This burger combines ground beef with coarsely chopped Andouille sausage, which means you get smoky, garlicky pork flavor built right into every bite of the patty — not just layered on top. The homemade remoulade takes about five minutes and keeps in the fridge all week, which is the real reason to make this on a Sunday. Four patties, 45 minutes total, and you’re set up for fast meals through the week.
Ingredient notes
- Andouille sausage: Look for it near smoked sausages or at a butcher counter. It should already be fully smoked and seasoned. If you can’t find it, spicy smoked chorizo is the closest swap — reduce your Cajun seasoning by half since chorizo brings its own heavy spice load.
- Cajun seasoning: Store-bought blends vary wildly in salt content. Taste yours before adding it to the mix. If it’s very salty, start with two teaspoons instead of a full tablespoon.
- Cornichons: These are small, tart French pickles. Dill pickle chips, finely chopped, work fine. Bread-and-butter pickles will make the remoulade too sweet — avoid them here.
- 80% lean ground beef: The fat content matters. Leaner beef will dry out fast when it’s sharing the pan with already-lean sausage. Stick with 80/20.
Before you start
The one technique worth getting right is how you combine the sausage and beef. Chop the Andouille coarsely — small chunks, not a paste — so you get distinct pockets of sausage texture in the finished patty rather than a uniform blend that tastes like a single meat. Mix everything together just until the ingredients are distributed; overworking the mixture tightens the proteins and gives you a dense, rubbery patty. Stop as soon as you no longer see dry patches of seasoning. Also, make the remoulade first and let it sit in the fridge while you prep the patties — the flavors sharpen noticeably after even 20 minutes of resting.
Mistakes to avoid
- Skipping the internal temperature check: Because this patty is a beef-pork blend, it needs to hit 160°F (71°C) all the way through — not just look done on the outside. A cheap instant-read thermometer removes all guesswork.
- Making the patties the same thickness throughout: A flat, even patty puffs up in the center as it cooks and ends up dome-shaped. Press a shallow indent in the middle before it goes on the heat so it comes out flat and sits evenly on the bun.
- Adding the cheese too early: Put the cheddar on in the last 60 seconds with a lid or foil tent over the pan. Any longer and the cheese goes greasy and slides off instead of melting cleanly onto the patty.
- Assembling too far ahead: The remoulade is wet enough to sog through the bun bottom within about 10 minutes. If you’re prepping burgers for later in the week, store the components separately and assemble just before eating.
- Skipping the egg in the mix — it makes the patty mushy. The sausage fat and Worcestershire sauce provide enough moisture and binding. The egg pushes it over the edge into a texture that’s more meatloaf than burger.
Keeping and reheating
Cooked patties keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, making this a genuinely useful batch-cook recipe. Reheat them in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water — about 3 to 4 minutes per side — until they reach 160°F (71°C) again at the center. The microwave works in a pinch but dries them out. For longer storage, freeze cooked patties individually wrapped in plastic, then bagged, for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. The remoulade keeps refrigerated for up to 5 days in a sealed jar — make a full batch even if you’re only cooking two patties now.
Cajun Andouille Sausage Burger
Ingredients
Sausage Burger Patties
- 200 grams Andouille sausage coarsely chopped
- 400 grams ground beef 80% lean, freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning homemade or store-bought
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 large egg beaten
- 4 medium burger buns toasted
Toppings
- 4 slices cheddar cheese preferably aged
- 8 leaves butter lettuce washed and dried
- 1 large tomato sliced
- 1 medium red onion sliced into rings
Remoulade Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise full-fat for flavor
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 small shallot finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce to taste
- ¼ cup cornichons finely chopped
Instructions
- Start by preparing the remoulade sauce: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 finely chopped shallot, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, and 1/4 cup finely chopped cornichons. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a large mixing bowl, blend together 200 grams of coarsely chopped Andouille sausage, 400 grams of ground beef, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, and 1 beaten egg. Mix until just combined; do not overwork the meat.
- Form the mixture into 4 evenly sized patties. Ensure the center of each patty is slightly thinner than the edges for even cooking.
- Preheat a grill or stovetop pan to medium-high heat, approximately 190°C (375°F). Cook the patties for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until they reach an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F). In the last minute of cooking, place a slice of cheddar cheese on each patty to melt.
- Lightly toast the burger buns on the grill or in a pan until golden brown.
- To assemble: Spread a heaping tablespoon of remoulade sauce on the bottom bun. Place the cheesy patty on top, followed by butter lettuce, a slice of tomato, and red onion rings. Top with another dollop of remoulade sauce on the upper half of the bun and close the burger.
Notes
Nutrition
Your questions, answered
Can I make the patties ahead and refrigerate them raw overnight?
Yes, raw patties hold well in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking. Stack them with a sheet of parchment between each patty so they don’t stick together, and keep them covered.
How do I know when the patties are actually cooked through?
Use an instant-read thermometer and check the thickest part of the patty — you’re looking for 160°F (71°C) because this is a beef-pork blend. Color alone isn’t reliable; pork can stay pink even when fully cooked.
Can I cook these on a stovetop instead of a grill?
A cast-iron or heavy stainless skillet over medium-high heat works just as well. You won’t get grill marks, but the crust you get from a hot pan is actually better for locking in the fat from the sausage.
Is there a substitute for Dijon mustard in the remoulade?
Whole-grain mustard is the best swap — it keeps the sharpness and adds a bit of texture. Yellow mustard will work but makes the sauce noticeably milder and sweeter.
Can I freeze the uncooked patties?
Yes — freeze them on a baking sheet until solid, then wrap individually and bag them for up to 2 months. Thaw completely in the fridge before cooking, since cooking from frozen makes it hard to hit a safe internal temperature without burning the outside.
More burger recipes to try
- Five Guys Cajun Burger
- BBQ Cheeseburger Recipe
- Angus Bacon Guacamole Burger
- Wendy’s Bacon Jalapeño Burger