The ultimate homemade burger
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Makes 1 large burger
- Dietary
- Nut-freePregnancy-friendly
This ultimate burger recipe is simple and deluxe – you'll never make a homemade burger the same way again! Well-seasoned, high quality beef, fresh, crisp toppings and a cracking special sauce will outshine any fast food version.
By Ellis Barrie
Ingredients
- 225g–250g/8–9oz beef mince, 15% fat
- 1 level tsp salt
- ground black pepper
- 1 brioche burger bun (cut side toasted)
For the burger sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 gherkin, finely chopped
- ½ small red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped dill
To serve (optional toppings)
- 2 slices smoked streaky bacon, cooked
- 1 slice mature cheddar
- Little Gem lettuce
- 1 slice beef tomato
Method
Tip the mince into a large bowl and break up with a fork. Add the salt and massage with your hands until the mixture is soft and the salt is well incorporated. Cover and leave to stand at room temperature for 25 minutes.
For the sauce, mix all the ingredients together. Set aside.
Divide the mince mixture into two equal portions and pat into two thin burgers approximately 12cm/4½in diameter. Use a small bowl or saucer as a guide if you want them to be really neat.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add the burgers and cook for a minute on each side or until browned and cooked through (the burgers are quite thin so there should be no trace of pink).
Serve the burgers and sauce in the toasted bun with the toppings of your choice.
Recipe tips
Use the best mince you can buy and season it well. You need some fat for flavour, so 15% fat mince is ideal (very low-fat mince can be a bit dry and lacking in flavour). It’s important that the meat is room temperature before cooking as it will cook more evenly and make for a more tender burger.
When cooking, don't be tempted to turn the burgers too soon. It's best to let them sit undisturbed in the pan until a crust forms, which will make them much easier to turn as well as adding flavour.
If making cheeseburgers, put the cooked beef patties topped with cheese on a baking tray or grill pan. Grill until the cheese is melted then build your burger. You can also toast your burger buns at the same time, but be aware that brioche buns toast very quickly so keep an eye on them to ensure they don't burn.
