BURGERS DON'T HAVE TO BE BORING!

I love a great burger. Smashed, blue cheese-stuffed, mushroom and swiss, BBQ, you name it. But sometimes it pays off to break the boring beef mold and branch out. This pork-based burger is packed with intense flavor to refresh your 'burgered-out' taste buds!

Ingredients

1 lb ground pork
2 Tbs diced fresh ginger root
2 Tbs minced garlic
8 canned or fresh pineapple rings
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded jicama (optional)
2 thinly sliced jalapeños
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Sesame seeded hamburger buns
Salt and pepper 

Recipe

Gently mix the ginger and garlic with the ground pork, and season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into fairly loose patties. Sear in a cast iron pan or grill on high heat 3-5 min. Flip and sear the other side. Baste the top with teriyaki sauce. Turn pan or grill to medium, flip and baste the other side. Continue basting until burger reaches a safe to eat internal temperature. Sear the pineapple slices and hamburger buns on the grill as the burger rests. Assemble the burger by topping with shredded carrot and jicama, jalapeños, cilantro and seared pineapple. Drizzle with teriyaki sauce and enjoy with a cold, crisp glass of Chenin Blanc- a great food pairing white!

TIP 1: Don't overmix the meat, ginger and garlic mixture. Gently form it into burger rounds without patting or compressing it for a more succulent burger.

TIP 2: For those who find cilantro 'soapy,' leave it out or substitute in a couple springs of fresh watercress.

Wine Pairing

2019 Orr Winery Old Vines Chenin Blanc

Made by female WA winemaker, Erica Orr, this wine opens with a fresh nose of slate, lemon curd, green apple and a hint of cucumber. Just enough palate weight balances its bright acidity and minerality. Grapes were hand-harvested from vines planted on their own roots in 1979. Fermented naturally with native yeast.