary.

Grill: Lower the grill to medium heat and place the patties onto the rack. Cover and grill patties for 7 – 10 minutes on each side until the temperature registers 160° F. when an instant-read meat thermometer is inserted horizontally into the middle of each patty. The ground meat should be a nice golden brown color.

Serve: Serve on buns and top with barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato, and red onion or your own favorite toppings.

Tips for making these Grilled Pork Burgers

• Feel free to use different spice blends. There are so many options available now that you can create them to your taste. Feel free to omit it as well and just season with some good old salt and black pepper.
• Do the same with the cheese, too. Add bleu cheese crumbles, for example, instead of the Colby/Monterey Jack.
• Go for add-ins to take your cheesy spiced Pork Burgers to another level. Some suggestions are red pepper, soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, diced jalapeno, fresh herbs, onions, mushrooms, garlic cloves, and crumbled bacon! You might not want to add ALL of what I’ve just suggested but combining a few of those things will add great flavor to your already delicious burgers.
• It’s important that you brush BOTH sides of your burgers generously with olive oil before placing them on the grill. You don’t want them sticking to the rack, and doing so will definitely make them easier to flip!
• Watch the burgers as they cook. Don’t be like me and become preoccupied with watching cute puppy videos while cooking dinner. Um, yeah. Not a good idea. Your burgers won’t be deliciously plump and juicy. Instead, they’ll be tough and dry. No bueno.
• If you find that the heat is too high, turn it lower. You don’t want them to cook too fast on the outside and not be the desired 160°F on the inside.
• Finish them off with a little of your favorite BBQ sauce on top to make them out-of-this-world delicious!

How to store leftover Pork Hamburgers

If you have leftover pork patties, you can save them for later. Wrap them in foil or store them in an airtight container, then refrigerate for up to four days. You can also wrap them tightly and freeze them to use later.

To reheat them later, thaw pork burgers in the fridge overnight, then heat them for a few minutes in the microwave or on a grill.

Are you looking for even more delicious, easy recipes for pork?

There truly are so many different ways you can prepare pork!

• Try these delicious Pork Potstickers for a little bit of Asian flare!
• Sweet and Spicy Coca-Cola Shredded Pork Bites are GREAT for Game Days!
• Dijon Herb Roasted Pork with Cranberry-Pear Chutney is perfect for a special holiday dinner!
• How about some Easy BBQ Pulled Pork Mac n Cheese for a hearty meal? It’s so cheesy and delicious!
• Rosemary Pork Medallions with Mushroom Wine Sauce are a surprisingly easy dinner, but is impressive enough to serve for company.

~ FOLLOW ME ~

~ FACEBOOK ~ PINTEREST ~

~ INSTAGRAM ~ TWITTER ~

Keep an eye out for more of my easy recipes each week!

I am very proud to be partnering with Iowa Pork to bring you this recipe. All opinions are 100% my own.

This post was originally published 9/13/2018. It has been updated in format on 6/7/23.

It wasn’t until a few years ago when I had the opportunity to go on a pig farm tour in Iowa and listen to a chef explain each cut of pork that I realized just how many different cuts of pork there are. AND, there are so many different ways to use it in healthy recipes!

Since I started this blog, I now have a heightened awareness of the food we eat.

On that trip to Iowa, I was especially fascinated by the way pig farmers raise their stock. Each pig is in a healthy, sanitary environment and monitored daily, which in turn, means a healthier and better-tasting product for the consumer!

It also means that because of the steps farmers have taken to create better pork products, the safe internal pork cooking temperature is now 145° F, and for ground pork, it’s 16o°F. Those days of dried-out, hockey puck-like pork chops are LONG gone!!

Head on over to Iowa Pork to learn more about pork, the industry and find more great recipes!
Take a look to see what they’re up to on social media here on Facebook, and here on Instagram.

For further reading, Iowa Select Farms has lots of fascinating information about the Iowa agricultural industry.