Alabama Smokehouse Pig Burgers

Alabama Smokehouse Pig Burgers with White BBQ Sauce

White BBQ Sauce:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pig Burgers:
12 slices thick cut hickory smoked bacon
2 pounds ground pork
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for grill rack
6 thick slices smoked Gouda (recommended: Boar's Head)
6 kaiser rolls, split
1 1/2 cups finely shredded green cabbage

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

Heat a large fireproof nonstick skillet on the grill. Add the bacon and cook over medium-high heat until the bacon is crispy, about 5 minutes, flipping once. Drain on paper towels. Reserve the rendered bacon fat from the skillet.

Patties:
Combine the pork, smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat from the skillet. Mix well, handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the size of the rolls.

Brush the grill rack with oil. Arrange the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once just until done, about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. During the last few minutes of cooking, top the burgers with equal amounts of smoked Gouda and put the rolls, cut side down, on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly.

To assemble the burgers, spread a generous amount of Alabama White Barbecue Sauce on the cut sides of the rolls. On each roll bottom, put some shredded cabbage, a cheese-topped patty, and 2 slices of bacon. Cover with the roll tops and serve.

As seen on Food Network, Recipe courtesy of Harold Cohen. These are delicious! I added bread & butter pickles, shredded romaine (instead of the cabbage), and sliced tomatoes and they were fabulous!