1 The Pickles
We have done a podcast on bread and butter pickle, and you can find the recipe here: http://www.kitchennewbie.com/bread-and-butter-pickles/
But this time I am just making enough for today. The principle is the same, you just judge the numbers accordingly.
Try adding onion to the cucumbers, or peppers, a bit of heat – it’s up to you.
Another wonderful ingredient is thinly sliced tomato with sumac sprinkled on the top.
2 The sauces
For me a burger isn’t a burger without mustard, but on our burger we are going to add some homemade BBQ sauce. It is easy to make:
A good dollop of tomato ketchup
Half the amount of Apple Cider Vinegar
A splash of white vinegar
A little salt and a teaspoon of sugar
Mix it up and taste – you can add flavours to it: garlic, pepper, paprika, the world is your BBQ oyster.
3 The onions
Go to town getting these neat and cooked correctly. Cut one onion fine and another into rings. Cook in a little oil with a generous knob of butter and then cook them slowly. When the fine onions are changing colour, add the rings and simply leave them, don’t mess with them except to add a pinch of salt, and when the rings are turning and the fine ones are browning, take them off the heat and set aside to warm up in the oven later.
4 Mushrooms
Yep! Mushrooms, portabello mushrooms, fried in butter – but start them five minutes before they are needed and they will be just perfect.
5 The burger
500 g minced beef steak
75 g breadcrumbs to absorb the cooking juices
1 tablespoon of chopped mint
A good splash of tabasco
A teaspoon of garlic granules (better than chopped ones!)
Mix all together and pop into the fridge (always keep your meat cool!)
Grill them for about 12 – 15 minutes, turn over once and grill the other side for 8 – 10 minutes. Don’t have raw uncooked mince – steak maybe, but there should be no rare burgers. (No I’m not being a wimp, it is serious stuff, this.)
Check the temperature of the burger, they should be 75C, 155 F
6 Cheese
Two cheeses, one of which should be American cheese, one for the centre of the burger, American for the top.
7 Bacon
You want fatty bacon that has been grilled to within an inch of it’s life , crispy and flat, just the way Americans love it.
8 Steak
A great steak, topside or fillet, really cooked how you like it; in butter and you can add any other flavours you like! You should start the mushrooms about 3 – 5 minutes before the steaks.
9 Making the monster
Layer it up! Pop everything in the oven if they need warming, and then toast your buns.
A little lettuce on the bottom topped with BBQ sauce.
The pate burger on the top of this, then cheese, then bacon and a few slices of bread and butter pickle
Maybe a little Mayo if you like on the top of that, then the steak, topped with onions and mushroom, and finally American cheese and mustard.
You need a towel to mop up anything that falls out!!!
gourmet burger