Apple, Fennel & Lemon Pork Burgers

There are some recipes you make once, photograph, put on the website and promptly forget about ... And then there are the ones you keep coming back to. These pork burgers are firmly in the second camp.

Pork, apple and fennel are a pretty good little trio to begin with, but add lemon and suddenly everything wakes up. The apple brings a little sweetness and keeps the pork beautifully moist, the fennel adds that gentle aniseed warmth, and the lemon cuts through the richness and keeps the whole thing feeling fresh.

They’re substantial burgers too, the sort you actually need both hands for, and they're just as happy piled into a bun with all the usual burger trimmings as they are served alongside a big bowl of salad.

I originally made these because I had pork, apples and a few things lurking in the kitchen that needed using, as is often the way in my kitchen, it turned out that throwing them all together was a rather good idea.

Apple Fennel and Lemon Pork Burgers - The Recipe

Ingredients

• 1kg minced pork

• 1 apple, peeled, cored and finely grated

• 1 small red onion, finely chopped

• 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 egg

• 50g panko breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt

• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

• A little oil, for cooking

  
  

Method

Make the burgers

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F).

2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Use a clean hand to mix everything until the mixture is cohesive but not overworked.

3. Divide the mixture into six equal portions and shape each into a patty. Gently press the centre of each patty down slightly to create a bowl shape. This will stop the centre of the burger doming up during cooking. Place the patties in the fridge for 30 minutes to set before cooking.

4. Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly greased.

5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the burgers are golden on the outside and cooked through in the centre

   
   

Alternatively - Cook on the Hob for a Crispy Finish

If you prefer a crispy crust, cooking the burgers on the hob works well:

• Heat a little oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

• When the oil shimmers, add the patties. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on one side until golden.

• Flip the burgers, cover the skillet with a lid and cook for another 3 minutes until the burgers feel springy when pressed.

Jo’s Kitchen Notes

Don’t make them too small. These are proper pork burgers, not dainty little sliders. Six from a kilo of pork gives you generous burgers with plenty of room for all those lovely flavours.

Grate the apple finely. You want it to disappear into the pork rather than leave you wrestling with great chunks of apple when you bite into your burger.

Give them time in the fridge. Half an hour makes a difference. The burgers firm up, the flavours settle in and they are much easier to cook without falling apart.

And that little thumbprint in the middle? Do it. It stops your burgers puffing up in the pan and gives you a much more even shape.

I love these with a soft bun, something crisp and green alongside and a good dollop of something sharp or fruity. But honestly, the burger is doing most of the work here.

Pork, apple, fennel and lemon. Sometimes you really don't need to overcomplicate things.

Continue Cooking With Me

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