I got fed up with burger recipes that expected me to know a butcher, own a meat grinder and remortgage the house for a packet of fancy buns. This one uses ingredients you’ll find in almost any supermarket, costs a fraction of a pub burger and still leaves you wondering why you’d ever pay eighteen quid for one again.
A proper burger. No faff, no fancy ingredients and no apologies.
The Big Dirty Bastard.
Ingredients
- For the Burgers:
- 750g 5% beef mince
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Melted beef dripping for brushing
- For the Burger Glaze:
- 1 tbsp English mustard
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- A generous squirt of Frank’s RedHot
- Pinch smoked paprika
- Pinch ground cumin
- For the Burger Sauce:
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- A splash of whisky, bourbon or brandy
- Freshly ground black pepper
- To Build:
- 4 burger buns (Dixon’s if you can get them)
- 8 rashers smoked streaky bacon
- 8 slices burger cheese (or 4 burger cheese and 4 mature Cheddar)
- Sliced gherkins
- Pickled red onions
Method
- Divide the mince into four equal portions. Roll each portion gently into a ball before flattening into burgers slightly larger than your buns. Don’t overwork the meat. Pop them into the fridge while everything else is prepared.
- Mix the burger glaze ingredients together until smooth – English mustard, wholegrain mustard, Frank’s, smoked paprika and cumin.
- Mix the burger sauce ingredients together and leave in the fridge while you cook everything else – mayo, ketchup, English mustard, Worcestershire sauce, whisky/bourbon/brandy and black pepper.
- Fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon, but leave every drop of fat in the pan. You’ll need it later.
- Split the buns and place them under a hot grill, cut side up. Toast until the inside is golden and lightly crisp while the outside stays soft. Dip the toasted side into the bacon fat for 5-10 seconds. Trust me.
- Heat a dry griddle pan or cast-iron skillet until it’s smoking hot. Lightly brush both sides of each burger with melted beef dripping. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Lay the burgers onto the hot griddle and leave them alone for around 2 minutes. Flip. Brush the cooked side generously with the burger glaze. Cook for another 2 minutes. Flip once more. Brush the second side with more glaze. Don’t squash the burgers.
- Top each burger with the cheese. Add a splash of water to the pan. Cover with a lid or metal bowl for around 30 seconds until perfectly melted.
- Build: Bottom bun. A generous spoonful of burger sauce. Burger. Crispy bacon. Pickled red onions. Sliced gherkins. A final little spoonful of burger sauce. Top bun. Eat immediately.
Cush’s Notes: Forget artisan beef, brioche buns and ingredients you’ll buy once before they disappear into the back of the cupboard. This burger is built from ingredients you can pick up during a normal supermarket shop. The bacon fat gives the buns all the flavour they need. The splash of whisky won’t make the sauce taste alcoholic – it simply adds another layer of flavour. And remember… A burger develops its crust because you leave it alone. Every time you prod it with a spatula, you’re getting in its way. If this burger is running down your wrists and you’re already wondering how soon is too soon to have burgers again – you nailed it!