Since some of the kids and grandsons were coming to visit on a Sunday afternoon, I was looking for a simple way to improve my burgers. I had read about combining pork and beef, so I bought 2# of ground chuck (80/20) along with 2# of ground pork and mixed these together. I was careful to break up all the clumps of beef and pork, kneading it until it was thoroughly mixed. A local butcher may be able to grind these together, which might be even better.
I then shaped them into 5-6 ounce patties and seasoned on both sides with Cluck and Squeal’s Beef Specific. Tip: Make a large dimple in the middle of the patty to allow for contraction of the meat while cooking. This will help produce a flatter patty instead of it trying to form a ball.
I got my BGE to 400* dome temp and inverted my Grill Grates (Amazon-Grill Grates for large BGE) so the flat side was up, creating a griddle-like surface. The burgers were cooked for 4 minutes on one side, then flipped. After about 3-4 more minutes, they were 150-160* internal. I added some slices of cheddar cheese and removed them when the cheese was melted.
There was not a lot of excess fat generated from the chuck/pork combination and the griddle gave them a great ‘crust’. (I also grilled a few all-beef dogs for the kiddos).
The burgers were juicy and very flavorful; I was surprised I could not taste the pork at all.
No carb for us – “dressed” and served with oven-roasted rutabaga fries.
Enjoy,
Misippi Egger
(Clark Ethridge)
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Makes 6 burgers
Ingredients:
1 lb ground chuck (80/20 or better)
1 lb ground pork
Beef rub of choice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions:
(1) In a large bowl, mix the beef and pork, taking time to break up any clumps and making sure it is mixed together thoroughly.
(2) Make 6 patties, pressing down in the middle to create a dimple. Season with beef rub, salt and pepper, or seasonings of choice.
(3) Grill over a 400-450* fire, flipping after about 4 minutes. After another 4 minutes, check internal temp. When they reach 150-160* add any cheese. Remove when cheese melts or about 165* internal temp.