Cumin-spiced Pork Sliders with Peach-and-Sriracha Citrus Salsa

At my parents’ house this Memorial Day weekend, I spent a good while just lost in my own happy thoughts. My youngest brother ran across the lawn, squealing with delight as he hopped back and forth in the sprinkler. The Beach Boys played on the stereo. We sipped from chilly beer glasses and loaded up our plates with freshly-grilled produce and two types of gourmet burgers (products of a late-night brainstorm fueled by cooking magazines and grumbling stomachs). The grill worked overtime, sending delicious fruity smoke up and away from the backyard.

Ahh, summer. We missed you.

Once again, we’re competing for Ultimate Internet Glory via a foodie blogger throwdown! If you’ve been reading A Food Coma for a while, you may remember us competing last autumn in a Top Chef-like challenge over at Foodie Fights.

The basic idea is this: six bloggers are given one weekend to come up with an original, creative recipe using two secret ingredients. In our previous battle, we paired chestnuts and kumquats to create a different take on duck a l’orange (we came in third place, by the way, though I think it was a pretty damn good entry).

This time we’re entering Battle Burger! It’s a bit simpler, but still daunting – just make one really great burger. Impress us. One of the judges even helps run A Hamburger Today.

Please vote for our recipe here! Judging ends Wednesday June 2. WE WON! THANK YOU FOR VOTING!

These little pork sliders are almost too precious to eat…until you catch a whiff of their cumin-scented warmth, topped with a spicy citrus glaze. Fresh peaches and pineapple are reduced with Sriracha, our all-time favorite chili sauce, to create a salsa that is hot and sweet. It hits you all over the mouth, first with honey, then garlic, then chili, then juicy pork, then sweet peaches: it’s an explosion of flavors in one tiny mouthful.

** WE WON! THANK YOU FOR VOTING! **

Cumin-spiced Pork Sliders with Peach Sriracha Salsa

Serves  four as nibbles, two as a meal.

Ingredients:

For burgers:
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons dried pineapple sage
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
freshly cracked black pepper and salt

For salsa:
Three fresh peaches, peeled and diced
1/4 cup fresh pineapple, diced
2 tablespoons Sriracha
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons honey (reserve more to adjust to your own tastes)
orange zest
Fresh mint

To assemble:
Slider buns (You can likely find these at a specialty grocery store or ask your local bakery; we found ours at Wegman’s)
Crisp dark romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:

Make the salsa first, as it takes a bit more time. Divide the diced peaches and reserve one portion for later. In a medium saucepan, add peaches, water and Sriracha and cook over medium heat, until the fruit starts to soften. Add honey and orange zest and stir. Once the peaches are nice and soft, add the remaining peaches and chopped pineapple. If necessary, add more water, but continue to reduce until a thick, chunky sauce is formed. Taste and adjust spiciness with either more honey or more chili sauce. Finally, add freshly chopped mint. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat your grill.

Keep the ground pork chilled until ready to use. When ready, put the ground pork in a large mixing bowl. Using a fork, mix in ground cumin, pineapple sage, garlic power and spices. Roll small handfuls of the pork mixture, almost like making meatballs. Flatten into 2.5-3″ patties, about 1/4″ thick. With your thumb, press a small well in the middle (this helps the burgers stay semi-flat while cooking).

Cook each mini burger 3-4 minutes on each side, until well cooked but still juicy. Grill slider buns for one minute, until nice and toasted.

To assemble, place your mini burger patty in the toasted bun, spoon peach salsa over and top with crisp lettuce and fresh mint. Enjoy! Goes very well with grilled corn and Golden Monkey beer.