Grilled Aloha Burger
Piled high with teriyaki pineapples and grilled ham, this Grilled Aloha Burger deserves a spot on your dinner menu!
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My wife and I enjoy eating out and trying new foods. We’ve come across some really unique dishes in our travels, too. I’m looking at you, salt foam margarita that we discovered at Nava in Atlanta. (Sadly that restaurant is now closed.) However, Laura actually researched it and got me some soy lecithin granules so we could make our own salt foam margaritas. Both of us enjoying spending time in the kitchen, and part of the fun of eating out is recreating dishes at home.
We’ve come across some pretty strange flavor combinations in our travels, but I think Robbie takes the cake in this category. The other night, our little guy (now almost 9 months old) was eating some plain yogurt mixed with pureed blueberries. He kept making a face at the yogurt, so we sweetened it up with some pureed bananas. He was still less than enthused about the yogurt. (I think it might have been the sour taste?)
So we opened up a package of macaroni and cheese (baby food version). Yup, pureed macaroni and cheese. (On a side note, if you’ve ever wanted to drink mac + cheese with a straw, then this is your answer!) He took one bite of the mac and cheese, and he loved it. He had the biggest smile on his face after that bite. (Like father, like son, right?)
Then we went back to the blueberry-banana-yogurt, and he gobbled down the whole bowl. Who knows? Maybe it wasn’t as sour after eating the mac and cheese? Either way, he didn’t complain one bit. Nothing says delicious like Blueberry Banana Mac and Cheese! (Stay tuned. I’ll work on a recipe for that one. Or not.)
When we flew down to Nashville a couple of months ago, I was flipping through the in-flight magazine. (This was during the one 5-minute span that Robbie actually napped.) I came across a picture of a delicious looking Hawaiian burger. It was loaded with ham (or Spam?) and pineapple. And it sure beat the heck out of the little pack of stale airplane pretzels that I was eating. I tucked that magazine into my bag with the intention of making that burger as soon as I got back home.
It took me a bit longer than I expected, but that Grilled Aloha Burger finally showed up on my grill the other day. Normally, I’m not a fan of using sweet ingredients (i.e. pineapple) in a savory meal (i.e. burger). But I took a page out of Robbie’s Blueberry Banana Mac and Cheese playbook, and I went for it. And it totally worked! In fact, those grilled teriyaki pineapples were good enough to serve as a side dish by themselves. I hope you enjoy this Grilled Aloha Burger as much as we did! Cheers!
Grilled Aloha Burger
Ingredients
For the Burger
- ¾ cup reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce divided
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 tsp pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
For the Toppings
- 1 can sliced pineapple drained
- 6 sesame seed buns
- 6 lettuce leaves
- 6 slices yellow onion
- 2 ham steaks fully cooked and each cut into 3 pieces
- 6 slices Swiss cheese
Instructions
- Pat pineapple rings with a paper towel and place in a resealable sandwich bag. Add ¼ cup of teriyaki sauce and toss until pineapple is well coated. Set aside.
- Using a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, eggs, onion, garlic, soy sauce, bread crumbs, pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Shape mixture into 6 patties. (Tip: Make the patties slightly thinner in the center. This will give the burger a better shape once cooked.)
- Place burgers in a glass baking dish and pour remaining ½ cup of teriyaki over burgers. Let marinate for 15 minutes, turning once.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Remove burgers and pineapples from teriyaki sauce and discard sauce.
- Grill burgers on medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
- Flip burgers and grill for 4-5 more minutes, or until fully cooked. At the same time, add pineapple rings and ham steak to grill and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until heated through.
- Layer bottom buns with lettuce and onion. Add burgers and top with Swiss cheese, grilled pineapple and ham.
Looking for more fun burger recipes? Check out these other favorites:
Hatch Green Chile Burgers
Pull Apart Cheeseburger Sliders
Garbage Plate Burgers
I dunno ’bout that blueberry banana mac and cheese, but who knows, right? Sometimes the strangest combinations work!
I can totally see this aloha burger working. I love sweet and savoury/salty combos so the pineapple on here is just perfect with the salty ham and burger. I just love recreating dishes at home. It’s not only fun, but you get to eat it in the comfort of home in comfy clothes, lol 😀
Haha…I’m all about some comfy clothes! In fact, that’s one of the biggest advantages of working at home. I have to put on “big boy clothes” when I go out and pick up Robbie from daycare, though. Hah! This burger was super tasty, Dawn. In fact, I should make another round of these this weekend! 🙂 Thanks!
Little Robbie is going to be glad when he has teeth and can eat non-pureed food! It might be a few years, but he will be chowing down on this burger soon! This burger is a meal all in itself! I’ll be it’s delicious….and so glad there isn’t any SPAM! 🙂
Haha! You are totally right, Kathy…I was thinking that the other night actually. Pureed oats and bananas and peas must be so boring compared to other foods! And this burger is anything but boring…those pineapples…yum!!
Oh my gosh David!! Loved the Mac&cheese, bananas and blueberries story, I wont be waiting for that recipe though! hahahaha on the other hand, have never tasted salt foam margaritas and it should sound like I must try that one! I love this aloha burger, sounds delicious!
Haha…good! I’m thinking the mac & cheese with bananas + blueberries might need to wait. Blech. But this burger? Forget waiting…I need to make it again! And yes, salt foam margarita! They’re probably not the easiest to find, but man was that a good drink. 🙂 Thanks, Gaila!!
Duuude you are spot on – those teriyaki grilled pineapple rings alone would make me one happy camper! Love that you added teriyaki into the burger as well!
And David, now you have 2 muse (or is that muses?) to draw inspiration from – Laura (her grilled grapes pizza is still mind blowing) and Robbie with his Blueberry Banana Mac and Cheese! And, IMO if said cheese was ricotta or mascarpone or something along those lines – this actually could be one delightful dish.
Oh man, those pineapples,Shashi. I seriously could just eat them by themselves. In fact, I think we did that on the next night as we had leftovers. Oh geez…I’m not sure I’m ready for Robbie to start inspiring recipes yet. I mean you might be onto something with the mascarpone there…but I think I’ll stick with just Laura as my muse. For now. 🙂
Hi David! I love grilled pineapple and have used it on burgers before but never with ham added. I have just one question, how does one eat this monster?! I think they key to getting kids to eat is to let them experiment and eat whatever combinations they choose. Robbie is just discovering his palate!
This was one fun burger, Dorothy! Laura cut hers in half and tackled it that way while I just went straight in. Both worked. 🙂 I might have used an extra napkin, though. Hah! And good point about Robbie discovering his palate. He’s been giving us some trouble with his eating this week, so maybe we just need to mix it up a bit more.
I think Robbie just understands what does “real food” stand for. Who cares about yougurts, granola, and healthy puddings when you can eat some mac&cheese, right? (On a side note, it’s rather hard to imagine pureed mac&cheese. Please don’t recreate it, ok? However, if you add some lavender in this blueberry mac&cheese, that might work…or might not).This burger looks and sounds fantastic, David! I’ve never had a grilled pinapple, but I’d like to try this combo. Well done.
Haha…have we finally found a recipe where even you cringe at the thought of adding lavender? 🙂 I mean pureed mac & cheese with blueberries and lavender. Sounds awesome, right? Haha! And yes, pureed mac & cheese is just that. You could literally drink this stuff with a straw. Not that I’ve tried…well, at least not that I will admit to trying! Thanks, Ben! (P.S. Try grilled pineapple…it’s amazing!!)
Oh gosh, I’m a HUGE fan of incorporating sweet (usually fruity) elements into savory dishes, so this is right up my alley! I’m pretty sure I’m going to be having dreams about those beautifully grilled pineapple slices. Pureed mac and cheese? Sounds strange, but then again, my dad once had his jaw wired shut for several weeks (after surgery) and had to drink a pureed Thanksgiving dinner through a straw…
Oh those pineapples, Mara. I seriously think they could be a side dish by themselves. In fact, I should do that next time I get the grill going! Oh gosh, a pureed Thanksgiving dinner? I mean, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do when it comes to Turkey Day…but I can’t imagine that one. Eek. 🙂
I love the ingredients in your aloha burger. I would never think of adding the pineapple to a burger, fantastic idea. Before you know it Robbie will be eating these burger with you.
Yes! I can’t believe how fast Robbie is growing…he’s like a little weed! He still eats pureed mac & cheese, but you’re right…soon enough I’ll have to make an extra burger for him! And yes to the teriyaki pineapple addition, Dawn…you won’t regret it!
I love pineapples but never thought of adding it in a burger. This sounds interesting. Great recipe and looks amazingly delicious. Thank you so much for sharing this!
My pleasure, Kushi! Pineapples make for one delicious topping on a burger…but make sure to marinate them in the teriyaki sauce, too. Oh man, those pineapples could be a side dish just by themselves! 🙂
That’s a tasty-looking combination, David. I know what you mean about sweet and savory, but pineapple seems to swing both ways.
Pineapple totally does bat for both teams. It can stand up in the top half of the inning and make an appearance on a burger. And then it can stand up again in the bottom half of the inning and make an appearance with dessert…perhaps grilled pound cake? Yum! Thanks, man!
One of the best things about travelling is trying new and delicious food and flavour combinations. I have not come across a salt foam margarita yet – sounds interesting! I am very much looking forward to the blueberry banana mac and cheese recipe, I think Robbie might be on to something 🙂 As soon as I saw that grilled pineapple on your burger I was drooling – you have a talent to come up with the best combinations ever! ♡
I am so jealous just looking at all of the yummy food you guys get to try in your travels, Miriam! But do keep an eye out for salt foam margaritas. I imagine they aren’t easy to find…in fact, it might have been a “one-off” kinda thing. That’s why Laura actually got me some soy lecithin so we could make some at home. (Soy lecithin is just a stabilizer so it helps create foam out of salt water.)
Anyhoo, I’m off to get to work on that blueberry banana mac & cheese…I don’t want to keep you waiting too long! 🙂
Wow that grilled pineapple looks so good! yum!
Thanks, Manali! I think that grilled pineapple could be a summer side dish all by itself! 🙂
Awesome post .. Keep it up !
Thank you!
wait, pureed mac and cheese? I guess starting the classic early in their youth!
Grilled pineapple to a burger?! I need to remember to do that! I mean, there’s a reason why Hawaiian pizzas are amazing.
Fun (stupid) fact- All these seasonal ‘burgers’ ‘sandwiches’ etc in Australia called the ‘Aussie burger’ etc- You know what makes them ‘Aussie’? A slice of beets from a can. Seriously.
Fun fact #2- Melbourne was voted the most livable city again 😀
Yeah man, pureed mac and cheese. They also have pureed turkey and sweet potatoes, too…just in case you want some good winter comfort food in drinkable form. Crazy!!
Wait…canned beets on a burger? Uh, no thank you. Are beets that popular in Aussie land? And #2 on the list, eh? Maybe I need to move there…and eat beets and Vegemite sandwiches. Haha!
I saw this burger on your Instagram page and it instantly made me happy! It looks so good! 🙂
Ah, thank you so much, Tamara! You are too kind. 🙂 Burgers are pretty much a sure-fire way to make me happy, too. Hah! I hope you are having a great weekend…go out and do something fun today!
Funny you mention Aloha as I just got back from the land of aloha. Got a little burned, (way intense sun than San Diego’s) but survived to tell the tale. I had a grilled ahi sandwich upon landing in Maui with a grilled pineapple and it was heaven, this sounds just as tasty!
Grilled ahi sandwich? That sounds incredible! That’s it…I’m packing my bags and heading to Hawaii today! 🙂