Sweet and Sour Pork Burgers with Grilled Pineapple

That's a long title for what's really a simple sandwich. If you want a break from regular beef burgers, and don't feel like going low fat with veggie or turkey burgers, this is a great choice. The grilled pineapple can also be made on its own and served as a side dish.

A friend of mine showed me a trick to handle whole pineapples easier. Instead of cutting the top off first, as may be instinctual, leave it on to use as a handle while you cut the skin off the sides. Then you can cut the top off and cut up the body, in this case I sliced it vertically into planks.

I coated the pineapple in a mix of chili powder, lime juice and maple syrup while I prepped the burgers.

The pork burgers are simply patties made of ground pork. I added a bit of salt and pepper, but otherwise, its 100% meat. Note the indentations in the middle of the patties - they keep the burgers flat and from swelling up into balls. You can make them by just pressing your thumb in the center of both sides.

Then grill 'em up! Ideally, you only flip them once, so be patient, but don't let them turn into hockey pucks. When they were almost done, I glazed the burgers with a mix of sweet and sour sauce (from a jar, but the good kind where the main ingredient is apricot paste instead of corn syrup) and soy sauce. You add this at the end because the sugars burn easily and you just want a little bit of caramelization.

Cut the pineapple into appropriate slices and serve on a bun. For vegetarians, the pineapple by itself almost works as a sandwich, but it would be better with something meaty, like a veggie burger or a chunk of grilled tofu.