Is your burger just not doing it for you anymore? Does its juicy char-broilness leave you feeling empty at the end of your meal?

With summer finally making an appearance up here in these Vermont parts everyone is grilling. At least we are. And our neighbors…I’m fairly certain that when I got out for an evening run, my neighbors light up their grills at that exact same time. Instead of breathing that fresh Vermont air tainted by a slight tinge of cow manure, I smell burgers. Mmmm burgers.

Speaking of cows, I’ve got a new burger recipe for you that doesn’t involve our sweet faced cud-chewing friends. Instead it’s made out of pork…our other sweet faced, pink nosed snorty friends. Sorry vegetarians.

I put together this recipe after looking at many online recipes, visiting restaurants and eating a lot of burgers. I urge you to try this if your regular burger routine has you in a rut.

What you’ll need:

1 lb ground pork (you could use ground chicken or ground turkey, be sure to use 85% lean otherwise your burger will taste like teriyaki sawdust)
2-3 green onions/scallions—chopped finely, white and some green parts (I sometimes leave out the green parts—as my son will say to me, “mom, how come this piggy meat has green stuff in it?”)
½ inch knob of fresh ginger –minced or finely grated
1 garlic clove—minced or finely grated
2-3 tbsp. of your favorite bottled teriyaki sauce—we use a brand called “Soy Vay”. My husband’s grandmother uses it on her Passover brisket, so it’s got the “family blessing” so to speak. Although the fact that I’m using it on pork…it’s not very kosher.
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and divide into burger patties. Please note, all of the above ingredients are measured to my personal taste. If you want to adjust the amount of onions or garlic, etc., feel free to do so. There’s not exact measurement, although I always use 1 lb of meat. Once you form the burger patties, be sure to put back in the fridge to chill for at least ½ hour. Burgers stay together better on the grill if they are chilled beforehand.

Grill your burgers until done. I can’t tell you what that means because each grill is different. I usually grill mine 6-7 mins per side depending on thickness.

Here’s where things get even more fun! “How do I serve this delicious burger?” you might ask. Hold on to your hats! Here is what I serve with said porky deliciousness, sometimes I serve all of these options, sometimes just a few—it’s really up to you.

Pickled Cucumber—thinly slice a cucumber and marinate in rice wine vinegar for 10 minutes
Grilled Pineapple—slice and core a pineapple, throw on the grill and cook until tender on each side
Sriracha Mayonise—combine mayonise with a sriracha—I use equal proportions because I like it spicy but you can adjust to your taste.
Lettuce—you know you have a sh*t ton of lettuce left over from your weekly CSA
Tomato—optional. If you can get a nice fresh one that actually has taste, then use it
Bacon—because pork on top of pork is even more delicious
Avocado—I love avocado on any burger, although I like to mash it up a bit. I find that when I put slices on the burger they slip out.
Fried Egg—you read this right. Get yourself an egg, get yourself a frying pan, and crack that orb of protein into said pan. Fry the egg. Take the egg and put it on top of the burger. You’ll thank me later.

There you have it, a new burger to add to your summer repertoire. Oh, and also…my kids love this burger.