These Teriyaki Pork Burgers are bursting with sweet, tangy and umami flavours from the teriyaki sauce, saucy pineapple and aromatic cheese! Complete the burger with a bun, mayonnaise and lettuce for a delicious lunch or dinner!
Teriyaki Pork Burgers
Several years ago we started featuring different burger combinations and blogging about it. Teriyaki beef is a favourite here so teriyaki pork seemed like a natural progression. The end result after recipe testing a few times was a juicy, moist, luscious burger full of flavour.
If you don’t eat pork you can substitute chicken or beef in this recipe.
Building the perfect burger
There are many purists out there. Those who feel a burger shouldn’t have any additional ingredients mixed in, just grilled with salt and pepper. While I agree a plain burger can be tasty as long as you amp up the toppings, I do know for a fact a burger with extra ingredients mixed into the meat is better than tasty, it’s absolutely delicious!
So I say you do you and I’m going to keep making burgers with unique flavour combinations.
If you aren’t able to make your own homemade teriyaki sauce, and honestly who has time for that, check out the recommendations from the Serious Eats Taste Test: Bottled Teriyaki Sauce.
Burger Toppings
Burgers need toppings and some go better with others. We all have our favourites, however learning what really works is the key to a delicious tasting burger.
Pineapple: Grill it or saute it with butter and brown sugar as we like to do. It adds a sweet element that pairs nicely with teriyaki flavours. For this recipe you can use fresh or canned, both are excellent choices.
Lettuce: Of course any lettuce will do. A classic, common lettuce is iceberg lettuce and we love it for the crunch. In this recipe we use butter or bibb lettuce.
Onions: More often then not I add Spanish onion slices to my burgers. I love that little extra bite and sometimes I will even grill the onion rings for extra flavour. In this recipe we add chopped scallions to the burger itself so additional onions on top are not required.
Cheese: We prefer a good melting white cheese. Gouda is tasty, harvarti or pepper harvarti goes well with teriyaki flavours or a simple tasting provolone is fantastic.
Additional toppings: This comes down to personal preference. Avocado is tasty as is grilled jalapeno peppers. We like to pair pineapple salsa with pork and the one in this Grilled Pork Chops recipe is delicious on this burger. We try to keep the flavours simple due to the teriyaki sauce.
PRO TIPS:
- Ensure you use pork that has a good fat to meat ratio. Fat equals flavour and going lean will cause the burger to become dry.
- Brush extra teriyaki sauce on top of the burgers just before adding your cheese. Allow to glaze over the burgers.
- The Canadian Government Food Safety Guide recommends cooking ground pork to an internal temperature of 71ยฐC (160ยฐF).
- Invest in a good meat thermometer to check the temperature of your burgers.
- Use your favourite teriyaki sauce or make your own.
- Swap out pork for beef, chicken, even turkey.
Salads to serve with these Teriyaki Pork Burgers
While we all love french fries with our burgers, there are other sides that compliment a good burger. Here are some of our favourite side salads.
- Greek Wedge Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Asian Noodle Salad with Spicy Nuts
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Lemony Coleslaw
If you made this recipe tag Wanda Baker on Instagram and hashtag it #bakersbeans
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs ground pork
- 1 scallions chopped thin
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger grated
- 1/2 tsp dried mustard
- 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
- salt & pepper to taste
- buns
- 1 pineapple, peeled and cut into thin slices
- 6 slices gouda or harvarti cheese
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl mix together your pork, scallions, fresh ginger, mustard, 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce and a pinch of salt & pepper to taste.
- Form into 6 x 1/4 lb patties. Season the outside with salt and pepper.
- Pre-heat your grill to medium high.
- Grill over medium heat until completely cooked through (7-9 minutes). Brush on teriyaki sauce, let cook another couple of minutes to glaze. Cover each burger with a slice of cheese. Pull the lid down to allow the cheese to melt.
- Build your burger with your favourite condiments and burger toppers.
- In a sauce pan over medium high heat add butter, brown sugar mixing to combine. Drop in your pineapple slices and cook flipping occassionally until slightly softened.
- Assemble your burger by slathering on some mayonnaise, lettuce and pineapple. These burgers offer so much flavour you don't need much for toppings. Delicious with a side of fries or coleslaw.
Now this was a delicious burger! Thrilled we found your blog!
Oh my gosh I loved the pineapple in brown sugar and butter. It was perfect on this burger!