Stuffed Burger Topped with Pulled Pork

This is a serious burger!  I came up with this recipe simply because I had leftover pulled pork and wanted to do something different with it.  I’ve been to burger places that served pulled pork on burgers and they sounded so good, but I was always intimidated by them.  So I thought, now’s the time! And I didn’t stop there. I seasoned and stuffed the ground beef with cheese and bacon, cooked it up in a cast iron skillet, and topped it with the barbecue sauce, pulled pork, and a fresh cabbage slaw. OMG. I can’t even describe how good it was.  I could only eat half, so I wrapped the other half and had it for lunch the next day, and it was even good leftover! If you ever have some leftover pulled pork, definitely try this.  Check out my pulled pork recipe on my blog! J

Ingredients:

2 cups of shredded red cabbage
1 tsp. minced jalapeno pepper
1 tsp. vinegar
2 tsp. mayonnaise
Salt and pepper

1 onion, very thinly sliced
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper

1 lb. ground beef (80% lean)
3 tbsp. grated onion
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
6 tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese
3 tbsp. crumbled bacon
1 tbsp. butter

3 rolls (your choice of roll)
¾ cup pre-cooked pulled pork
About ¼ cup BBQ sauce

Step 1:  Combine the red cabbage, jalapeno, vinegar, mayo, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to combine.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread onion out on the sheet.  Spray the tops of the onions with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until onions have browned and are slightly crisp.  Set aside.

Step 3: In a large bowl, gently mix the ground beef, onion, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Divide into 3 balls.

Step 4: In a small bowl, combine the cheddar cheese and the bacon. Divide one of the balls of meat in half and flatten one of the halves in the palm of your hand. Put about 3 tbsp. of the cheese mixture in the center.  Place the other half of the meat on top and press the sides together to close the burger up so no cheese is exposed.  Try to gently shape it with your hand to even out the burger.  Repeat the process with the other 2 burgers.

Step 5:  Heat up the pulled pork (in the oven, frying pan, microwave…whatever works!).  Heat a cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet on medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp. butter.  Fry up the burgers for 6-10 minutes (depending on your desired level of doneness), turning halfway through.

Step 6: Remove burgers from skillet and place on the bottoms of the buns.  Top the burgers with about a tablespoon of BBQ sauce each, then top with ¼ cup of the pulled pork  each (add more BBQ sauce if desired), then some slaw. Place the other half of the buns on top, admire the work of art, then grab a burger and take a big bite!