We tend to like big 'n' beefy burgers in our household - they may not appeal to all, or be the dictionary definition of a burger, but here is how we do them:
- - minced beef from our local butchers which is not too lean i.e. it has fat to add flavour but not too much to make cooking them on a BBQ a pain;
- chop an onion & some garlic finely to add some texture & flavour;
- the important bit: fry off the onion & garlic & let it cool. We tried doing it without cooking this first & didn't like the texture or taste without this step;
- mix, by hand, the cooled garlic & onion with the beef & add salt & pepper to taste;
- form into thick burgers (see piccy below) & leave in the fridge for a few hours or more.
You could of course add all sorts of herbs, dry & wet flavourings as a variation on these, but given this is a 'basic' recipe this forms the base for any experimentation. My wife sometimes adds a little chilli powder, paprika or wholegrain mustard for a subtle change. You can also put some cheese in the center of the burger at this stage if you like that horrible stuff
Often my wife grates some apple and / or carrot into them as well if doing them for the children - but actually quite like them myself as it adds a little sweetness.Because we make them pretty thick, cooking them requires more time at a slightly lower heat on the BBQ to ensure they get cooked all the way through but not too crispy on the outside - between 20-30 minutes at around 300F, flipped once or twice in the process & then left to rest for 10 minutes at the end.
Some pictures:
I like homemade burgers lamb and mint is my fave.
