Garlicky Pork Burger (NY Times Recipe)

By contessawannabe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds fatty pork shoulder, in chunks
• 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds

Preparation

Step 1

Start a charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill. Or, on stove top, heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 3 or 4 minutes.

2. Put meat, salt, pepper, garlic and fennel in food processor, in batches if necessary, and pulse until coarsely ground: finer than chopped, but not much. Put it in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Taste, then add more seasoning if necessary. (If desired, cook a teaspoon of meat in a pan before tasting.) Handling meat as little as possible to avoid compressing it, shape it lightly into 4 or more burgers.

3. Fire is hot enough when you can barely stand to hold your hand 3 or 4 inches over rack for a few seconds. Grill burgers about 5 minutes a side, or until medium. (Timing on stove top is the same.)

4. Serve on buns, toast or hard rolls, garnished as you like.