Beef Burgers

This is my go-to recipe for a classic burger. Best steak mince is combined with shallot, rosemary, thyme and Dijon to create a rich and satisfying burger which is great cooked on the grill.

Best served with browned onion, lettuce, dill pickles and spiced mayo on a brioche bun.

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Beef Burgers
Serves 4

Ingredients:

750g Minced Beef (85% Lean), 2 Banana Shallots (Finely Diced), Small Handful Thyme Leaves, 1 Rosemary Sprig (Leaves Finely Chopped), 2tbsp Breadcrumbs, 1 Egg White, 1tsp Sea Salt, 1tsp Cracked Black Pepper, 1tsp Worcestershire Sauce, 1tbsp Dijon Mustard, 1tbsp Tomato Ketchup

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Method:

1) Sauté the shallot with the thyme and rosemary in a little oil over a medium heat until soft and lightly coloured – around 8 minutes. Allow to cool.

2) Combine the minced beef with all other ingredients (including the shallot mixture) in a large bowl and mix well until all ingredients are fully incorporated.

3) Shape the mixture into equal burgers and transfer to the fridge to set for at least an hour.

4) Place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a little neutral oil. Fry the burgers for around 4 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking.

5) Serve on a brioche bun with some lettuce, pickles, onion and spiced mayo.

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Enjoy!

Rump and Bone Marrow Burger

The ultimate beef burger! Minced rump steak and diced bone marrow strikes the perfect balance of lean to fat and delivers a great smack of rich beef flavour.

Best served with homemade Dijonnaise on a fresh brioche bun.

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Rump and Bone Marrow Burger
Serves 4-6

Ingredients: 1kg Minced Beef Rump (Twice Minced), 85g Bone Marrow (Finely Diced), 2 1/2tsp Sea Salt, Cracked Black Pepper

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Method:

1) Combine the minced rump with the bone marrow and sea salt. Gently fold the ingredients together with your hands being careful not to overwork.

2) Divide the mixture into 4 large or 6 small portions and gently press into patties.

3) Season each burger with cracked black pepper and grill in a grill pan or frying pan over a high heat for around 4 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking – ensuring a good crust is achieved. Once cooked remove from the pan and set aside to rest for a few minutes. You can then fry your brioche buns in the burger fat for a minute or so.

4) Serve the burgers on brioche buns with lettuce, sliced onion, tomato and homemade Dijonnaise.

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Enjoy!

Chipotle Pork Burgers

A very simple combination of chipotle and ginger makes for a delicious burger packed with flavour!

Great served with a simple salsa and melted smoked cheese.

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Chipotle Pork Burger
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Burgers: 800g Minced Pork (80% Lean), 2-3″ Fresh Ginger (Grated), 1tsp Chipotle Powder, 1tsp Sea Salt, Zest 3 Limes, 75g Fresh Breadcrumbs, 8 Slices Smoked Cheese (Trimmed to Burger Size)

For the Salsa: 4″ Cucumber (Seeded and Finely Diced), 1 Red Chilli (Finely Chopped), 1/2 Red Pepper (Finely Diced), Juice 1 Lime, Sea Salt

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Method:

1) Prepare the burgers by combining all of the burger ingredients (excluding the cheese) in a large bowl. Mix well with your hands until fully combined. Shape the meat into 8 equal patties – thin and wide. Store in the fridge until ready to cook.

2) For the salsa, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix to fully combine. Season to taste with sea salt and set aside.

3) Place a griddle pan over a high heat and add a little oil. Sear the burgers for around 5 minutes each side or until fully cooked. Place a slice of smoked cheese on top of each burger and cover the griddle pan. Steam for 1-2 minutes until the cheese has melted.

4) Serve the burgers on fresh buns with the salsa.

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Enjoy!

Falafel Burger

A delicious vegetarian burger and also great as part of a picnic – these heavily spiced falafel burgers are great served with a yogurt and cucumber dip and some tomato and chilli relish.

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Falafel Burger
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Cans Chickpeas (Drained and Rinsed), 2 Shallots (Chopped), 1 Garlic Clove (Chopped), Large Handful Parsley and Coriander (Chopped), 2tbsp Plain Flour (Gluten Free If Required), 1 1/2 tbsp Chilli Powder, 1 1/2 tbsp Ground Coriander, 1 tbsp Ground Cumin, 1tsp Ground Turmeric, 1 Red Chilli (Chopped), 1 Egg Yolk, 2tsp Sea Salt, Vegetable Oil

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Method:

1) Place all of the ingredients (except the vegetable oil) in a food processor. Blitz to a semi-fine mixture. Remove and shape into patties around the size of a hockey puck. Transfer the patties to the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.

2) Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan well. Fry the patties for 4 minutes each side or until piping hot in the centre.

3) Best served on pita bread with a cucumber raita and chilli relish.

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Enjoy!

Bombay Chicken Burgers, Curry Mayo

This is a cracking burger recipe – super light and moist chicken patties packed full of Indian spice, topped off with some sweet and aromatic curry mayonnaise!

Ask your butcher to freshly mince a blend of chicken thighs and breast and you’ll have no reason to fear dry chicken burgers! I used 1 chicken breast and 4 boneless thighs for this recipe.

Best served simply with some shredded iceberg and sweet brioche buns.

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Bombay Chicken Burgers, Curry Mayo
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Burgers: 650g Minced Chicken Breast and Thigh, 3tbsp Breadcrumbs (Gluten Free if Required), 3tsp Medium Curry Powder, 2tsp Ground Ginger, 1tsp Ground Cumin, 1tsp Cayenne Pepper, 1tsp Hot Sauce, 6 Spring Onions (Finely Diced), Large Handful Chopped Coriander, 1tsp Salt

For the Mayo: 3tbsp Mayonnaise, 3tbsp Natural Yogurt, 2tsp Medium Curry Powder, 1tsp Ground Cumin, 1tbsp Tomato Ketchup

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Method:

1) Combine the minced chicken with the other burger ingredients in a large bowl and gently fold until fully combined. Divide the mixture into 6-8 equal patties and form into burgers with your hands. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

2) Make the mayo by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stirring well to combine. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

3) Cook the burgers over a medium heat in a large non-stick frying pan in a little olive oil. They will take around 5 minutes each side – be sure they are fully cooked before serving.

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Enjoy!

Caribbean Pork Burgers

These spicy pork burgers are the perfect recipe to usher in the summer sunshine! A good dash of cayenne pepper, allspice and cinnamon gives these burgers a delicious jerk flavour. Ask your butcher to mince whole cuts of pork shoulder as this contains the perfect fat content to ensure your burgers taste super juicy.

Best served with a cooling mango salsa and sweet potato fries, these burgers would be great on a BBQ (weather permitting) or as a midweek supper.

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Caribbean Pork Burgers
Makes 4

Ingredients:
600g Minced Pork Shoulder
1 Tsp Ground Allspice
1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg
1/2 – 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper (To Taste)
Zest 1 Lime
Large Handful Chopped Coriander
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

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Method:
1) Combine the minced pork with the allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, lime zest and coriander in a large bowl. Season with a good amount of sea salt and black pepper to taste. Mix with your hands to fully combine all of the ingredients.

2) Shape the meat into 4 equal burgers – carefully pressing out to form patties which are around 1/2 inch thick.

3) Heat a large, non stick frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the burgers in a little olive oil for around 6-8 minutes each side or until fully cooked.

4) Serve with the accompaniments of your choice.

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Enjoy!

Rump Steak Burgers

 
A great beef burger is a thing of beauty – yet it is very difficult to get right. There are countless burger blends which all promise to make the best burger. For the sake of simplicity and cost it is all too easy to dispense with these blends and use standard ground or minced beef.

However, using pure minced beef rump makes a truly delicious burger and is incredibly simple – requiring no weighing and blending of different minced cuts. Not only does rump have great depth of flavour, it contains the perfect fat content to make your burgers super juicy. Ask your butcher to mince whole cuts of untrimmed rump (including the back fat) and the results will impress.

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Rump Steak Burgers
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1kg Minced Rump
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Olive Oil

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Method:

1) Pat the meat out on a large chopping board. Season generously with sea salt (to taste). Gently fold the minced rump to incorporate the salt, being careful not to over handle or compress.

2) Shape the mince into large burgers, around 6-8oz in weight – don’t press the burger into shape as this will destroy its texture.

3) Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Add a good splash of olive oil and cook the burgers for around 5 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking.

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Enjoy!

Spiced Lamb Burgers

 

Who doesn’t love a great burger? Although I’m normally a purist – favouring a blend of beef rump and chuck, I love lamb burgers. Beef is best left unadulterated, but lamb allows you to get creative with the spicing and can handle a myriad of accompaniments.

Get your butcher to mince lamb shoulder for you – it has the perfect fat content of 20-25% which will make your burgers deliciously juicy and tender. It is also best to have the meat minced only once.

This is my recipe for the best spiced lamb burgers – not too hot so it can be paired with a very spicy apricot and habanero sauce.

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Spiced Lamb Burgers
Makes 6

Ingredients:

750g Minced Lamb Shoulder
2 Birds Eye Chillies
4 Tbsp Chopped Coriander
2 Garlic Cloves Minced
2 Tsp Sea Salt
1 Tsp Cracked Black Pepper
1 1/2 Tsp Paprika
1 1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 Tsp Garam Masala

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Method:

1) Mix all ingredients except the lamb in a large bowl. Add the lamb and mix with your hands to combine – scrunching the ingredients together.

2) Form into even patties. Transfer to the fridge until needed. Allow the burgers to come to room temperature before frying.

3) Fry the burgers in a large pan over a high heat for around 4 minutes each side or until just cooked.

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Enjoy!