Lucques Pork Burger Recipe

Beef, turkey, even lamb … why not pork for burgers? Maybe because in recent years pork often hasn’t tasted very good. Our collective fatphobia has driven producers to breed leaner and leaner pork. And since fat carries flavor in meat, much of the flavor has been missing. Now, however, better-tasting pork is coming back to the market, thanks in part to San Francisco Bay Area-based Niman Ranch, which has partnered with small family farms in the Midwest to offer more and more naturally raised, less lean pork.

Chef-owner Suzanne Goin of Lucques restaurant and A.O.C. wine bar in Los Angeles uses well-marbled Niman Ranch pork for her triple-pork burger, which tastes just the way a patty in a bun should.

1 1/2 pounds ground pork

4 ounces firm chorizo or hot Italian sausage, casing removed and crumbled

2 slices (2 oz. total) bacon, finely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup minced shallots

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

4 hamburger buns, toasted

Step 1

In a large bowl, mix ground pork, chorizo, bacon, olive oil, shallots, parsley, thyme, and cumin. Form mixture into four equal patties about 3/4 inch thick.

Step 2

Lay burgers on a barbecue grill over a bed of medium-hot coals or medium-high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 3 to 4 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook burgers, turning once, just until no longer pink in the middle (except for pieces of chorizo; cut to test), 13 to 15 minutes total; keep a spray bottle of water handy to douse any flames. Set burgers on buns.

Nutrition Facts

0 servings

Serving size

Amount per serving
Calories751

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 53g68%

Saturated Fat 16g80%
Cholesterol 138mg46%
Sodium 742mg33%
Total Carbohydrate 24g9%

Dietary Fiber 1g4%
Protein 42g

* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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Lucques Pork Burger