Spicy Saturday BBQ (Spicy Pork Burgers)

Baby Watch, Day 173:  Last week we found out that Hennebaby is a boy!!  So now it's time to paint the nursery, buy some furniture and start our collection of blue baby blankets.  :-)

In other news:  since putting together our grill last summer, I've been looking for new things to try on it.  Hubby would be content with Bubba burgers and hotdogs, but I was feeling a little creative this Saturday.  We had an impromptu cookout with our besties, and in a mini-panic over what I should make, I turned to the mountainous pile of recipes ripped out of magazines that's been sitting on my kitchen table, waiting to be filed and put again in my Binder O' Recipes.  

I don't cook much pork, not because we don't like it but because it's just not something I think of.  Meatballs?  Check.  Chicken?  Check.  Pork?  Uhh...suuure.  I actually went to Wegman's on a Saturday morning (something that I usually avoid like the plague) and dodged the career moms and their oversized carts to find ground pork.  It ended up being well worth the trip.  These burgers are juicy and flavorful, with just the right degree of spiciness to keep your tongue in the game.  That night we ate them with fresh corn on the cob, tomato and mozzarella and salad.  There were two leftover; tonight we ate them with sweet potato oven fries. Yay summer cookouts!!

Spicy Pork Burgers

(from Real Simple)

1 1/2 pounds ground pork 

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium vidalia onion, sliced thickly

1 medium green pepper, sliced thickly

2 tablespoon canola oil  

kosher salt and black pepper, to taste 

Mix together the ground pork, soy sauce, garlic, 2 tablespoons Sriracha.  Form into 4 patties (I used 2 pounds and got 6 patties).  Toss the onion with the canola oil, salt and pepper.  Stir together the ketchup and remaining tablespoon of the Sriracha.  

Grill over medium high heat 6 minutes per side, being careful not to press on them and let the juices out.  Grill the veggies 5-6 minutes, until tender.  Serve the burgers on buns, topped with the spicy ketchip, onions and peppers. 

Oven Fries

2-3 russett potatoes or sweet potatoes, washed and sliced

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 teaspoon each Kosher salt, pepper, paprika, and oregano

Toss the potato slices in the oil and spread on a baking sheet.  Mix together the spices and sprinkle thickly on the potato slices.  Bake at 400 for 25 minutes, until roasted and tender.  Serve with honey mustard or ketchup for dipping.