Chipotle Pork Cheeseburgers

Straight up, these rock. They were so delicious! I found this recipe from Gourmet via The Kitchn and thought it was such a brilliant idea. I love all kinds of burgers and I couldn't think of a time that I'd tried one made of pork. I've eaten beef, turkey, veggie, and even bison burgers, but pork burgers are rare. These are pretty simple - the pork is mixed only with garlic, chipotle in adobo sauce, and some salt. If you aren't familiar with chipotle in adobo, is it smoked jalapenos in a tomato-based sauce. I looked at the ingredients on the side of the can and the best I could get was tomato sauce, vinegar, and "spices." It has become a very popular ingredient in the last couple of years, mostly in restaurants (I blame Bobby Flay), but it is still not in every market. I couldn't get it at Trader Joe's but found it in the Latin American aisle at Shaw's. The chipotles give the burgers a great bit of heat that doesn't overtake the meat, and you get little pretty flecks of dark red throughout the burgers.

I didn't really follow the cooking directions because I was using my trusty grill pan instead of an outdoor grill, but you do have to be careful with how you cook them because pork has to be cooked all of the way through. To facilitate that and not burn them, I tented the burger with a piece of foil for a few minutes. I ended up with a beautiful crust on the outside, and magically, the burgers were cooked through and juicy! Yay!

I had pepper jack cheese on hand so I used that instead of the recommended muenster. Any good melting cheese will do. I topped mine with avocado and red onion. Although the recipe specifically recommends the slice of tomatillo on top, I had to leave it out. Good luck finding a tomatillo in your local store unless you're in Texas, California, or you have access to a Latino market. But I can definitely see what they are saying - the tartness would go quite well with the smokey burgers. I also left off the cilantro because I hate it. But try these, they are delicious! All of the flavors go together so well and it is incredibly easy to make. A side of beans (throw in a bit of the adobo sauce!) is the perfect compliment, and you'll be done in a half hour tops. The best part is, I have 3 more in the fridge!