Double Pork + Lamb Burgers

An Erin's Kitchen maxim: bacon makes everything better. Especially these pork burgers, as dreamed up by a queen of porcine concoctions, Suzanne Goin. The diced bacon ensures the ground pork stays moist, while the sausage (she calls for chorizo, I used merguez, made from lamb) adds smoky spice.

Goin recommends concocting a romesco sauce as well as aioli to serve alongside, but that was too much for me on a lazy Saturday night. Some manchego slices and a swipe of horseradish stone-ground mustard across a toasted whole wheat bun fancied it up plenty.

Double Pork + Lamb Burgers
adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin

3/4 tbsp. whole cumin
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 dried chile de arbol, diced
olive oil
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 slice applewood-smoked bacon, diced
1 lb ground pork
1 merguez sausage, casing removed
salt and pepper

Fire up your grill.

Toast your cumin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Using a spice grinder (I use an old coffee grinder), grind cumin. Wipe out skillet, and heat a few swirls of olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, chile and ground cumin. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until shallots are translucent.

In a large bowl, mix your porks, shallot mixture and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper. Don't over mix or your burgers will be tough. Shape into six equal patties. Put in the fridge if you're not using them right away.

Grill over medium coals for 5 minutes on each side. It's okay if they're a bit pink in the middle, especially if you know and trust your pork provider.