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Cuban Burger

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Dinner
Keyword: burger
Servings: 8

Equipment

  • grill, grill pan, cast iron skillet or non-stick frying pan

Ingredients

Burgers

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 14 oz package Ham steaks (2), or 14 oz of smoked ham
  • the zest of one small orange 
  • the zest of 1 lime
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed 
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin 
  • ½ tablespoon dry oregano 
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (stems discarded)
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced 

Toppings/Buns/Extras

  • 8 burger buns (Brioche or Potato, preferred) 
  • 8 slices Swiss cheese 
  • yellow mustard  and dill pickles, for serving 
  • melted butter, for brushing buns (optional)
  • canola oil, for cooking (only if using non-stick pan) 

Instructions

  • Making the burgers
    1. Add the ground pork, orange zest, lime zest, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, scallions, and cilantro to a large bowl.
    2. Roughly chop the ham steaks into small chunks, and place in your food processor.
    3. Pulse until ham is ground, but not fully (you want some small pieces of ham to retain their texture in the burger mixture).
    4. Add the chopped ham to the bowl with the other ingredients, and mix with you hands until just combined.
    5. Form into 8 equal sized burger patties (about ⅓ cup each).
    Cooking indoors
    1. Heat a grill pan, cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet to medium heat, and let it heat up for 3-5 minutes. If using a nonstick skillet and not a cast iron, add about 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola oil.
    2. Add the burger patties to the pan (working in batches as to not overcrowd) and cook 4-6 minutes a side. Once flipped, add the Swiss cheese and cook until cheese is melted and second side is cooked through.
    3. Serve on toasted/grilled buns with yellow mustard and dill pickles.
    Outdoor Grill
    1. When you are ready to cook, turn one side of the grill to low heat, and one to medium and place burgers on the medium side.
    2. Cook the first side 5-7 minutes, then flip, add a slice of Swiss cheese to each burger, and cook another 4-6 minutes.
    Grilling the buns
    1. In the last 2 minutes of the burgers’ cooking time, brush the inside of the buns with melted butter (about 3 tablespoon for 8 buns), and place the buns cut side down on the grill on the low side, and grill about 2 minutes, until just charred and crisp, checking frequently to prevent burning.
    Assembly
    1. Once burgers are grilled and buns are toasted, assemble the burgers. Dollop equal portions of yellow mustard on each bottom bun, place the burgers on top, add a bit more mustard to the tops, and top with pickles.