Greek Recipes

Greek and Cypriot recipes

Biftekia Hoirina: Grilled Pork Burgers

In Greek: μπιφτέκια χοιρινά, pronounced beef-TEHK-yah hee-ree-NAH

Before the “mad cow” scare, Bobby Bounakis made his burgers with a combination of ground beef and pork; then he changed the recipe. The new recipe, using just the ground pork, was so fabulous, he left it alone and has become famous in my little village and surrounding areas.

Grilled pork burgers

Grilled pork burgers

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds of ground pork shank or butt (ground 1 time)
  • 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup of plain toasted breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium onion, fine mince
  • olive oil
  • 2 lemons, cut in wedges (garnish)

Preparation:

Fire up the grill (or turn on broiler).

Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a bowl, and mix by hand until just blended. Do not knead. If the mixture is a little dry, add a little olive oil to moisten.

Form into burgers, round or oval shaped, about 1/2 inch thick.

Brush grate with oil and grill for 15 minutes on each side, until outside is crisp and meat is done all the way through, but not dry.

Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing… the crowning touch!

Yield: about 10 burgers

Notes:

  1. If broiling, set the burgers 7-8 inches under the broiler. They should not cook too quickly or the outside will burn and the inside will still be pink.
  2. The raw burger mixture can be frozen. Thaw before cooking.

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