Your summer backyard cookout gets a tropical touch with these jerk burgers. Juicy ground beef seasoned with bold jerk spice is topped with a sweet and spicy mango-habanero aioli and a caramelized grilled pineapple slice for the ultimate Jamaican-inspired burger. Fire up the grill and pour the rum punches - your guests are going to love these.

A jerk burger with a spoonful of mango-habanero aioli in front, sweet potatoes fries to the side, and a pineapple and beer in the back.

My happy place is the Caribbean, so I love bringing those bold flavors into my kitchen, especially jerk spice. Jerk chicken, jerk pork, jerk salsa - I can't get enough. So I've been dying to create a recipe that infuses that complex jerk flavor into burgers, one of my favorite summer staples.

Getting there took some experimenting, though. While I use a wet jerk marinade for chicken and pork, I found a dry seasoning worked much better for ground beef. It kept the mixture together better while still delivering on that jerk flavor.

Plus, it's even quicker and easier to use dry seasoning, and that always comes in handy when you have a summer party to host.

Ingredients

Ground beef: For the tastiest, juiciest burgers, opt for 80/20 ground beef instead of 90/10. That extra fat is a flavor-maker.

Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper: The scotch bonnet pepper is traditional for jerk, but it's hard to find. I only have it because we grow several plants every summer and freeze what we don't use. Habanero is a close cousin and widely available.

Dry jerk seasoning: You're welcome to use a store-bought dry jerk seasoning or use my own homemade blend, which includes dried thyme, salt, Chinese five-spice seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, allspice, ground cloves, and ginger.

Mango-habanero aioli: This gives it an extra fun tropical flair. I used my own homemade mango-habanero aioli, which is made from mayonnaise, mango chunks, habanero, fresh ginger, and lime juice.

Toppings: I love a grilled pineapple slice and even found a mango-habanero cheese to play up the aioli. Some lettuce and red onion are also perfect, but feel free to get creative here. Bacon and avocado, for instance, are always welcome additions.

How to Make Jerk Burgers

Step 1: We begin by stirring together the herbs and spices to make the dry jerk seasoning. Making a cohesive mixture first ensures we evenly season the meat.

The ground beef in a glass mixing bowl after it's been combined with the dry jerk seasoning.

Step 2: Now we sprinkle that jerk seasoning all over the ground beef and add a finely diced scotch bonnet or habanero pepper. We gently mix the beef to incorporate all the ingredients.

Step 3: With our meat seasoned, we're ready to shape the ground beef into patties. As the patties cook, they'll slightly shrink, so I recommend making them slightly larger than your burger buns.

A jerk burger patty after it's been shaped on a brown wooden cutting board before it goes on the grill.

Step 4: Our burgers are now ready for grilling. We place the jerk patties on a greased grill, cook, and then flip. In the last few minutes of grilling, we add any cheese and the pineapple slice if you're inclined.

A pineapple ring and burger covered in cheese on a black grill as they cook.

And with that quick trip to the grill, our jerk burgers are ready to load up on toppings and devour.

Internal Temperature Cooking Times

Doneness	Temperature	Approximate Total Cooking Time
Rare	125 degrees F	4 minutes
Medium rare	135 degrees F	5 minutes
Medium	145 degrees F	7 minutes
Medium well	155 degrees F	9 minutes
Well	160 degrees F	10 minutes

Note: The cooking times are for the total minutes spent on the grill. Make sure you flip the burger patties during the middle of the listed total cooking time.

Side Dish Suggestions

What's a good cookout without summer side dishes? Here are a few of my favorites - some lean into the tropical theme while others are classic cookout staples.

Amanda's Top Tips

Pat your pineapple slices dry before grilling: Moisture prevents caramelization. Two to three minutes per side over direct high heat is all you need for grill marks and that jammy, slightly sticky sweetness.

Don't press down on the burgers as they cook: Pressing the burgers squeezes out those wonderful juices and makes for a dry burger.

Toast the buns: Simply place the buns on the grill for 10-30 seconds, and you have perfectly toasted burger buns.

Perfect Pairing

When reaching for a wine, an off-dry riesling is a nice option. The off-dry variety shows off just a touch of sweetness to counter the heat from the peppers, but it's also plenty acidic to cut through the rich beef and creamy aioli. A grüner veltliner is also a favorite with its peppery notes and bright citrus.

For a beer, a wheat goes down smoothly, especially if it's brewed with a tropical fruit, like mango. It's not overly hoppy, so it won't clash with the spice, and any kind of fruit addition is a natural match to the mango aioli.

If you're a cocktail lover, my Barbados rum punch is a refreshing option. Not only does it play well with the Caribbean theme, but the dark rum comes with a molasses flavor that complements the allspice and cloves.

These jerk burgers have earned a permanent spot on my summer grill rotation, and I think they'll earn one on yours too. Don't forget the rum punch.

Cheers!

A hand grabbing a jerk burger off a brown wooden plate with sweet potato fries and mango aioli to the side.

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Jerk Burgers With Mango-Habanero Aioli