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Bring the flavours of Hawaii into your kitchen with these Smashed Aloha Burgers. Sure, summer months may have come and gone but burgers will live on forever!
Aloha Burgers are easy to prepare, have only a few ingredients and can (should!) be made indoors on a cast-iron grill pan. The trick is to smash them down onto the hot cast-iron and develop a crispy crust! The flavour and texture is well worth the mess, trust me!
These burgers are Whole30 and Paleo compliant and I’m confident they’ll leave everyone asking for seconds. Just make sure you open a window and turn on the hood fan when making. Things are gonna get smokey!
I absolutely love making these burgers with ground wild boar. It’s a very flavourful and rich meat that works perfectly with the sweetness of the grilled pineapple and spice from the aioli. In the Toronto area, you can find a great assortment of frozen game meats at Farm Boy.
If wild boar is unavailable in your neck of the woods, feel free to substitute a high-quality ground pork or beef. No matter what you choose, be sure to use a medium-fat grind (lean and extra lean will be too dry). Your best bet is to go to a trustworthy butcher and ask them to freshly-grind some chuck or shoulder for you. Not only will you know exactly what’s going into your mince, but you might even save a couple of bucks.
As with my Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Burgers and Greek Burgers, these Smashed Aloha Burgers have a secret ingredient. Aside from using a high-quality meat, is to baste the burgers with the New Primal Spicy Marinade. It’s Whole30 approved and a perfect paring for the wild boar! The marinade gets caramelized from the heat of the cast-iron and gives the burger a delicious, spicy kick without overpowering any of the other flavours.
I should mention, this isn’t a sponsored post. I purchased a bottle of this stuff when I took a road trip to the Buffalo Whole Foods a couple months ago and am very happy with it.
Smashed Aloha Burgers with Chipotle Aioli - Whole30, Paleo
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground wild boar , substitute ground pork or med. ground beef
- fresh pineapple , peeled, cored and sliced into 1/2” discs
- ¼ cup The New Primal Spicy Marinade, optional
- ½ cup compliant mayonnaise
- ½ tsp dried chipotle powder, OR ancho chili powder
- kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- diced onion , for serving
- iceberg lettuce , for serving
Instructions
For Chipotle Aioli
- Add mayonnaise and chili powder in a small bowl. Stir to combine, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For Smashed Aloha Burgers
- Add meat to a bowl or tray and pat very dry with paper towel.
- Divide mixture into 8 1/4lbs-portions and form into large meat balls. Season the top of each with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Preheat a grill or cast-iron grill pan over med-high heat. When the pan is hot, raise the heat to high. Working in batches, add meat and use a large, metal, off-set spatula to smash the burgers down.
- Baste each burger with a bit of the New Primal marinade and season with salt and pepper. Cook 3 minutes and flip. Baste the cooked side of the burgers with more marinade.
- Flip once more and cook additional 30 seconds to caramelize the top coat of marinade.
- Transfer cooked burgers to a tray. Add sliced pineapples to the grill pan, lower heat to med-high, and cook 3-4 minutes per side or until grill marks appear.
- Assemble burgers on an iceberg lettuce bun. Top with grilled pineapple, chipotle mayo, diced onion and a drizzle of the marinade.
About the Author
Hi, i'm Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.
This was AMAZING! I made it exactly per instructions and it was off the charts delicious! (The New Primal spicy marinade was awesome!). Thank you for such a great recipe.
Yes!!! It makes a world of difference! Very happy you enjoyed!
I never have success with lettuce buns. Can you help? It’s messier than a taco in 3rd grade lunch period…
Try wrapping the lettuce bun burgers in parchment paper for a less messy approach!
So so good.
So glad you enjoyed!