Grilled Teriyaki Pork Burgers
By Joe GitterPublished on June 16, 2020
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
⅓ cup soy sauce ¼ cup sugar 2 tablespoons mirin 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 red onion, sliced into ½‑inch-thick rounds4 (½‑inch-thick) pineapple rings1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1‑inch pieces2 scallions, sliced thin2 tablespoons milk ¼ teaspoon pepper 1½ pounds ground pork ¼ cup Japanese-style mayonnaise, such as Kewpie, plus extra for serving4 Hawaiian sweet rolls, toasted if desired4 leaves iceberg lettuce ½ cup thinly sliced jarred hot cherry pepper
Before You Begin
You can substitute regular mayonnaise for the Japanese-style mayonnaise if desired. We prefer to use fresh pineapple rounds here, but canned pineapple rounds can be substituted. If food safety is your primary concern, you may want to cook your burger to a higher internal temperature. To learn more, check out this guide.
Instructions
- Microwave soy sauce, sugar, mirin, ginger, and cornstarch in bowl, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Measure out and reserve half of glaze; cover both portions to keep warm and set aside. Push toothpick horizontally through each onion round to keep rings intact while grilling. Brush onion rounds and pineapple rings with oil.
- Using fork, mash bread, scallions, milk, and pepper to paste in large bowl. Break ground pork into small pieces and add to bowl with bread mixture. Gently knead with hands until well combined. Divide pork mixture into 4 equal portions, then gently shape each portion into ¾‑inch-thick patty. Using your fingertips, press center of each patty down until about ½ inch thick, creating slight divot.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place onion rounds and pineapple rings on grill and cook (covered if using gas) until softened and lightly charred, 3 to 6 minutes per side. As they finish cooking, transfer onion and pineapple to platter and tent with aluminum foil.
- Meanwhile, place patties on grill, divot side up, and cook until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip patties, brush with half of soy mixture, and continue to cook until well browned on second side and meat registers 150 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer burgers to platter, brush with remaining soy mixture, and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Remove toothpicks from onion rounds and separate into rings. Spread mayonnaise on roll bottoms and top with lettuce. Serve burgers on rolls, topped with pineapple, onion, and cherry peppers, passing extra mayonnaise separately.
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
⅓ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 red onion, sliced into ½‑inch-thick rounds
4 (½‑inch-thick) pineapple rings
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1‑inch pieces
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon pepper
1½ pounds ground pork
¼ cup Japanese-style mayonnaise, such as Kewpie, plus extra for serving
4 Hawaiian sweet rolls, toasted if desired
4 leaves iceberg lettuce
½ cup thinly sliced jarred hot cherry pepper
Ingredients
⅓ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 red onion, sliced into ½‑inch-thick rounds
4 (½‑inch-thick) pineapple rings
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1‑inch pieces
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon pepper
1½ pounds ground pork
¼ cup Japanese-style mayonnaise, such as Kewpie, plus extra for serving
4 Hawaiian sweet rolls, toasted if desired
4 leaves iceberg lettuce
½ cup thinly sliced jarred hot cherry pepper
Ingredients
⅓ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 red onion, sliced into ½‑inch-thick rounds
4 (½‑inch-thick) pineapple rings
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1‑inch pieces
2 scallions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon pepper
1½ pounds ground pork
¼ cup Japanese-style mayonnaise, such as Kewpie, plus extra for serving
4 Hawaiian sweet rolls, toasted if desired
4 leaves iceberg lettuce
½ cup thinly sliced jarred hot cherry pepper
Why This Recipe Works
The main question with this burger was whether we wanted an actual sauce, a thick glaze, or a marinade. After trying all three, we found we preferred a glaze to either a marinade (which involved more work) or a sauce (which made the buns soggy). For real clinging power, we added a little cornstarch to the glaze ingredients; briefly heating the mixture in the microwave activated the cornstarch’s thickening properties and ensured just the right consistency. As we were grilling the patties, we realized we could easily grill the pineapple as well—the grill accentuated the fruit’s sweetness and deepened its flavor with some light caramelization. Hot cherry peppers provided a little heat and tang to round out the burgers’ Hawaiian flavor profile.
Before You Begin
You can substitute regular mayonnaise for the Japanese-style mayonnaise if desired. We prefer to use fresh pineapple rounds here, but canned pineapple rounds can be substituted. If food safety is your primary concern, you may want to cook your burger to a higher internal temperature. To learn more, check out this guide.
Instructions
- Microwave soy sauce, sugar, mirin, ginger, and cornstarch in bowl, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Measure out and reserve half of glaze; cover both portions to keep warm and set aside. Push toothpick horizontally through each onion round to keep rings intact while grilling. Brush onion rounds and pineapple rings with oil.
- Using fork, mash bread, scallions, milk, and pepper to paste in large bowl. Break ground pork into small pieces and add to bowl with bread mixture. Gently knead with hands until well combined. Divide pork mixture into 4 equal portions, then gently shape each portion into ¾‑inch-thick patty. Using your fingertips, press center of each patty down until about ½ inch thick, creating slight divot.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place onion rounds and pineapple rings on grill and cook (covered if using gas) until softened and lightly charred, 3 to 6 minutes per side. As they finish cooking, transfer onion and pineapple to platter and tent with aluminum foil.
- Meanwhile, place patties on grill, divot side up, and cook until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip patties, brush with half of soy mixture, and continue to cook until well browned on second side and meat registers 150 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer burgers to platter, brush with remaining soy mixture, and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Remove toothpicks from onion rounds and separate into rings. Spread mayonnaise on roll bottoms and top with lettuce. Serve burgers on rolls, topped with pineapple, onion, and cherry peppers, passing extra mayonnaise separately.
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