Chef John Ash

Makes 4

This uses your favorite bottled barbeque sauce to punch up the flavor.

For the slaw

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chicken stock or milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
2 generous cups thinly sliced green cabbage
1/2 cup very finely shredded carrot
1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet red onions
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the pork burgers

1/2 cup of your favorite tomato-based barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 pounds of ground pork
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for the grill rack
4 buns or kaiser rolls or another soft squishy roll of some sort, split and toasted or grilled

Make the slaw:

Whisk together the mayonnaise, stock, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Add the cabbage, carrot, red onions, and salt and pepper to taste and toss to coat.  Set aside.

Make the pork burgers:

Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot heat.  Alternately heat a ridged grill pan over medium-high heat.

Stir together the barbecue sauce, salt and vinegar in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.  In another bowl add the pork, black pepper and 3 tablespoons of the barbeque sauce mixture and gently mix together.  Do not overmix. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each about 3/4 of an inch thick, being careful not to pack the pork too tightly.

Oil the grill rack and then grill the burgers, flipping them once or twice, until just cooked through, about 8 minutes total. Then brush the top of each patty with remaining sauce mixture, flip again, and grill for 30 seconds to get a little char. Repeat, so that both sides of the burger have been coated with the barbecue sauce mixture.

Assemble the burgers, starting with the buns and the burgers and adding a heaping tablespoon of coleslaw on top of each one.  Consume with gusto!

John Ash 202