The latest burger to grace AnotherFoodBlogger's home has been hailed as "the best burger I've made". Yep, I sound like a restaurant using a one time YELP review to describe themselves. But you know what (as I puff out my chest) somedays you just gotta take the (correctly given) compliments. This pork & black pudding burger is a little Irish and a little Aussie at the same time. The addition of beetroot and a fried egg on top defo give it that Aussie "sunshine" feel. The beauty of this guy is it fits the mold for being a KICK ASS hungover brekkie and/or the perfect OMG dinner time burger. Getting excited? Read on so 😉
International burger day is just around the corner. Well, actually just a couple days away. Which just happens to be the same day as Mrs. AnotherFoodBlogger's birthday ( I won't discuss her age!). I let her decide what she wanted for dinner and fair play to her she decided upon some crispy fish tacos (drooooooooooolll!) so we ate these beauty burgers over the weekend and will have another one the day before too. Yep, it's been a healthy week 😉
BLACK PUDDING
A classic in Ireland & Britain. Definitely feared by many as they have never tasted it but once you take a bite it's simply delicious. Clonakilty black pudding is the staple in homes and restaurants in Ireland. An age-old secret recipe of spices, onion, oatmeal, and cows blood. It certainly sounds a little odd, to begin with, but this pudding has been made since the late 1800s and still just as popular as ever. They must be doing something right! Now available in Woolies here in Australia, it's exciting for me to add a bit of my heritage into this pork & black pudding burger!
SLAW
A slaw is essentially chopped veggies and/or salad. It's often hit with vinegar or a mayonnaise-based dressing to bind it all together. Here I have taken 2 ingredients that work beautifully with both pork and black pudding. Beetroot (an Aussie classic) has a sweet but earthy flavour. Granny smith apple (a classic with pork) has a lovely fresh and acidic taste. The two of these help elevate this burger beyond your avg mid-week burger. You can use either a mandoline to slice it finely or make sure your kitchen knives are kept sharp and slice them thinly and into matchsticks.
The slaw goes on the base of the bun to protect the bun (as would the lettuce) from the burger juices but also adds a little extra texture to the burger too. Other things that can be used in slaw are carrots, red cabbage, white cabbage, kale, and/or onion. Most days supermarkets have pre-made slaw so if you are feeling a little lazy don't stress and grab one of them and it'll work just fine!
TO EGG OR NOT TO EGG
The grave old question with burgers. Do you put an egg in/on your burger? It's like pineapple on pizza or a Tom Hanks lathering of vegemite, it's really just down to personal preference. For me, it depends upon the burger. In Australia putting sliced beetroot on a burger is very popular and topping it with a fried egg too. Given, that it was an Irish-Australian collab it only seemed right to squeeze them in. But, truthfully it all just works BEAUTIFULLY!
Black pudding is probably most popular at breakfast time in Ireland but BELIEVE me it's so good at any time of the day. Given I was using black pudding and made a pork patty for the burger it also seemed to work to add the egg. Given we don't have an aioli being used in the recipe the egg also adds that delicious creamy luxurious sauce element we were missing. On medium heat, fry them up in a combo of butter & oil, pop a lid on top and trust me PERFECT eggs every time!
TOMATO CHILI JAM
Another component that just makes this burger work! This homemade jam of mine is one that's been doing the rounds. It's used in many different applications - like on this pork & black pudding burger, in a fried veal parm sandwich, as a dip with a good lol bag of crisps (chips if you are in the states!). It's really simple to make. Grab about 8 or so ingredients, blend them up and simmer it for 45mins - 1 hour. You are left with a gooey, sticky sweet, and spicy jam that is so versatile. Bonus points as it's got a great shelf life so you won't be sorry if you take the time to make it.
Alternatively, if you are in Ireland grab some of the other regular household staples - Ballymaloe relish (also available in Woolies) or the Australian version, a spicy Beerenberg chili jam!
WINE PAIRING
This might seem like a strange one but I can HONESTLY say it really works. Usually, you lean towards beer or even a nice red wine when you think of burgers. BUT, when in Australia and you are looking to have a glass of white it's gotta be either chardy or riesling. The freshness of the apple, spice coming through from the tomato jam, and the addition of pork had me leaning towards a riesling. If you haven't had any RieslingFreak wines then GET ON IT. 10 different rieslings to choose from - yep, that's right 10! They are simply done from 1 - 10. Here I chose No.2 which I was lucky to pick up from WineDirect at a cracking price of $30.
It's rated 95 points from James Halliday (no mean feat) and is worth every one of those points. It's young, juicy with great acidity to it. Plenty of grapefruit & green apples on this one. As I take a big dirty bite of my burger I want something cool & refreshing that's not going to take away from what has been hailed as "the best burger I've made". A wine that is drinking really well but will age beautifully too. It makes it even easier to pick up a 6 pack knowing it will only taste better in time! Alternatively, check out this mixed riesling case of 95 pointers and get some great wines to compare!
ALTERNATIVE BURGER/SANDWICH OPTIONS
Chicken Satay Sandwich by Yours Truly
Kidney Bean Burger by Kanan Patel of 'Spice Up The Curry'
Miso Fried Chicken by Yours Truly
(Award-Winning) Gourmet Sirloin Burger by Terri Gilson of 'Food Meanderings'
Chicken Caesar Sandwich by Yours Truly
Butternut & Chickpea Burger by Michelle Minnaar of 'Greedy Gourmet'
Marinated Portobello Burgers by Elke Polis of 'Elke Living'
Happy Cooking and Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
- 600 g Pork mince
- 200 g Clonakilty Black Pudding
- 1 Apple
- 1 Beetroot peeled
- 4 Burger buns
- 4 Eggs
- 4 tbsp Mayonnaise/Aioli
- 4 tbsp Tomato chili jam
- Salt
Instructions
- Make tomato jam if using - see link in the recipe
- Season & form 4 x 150g balls with your pork mince.
- Slice the black pudding into 12 equal sized slices
- Chop the apple & beetroot into matchsticks – thin slices and then slice the slices again *see tips*
- Heat a castiiron pan until its smoking hot, add a little oil and place the pork ball into pan. Using a heavy weight (a small saucepan will do) push down on the burger hard to “smash it”. Cook for 3 minutes, flip and cook for a further 2 minutes
- Meanwhile, fry the black pudding on a medium heat for 2 mins per side until crispy
- Fry the eggs in a frying pan with a knob of butter and 1 tsp oil *see tips*
- Toast your buns ?
Assembly
- Place a 1 tbsp of mayo/aioli on the bottom bun
- Add a handful of apple/beet slaw on top
- Place pork burger on top and 3 slices of black pudding
- Top with fried egg and a tbsp tomato/chili jam
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- you can substitute a shop bought spicy tomato chutney or sauce if you don’t want to make homemade jam
- homemade tomato jam will last for a couple weeks in the fridge and is GREAT in sandwiches or as a dip so I could DEFO recommend making it
- USE GLOVES! When peeling and chopping the beetroot use a glove to keep your hands from turning purple
- when I fry eggs I like to cover them with a lid or another frying pan. It helps cook the egg quicker and leaves you with a beautiful yolk egg and perfectly cooked white too
- you can form the burgers into patties if you prefer. I like to use fattier pork mince and to make smash burgers. They cook quicker and get a great crust on them tools
Essential Tools
- chopping board
- chef knives
- mixing bowl
- cast iron pan/bbq hot plate
- frying pan
- weight for burgers – sauce pan works just fine
- sauce-pan – if making jam
- blender – if making jam
My goodness this burger looks absolutely delicious and I am very PRO the egg! YUM!
Made this this evening was top dollar thank you for the recipe keep them coming ?
Awesome mate!! Glad you liked it ??
I LOVE a good burger, and this sounds superb. My mouth is watering - definitely making it soon!
I don't care how controversial it is, I LoVE black pudding! I can't believe I've never thought of putting it on a burger *slaps forehead*!
This is right up top of my to-do list now, thanks for sharing yet another awesome recipe 😀
Damn straight!! Can’t beat black pudding - have you tried the Irish one!? It’s available in most Woolies
Love how original this burger is! The beetroot and apples is the perfect addition to the meat and such a delicious way to add some sweetness. Epic recipe as always!
Very informative, I did not know what black pudding is ? this burger looks delicious
This sounds amazing! I’ve always wanted to try an egg on a burger ! My friend visited New Zealand and on her last day finally tried the burger with the fried egg. She totally regretted not eating them the whole time she was there!!!