It’s Burger Time!
This is an exciting post, it’s my first. It seems absolutely idyllic that I kick off with this recipe, one I have worked on slowly over time, and one, despite being asked, I have always kept secret.
Unlike many burger recipes, mine has a few ingredients and is a far cry from those that maintain that beef should be the only ingredient. I believe the extra ingredients (namely onion and garlic) give you more flavour. The addition of breadcrumbs stops the patty from becoming dense and having the consistency of a hockey puck – don’t skip them if you can avoid it.
Beef Burger Meat
The mince (ground beef) maketh-the-burger. Poor-quality beef will result in a poor-quality burger that isn’t that flavourful. A high-fat (20%) mince is critical. The extra fat helps hold the burger together but also adds so much flavour to your patty. If you can, get your beef from your butcher, but supermarket beef has good results, too.
How to Cook Burgers
Once you’ve mixed and pressed your burgers, I recommend they spend an hour or so (longer is fine) in the fridge to chill out. Burgers are one meat I don’t leave out of the fridge to rest before cooking, this helps them stay moist whilst they’re on the grill. The best way to cook these guys is your BBQ. If it’s the middle of winter, or if that’s not a goer, a heavy-based frying pan is an excellent second choice. A medium-high heat will ensure you get a nice crisp outside and a soft, fully cooked inside in around 10 minutes.
Burger Buns and Toppings
The world’s your oyster here. Lettuce, tomato, onion are all good choices. My favourite options are: rocket (arugula) – patty – mozzarella cheese – red onion (pictured above)
If a cheeseburger is your calling, you’ll want cheese which has some melting ability, these are all great in a burger:
- American
- Emmental
- Gouda
- Cheddar
- Mozzarella
- Monterey Jack
Burger Sides
Thin-cut fries. Are there really other options?
My Best Homemade Burger
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 Burger Press ...or use your hands!
Ingredients
- 500 g Beef mince (20% fat)
- 3 Small slices of bread (50g when processed)
- 1 White onion
- 2 Garlic cloves (more is more!)
- 1 Red Chilli
- 1 pinch Mustard powder
- 1 tsp Mild chilli powder
- 0.5 Egg quickly whisked
- Parsley finely chopped
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Take the beef mince and break up into a large bowl.
- Cut off the crusts from the bread. Add to the food processor and blitz them, until you have fine breadcrumbs. Tip into the bowl.
- Peel and roughly cut up the onion. Peel and finely cut up (or mince) the garlic and add both to the food processor. Pulse the food processor until the onion is finely chopped, but not so much that it is starting to resemble a paste. Tip out the contents into the bowl with the other ingredients.
- Finely chop the chilli. If using a smaller food processor, you might be able to chop this up successfully in it, too! Add to the bowl with the mustard and chilli powders.
- Add a little of the egg to the bowl. The egg helps stick everything together and ensures your burgers don't fall apart on the grill or in the pan. You might find you need more or less, so it's always best to start of with a little and add more as you need it.
- Add in the chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
- Mix it all together - I suggest using your hands and squishing everything together to get it mixed well.
- Once mixed, taste! Heat a small frying pan. Take a small amount of the mixture and add it to the pan and cook. Let your mini burger bite cool a little and check for seasoning. This is also a great time to add more egg, if you feel the mixture isn't holding well together. Repeat until you're happy with the taste. I do this every time I make burgers.
- Once you have a finished mix, divide into about six good-sized burgers and mould with your hands. I prefer to use a burger press to do this, as they all come out the same size and the burger press has the added advantage of squashing all patty together, giving it even more chance of holding together on the grill.
Nutrition
