These grilled pork burgers are loaded with zesty BBQ flavor, bringing the essence of slow-cooked pulled pork into a simple, quick-to-make burger - perfect for weeknights or whenever you crave sweet and smoky barbecue flavors.

A close view of a grilled pork patty topped with bourbon bbq sauce, pickle slices, and coleslaw on a soft hamburger roll with fries on the side.

Notes From the MGC Kitchen
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
How To Make Grilled Pork Burgers
Serving Suggestions
Grilled Pork Burgers (Printable Recipe)

If you’re craving the rich barbecue flavor of a juicy pulled pork sandwich but don’t have the time for slow cooking, this easy recipe for grilled pork burgers is the answer.

Notes From the MGC Kitchen

By mixing ground pork with our homemade BBQ spice rub and sauce, the flavors of this burger are built right into the patty, lending it the sweet, smoky, flavor of pulled pork in a fraction of the time. In keeping with the spirit of a classic pulled pork sandwich, our pork burgers are served on soft rolls with crisp coleslaw and crisp pickle slices. A final drizzle of extra sauce ties everything together.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.

GROUND PORK: While ground beef is a staple for burgers, pork offers a different, more tender texture, and its neutral taste absorbs flavors like spice rubs and sauces better. If you want to substitute, we recommend using regular ground turkey (not ground breast meat).
BBQ SPICE RUB: We make our own spice rub with barbecue flavors and keep a jar on hand in the pantry for a few different dishes. It only takes a few minutes and keeps for about 6 months. You can substitute a store-bought rub if you like, but if you choose a salt-free brand, add 3/4 teaspoon of salt to the burgers (unless you have dietary restrictions).
BARBECUE SAUCE: Our easy bourbon bbq sauce recipe is what we use in our pulled pork, so naturally we use it for these pork burgers, but you can substitute your favorite bottled barbecue sauce if you like.

Prep Overview

How To Make Grilled Pork Burgers

Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.

SEASON THE GROUND PORK: Start by mixing the ground pork with some BBQ sauce and homemade spice rub.

MAKE THE BURGER PATTIES: Divide the mixture into four equal portions, shape them into patties, and refrigerate them for 15 minutes. While the burgers chill, preheat your grill (or grill pan) and oil the grates.

GRILL THE BURGERS: Grill the pork burgers for about 3 minutes per side, brushing with barbecue sauce after turning. They’re done when they reach an internal temperature of 160°F.

A barbecue pork burger on a plate with French fries and a small bowl of barbecue sauce for dipping.

ASSEMBLE THE BURGERS: Place the pork burgers on soft hamburger rolls and top with extra barbecue sauce, pickles, and creamy coleslaw.

Serving Suggestions

Traditional burger side dishes like fries or potato chips can work well with these grilled pork burgers, but side dishes like baked beans, roasted potatoes, corn on the cob pair well with their barbecue flavors.

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Grilled Pork Burgers

By Lynne Webb

These grilled pork burgers are loaded with zesty BBQ flavor, bringing the essence of slow-cooked pulled pork into a simple, quick-to-make burger – perfect for weeknights or whenever you crave sweet and smoky barbecue flavors.

Prep: 10

Cook: 10

Chilling time: 15

Total: 35

Servings: servings

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Ingredients

Instructions

Place the ground pork in a mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of BBQ Sauce and 2 teaspoons of homemade BBQ spice rub (see notes about substitutions). Use a fork to combine the meat ingredients as thoroughly as possible before doing a final, gentle mix with your hands.
Divide the meat into four quarter-pound portions and form them into 1/2-inch thick patties. Make a slight depression in the center of each with your thumb, transfer to a plate and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before grilling.
While the burgers chill, preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. For best results, oil the grates before adding the burgers.
Grill on the first side until you see juices start to accumulate on the top of the meat, 2-1/2 to 3 minutes.
Flip the burgers over, brush them with 2 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce (see notes), and continue cooking until an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of each burger registers 160°F (about 3 minutes longer).
Transfer the burgers to the rolls and top with additional BBQ sauce, pickle slices and coleslaw. Serve with a side of fries or chips.

Notes

Substitution notes:

BBQ SPICE RUB: You can substitute your favorite store bought rub, but be careful of the quantity. Many commercial rubs have a much higher quantity of salt in them than our homemade version, so cut the quantity back to 1 teaspoon. If you choose a salt-free brand of barbecue seasoning, add 3/4 teaspoon of salt to the burgers (unless you have dietary restrictions).

BBQ SAUCE: You can also substitute your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce. No quantity adjustments are needed.

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SAFETY NOTE: Separate 2 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce to use for brushing on the burgers during grilling and discard any leftover to avoid cross-contamination.