These Gouda Apple Pork Burgers are the very best savory weeknight dinner! Made with ground pork, freshly grated apples and loaded on top of a toasted bun with roasted garlic aioli – they will become your new go-to!
It’s burger time! Specifically, pork burger time. And while there are no french fries in this photo, y’all know that I had some of my baked garlic herb fries on the side.
Lots of garlic, y’all. I’m glad I’m married and my husband also loves garlic! Ha!
I’m so excited to be sharing this new savory recipe with y’all! It’s been my go-to for the past few months now and I can’t wait to tell you why.
Why These Burgers are the BEST:
First off, I just want to say that I think ground pork is incredibly under utilized. One, it’s fairly cheap for a ground meat, two, it’s SUPER versatile (aka you can season it to go with almost any meal) and finally, it’s SO much more flavorful/juicy than ground beef!
If you were to overcook a burger made with beef, it would be dry and *bleh*, but these burgers? Even if you were to overbook them, they still remain juicy and oozing with fat and flavor! Just how I want a burger!
Apples and pork are a natural pairing and since Fall is upon us, what better way to celebrate than combining the two in a delicious burger? The apples add a sweetness to the pork as well helps to keep them moist.
The gouda on top is mindblowingly good. It’s a mostly mellow cheese with a slight tang on the after bite and it pairs perfectly with the burgers.
Three words: toasted brioche buns. Buttery, golden brown buns are what holds this delicious burger together and I tell you, I couldn’t have it any other way. These buns are super fluffy, ultra light and So mouthwateringly good.
Another three words? Roasted garlic aioli.
Y’all know by now that I’m obsessed with roasted garlic. It’s such a simple way to add flavor into a dish without hardly any effort. And on these burgers? It does not disappoint. The garlic is roasted and gets caramelized and almost becomes sweet in a way that pairs SO well with the savory mayonnaise.
Add in some deliciously caramelized onions on top? That are juicy and full of flavor and make the burger perfect?
You’re set. With the perfect and most delicious Fall burger you’ve ever had! So let’s get into what you need to make it!
Ingredients You Need:
- Ground pork
- Apple (I used honey crisp, but feel free to use gala)
- Salt
- Gouda cheese
- Brioche buns
- Fresh garlic
- Mayonnaise
- Yellow onion
Best Burger Making Tips:
I’d say that my biggest and best tip would have to deal with the apples in this recipe. Did you know that apples have a TON of moisture?!
Well, they do. And for this recipe, when you begin to grate the apples, you will see that! Once the apples are grated, put them in a CLEAN and FRESH tea towel. Wrap up the apples in the towel and then over the sink, squeeze squeeze and squeeze a little bit more until the moisture has gone from the apples.
This will ensure that no excess moisture will get into the burgers, resulting in a mess!
Now, add in the grated apples directly to the pork mixture. I also added a good amount of salt. You can add any of ground spices if you’d like at this moment – but I was trying to keep it simple.
Another tip? Make sure that you are using an internal thermometer to check the meat. I recommend cooking these on medium heat in a cast iron skillet for 6-8 minutes – flipping the burgers halfway. If you are using an internal meat thermometer, when they are at about 160 degrees, add the CHEESE! Place a lid on the pan and let the cheese melt.
By the time the cheese has melted, the pork burgers should be at their perfect temperature of 170 degrees 🙂
Another tip that I would highly recommend?! Add 2 slices of cheese. You know you want to and it makes this burger extra decadent so DO IT! Extra cheese please!
The caramelized onions, I found, can be a bit slippery on the burger itself. So, if you want to avoid that, you can always mix the caramelized onions in with the roasted garlic aioli to make one overall sauce.
Condiment wise, I kept it simple with just the roasted garlic aioli and the caramelized onions. However, you could jazz it up and add a couple slices of apple on top. Or maybe a drizzle of tangy dijon mustard or even a drizzle of hot honey if you’re feeling spicy!
Highly recommend you serve this burger with a delicious side item like fries or homemade chips or whatever strikes your fancy. These burgers are just SO delicious and I sincerely hope you try them!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
Salmon Burgers with Sriracha Mayo
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Gouda Apple Pork Burgers
These Gouda Apple Pork Burgers are the very best savory weeknight dinner! Made with ground pork, freshly grated apples and loaded on top of a toasted bun with roasted garlic aioli - they will become your new go-to!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1-2 small honeycrisp apples (about 1/2 cup once grated)
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 slices gouda cheese
- 4 brioche buns (toasted)
- 1 large garlic bulb, roasted
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 tbsp mayo
- squeeze of lemon juice
- extra salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grab the garlic bulb and peel the outer layer of it. Slice the tops of the bulbs off, to where the garlic cloves are exposed. Place bulb on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle a splash of olive oil on top as well as a large pinch of salt. Wrap it up in the aluminum foil and place in oven. Roast for 30-35 minutes or until the cloves are fork tender.
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Slice the yellow onion into long thin slices. Set aside for now.
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Slice the apples and remove the core/seeds. Carefully shred the apples. Next, add the shredded apples into a clean and fresh tea towel. Over the sink, squeeze the apples until all of the moisture has come out of them. You should have about 1/2-3/4 of a cup.
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Add the ground pork to a large bowl. Add the apples and salt and mix together with your hands until combined. Next, either make two 1/2 lb. burger patties OR four 1/4 lb. burger patties (See note below!) Form these with your hands. Set aside for now.
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Add a drizzle of olive oil to coat a large cast iron skillet. Let it warm up on medium heat. Once hot, add in the burgers. Cook on medium heat for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway.
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While the burgers are cooking, warm up a medium size pan on medium heat. Add in 1-2 tbsp of butter. Once melted, add in the onions with a large pinch of salt. Cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until they become soft and caramelized. Stir frequently!
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Once the burgers are browned and cooked at an internal temperature at about 160 degrees, add on the cheese and a lid for the cheese to melt for 1-2 minutes. Remove the lid and the burgers should be cooked at 170 degrees and the cheese should be melted.
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Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from the bulb into a small bowl. Smash with your fork to make it more into a paste. To this, add in mayonnaise. Mix together. Add in a squeeze of fresh lemon and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasoning if needed.
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On broil in your oven, toast the buns for 1-2 minutes (keep an EYE on them and don't let them burn!)
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Add a dollop of the roasted garlic aioli to the top of the bun, followed by the burger, a helping of caramelized onions. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Note! This recipe can either make two 1/2 lb. burgers or four 1/4 lb. burgers. For the photos, I used two 1/2 lb. burgers.
Delicious! The temperature in the Chicago area just dropped into the single digits so this burger was good comfort food. All of the individual components are so easy to do but combine in a very sophisticated way. This burger tasted like something I could order at a very high end bistro. I didn’t have a full lb of ground pork so added some ground beef. I also used a Spice House Blend called Gateway to the North (maple sugar, brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, green onion flakes) in the meat mixture. Thanks for another great recipe.
Hi Liz!! Wow – thank you SO much for this awesome review. I’m so so glad you enjoyed this burger. Plus that spice blend sounds amazing – must try!