My best burger has been a life goal! My family did not use to have BBQs when I was a child but I remember going around my friends house. His family had a pool. We would spend hours there and I remember the Bbq’s being amazing! I remember the chicken for some reason in particular being really good, and the burgers were a life long inspiration!
Travelling forward to now, Im on a mission to make my perfect burger! Iv been around the world a little bit and I am definitely no expert on burgers, meat or cooking – as Im sure you know by know – but there are 2 burgers which really stand out in my memory…
When I went to New Zealand I went to a place called Fergburger in Queenstown, New Zealand. This was about 10 years ago now but that burger was amazing! It had lots of different components, it was big, juicy, really tasty, made a massive mess every time you ate it and I had one every day I was there. I was there for about a month, I picked one of the burgers – Ill try and remember which one – and had the same one every time I went in. Looking back I definitely should have tried others but this was their biggest burger and I wasn’t going smaller!
The other ‘best burger’ Iv had was at the River Cottage canteen in Devon. Now if you have read anything of mine you will know I am a massive Hugh fan and a massive River Cottage fan so I had to go there. They didn’t disappoint! The burger which I had didn’t have many components but the flavour was amazing! I think the quality of the meat was the main differential from anything iv had before. I remember the burger being rich, and tasty in a way that I had never really experienced before. I wish I had taken a photo or video but this blog was mere mind dust at that time.
This brings me to my ‘best burger’ – version 1 – because this is my best burger so far! It will get better. Iv obviously made burgers before…who hasn’t!?…but this is the first time I have thought about what I am actually doing and weather someone would actually enjoy it or not…
I cooked this burger on a very hot kettle bbq (in the rain, under an umbrella, not that that makes much difference here but this is england!) and used 50% beef and pork mince. It was regular, local superstore brought mince…like I say…my next burger will be better!
Its a very simple method – a very simple recipe – bear with me – Im learning…
Makes one burger…
Ingredients…
- 200g mince
- 2 slices American style cheese or cheese slices
- handful of shredded lettuce
- 2 or 3 rings of onion
- 1 pickle sliced
- One brioche bun
- 1 tbsp Mayonaise
- 1 tbsp Ketchup
Method…
Now I had my bbq screaming hot when I cooked this. This burger will only take a few mins to make if you are all prepped…
- Prepare your burger sauce by mixing together your mayo, ketchup and half your pickle chopped nice and small. Add a little bit of pickle juice if you can.
- Half your mince into 100g patties. Shape with your burger shaper. These are brilliant, I cant seem to make a descent burger without one! There is nothing to bind these burgers so shaper does the work and the final burger is quite delicate.
- Now take you burgers x 2, cheese slices x 2 and brioche buns to the bbq.
- Get your burgers on the hottest bit of the grill and season with salt and pepper. Leave for a couple of mins to get some colour and char…this is all flavour!
- Then flip your burgers…quick season…put a cheese slice on each burger. I would pop your brioche buns on a less intense part of the grill at this point. Close the lid and prepare to assemble.
- After a couple of mins your cheese will be melted and your buns slightly charred.
- Take you burger bun base, put a table spoon of burger sauce on it, then put both burgers in a stack, then your lettuce, onion rings and pickles and top with your sauce and remaining burger topper.
Enjoy!!!
