Everything Pork Smash Burgers

With toasty hoop cheese

Print Recipe

Servings: 12 burgers (or 6 doubles)

When the burger craving comes upon us, nothing else will do. Smash burgers: those delectable little patties with a bit of crunch — the kind we seek out at our favorite hole-in-the-wall burger joints. We used NC ground pork for these, topped with hoop cheese.

Ingredients

2 pounds ground pork (at least 80/20 fat)

2 tablespoons ‘everything bagel’ seasoning

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

¾ cup vegetable oil in bowl

Buns (potato or brioche)

1 stick melted butter

1 pound wedge of hoop cheese

Directions

Place griddle or large cast iron skillet on grate. Preheat grill to highest heat.
Combine pork and seasonings and mix as little as possible. (The more you handle, the tougher the meat will cook.)
Divide into 12 balls. Roll in bowl of oil and place onto hot griddle. Do not move for at least 1 minute. Flip, then using the bottom of a mason jar, “smash” the burger to make it thin. Cook about 2 minutes, turn and cook the other side about the same. Stack in pan to the side to keep warm.
For the buns, brush the insides with melted butter. Grill the buttered sides while the burgers cook. Place burgers onto “ungrilled” outsides of buns (buttered side out).
Put mounds of hoop cheese into hot skillet. As it melts, scoop a portion with spatula onto each burger and eat as is or add toppings.