The ultimate beef burgers
- Published: 31 May 09
- Updated: 13 May 24
You can enjoy these ultimate beef burgers straight away or make and freeze them for sunny days when you want to fire up the barbecue.
Want to try something a little different? How about our lamb burgers with feta and harissa; they’re easy to make and ready in just 30 minutes.
Or, see all our burgers.
Before you start
Once you’ve built the burgers, wrapping them in foil and leaving them to rest for a minute or two will help amalgamate all the layers together, preventing fillings from slipping out.
Wait until your griddle pan is smoking hot – the majority of the flavour in a burger patty comes from the dark caramelisation of the exterior, so you want the heat to be as fierce as you can get it.
Avoid lean beef mince for burgers – you want a fat content of 20% to ensure they remain juicy after cooking.
Ingredients
- 1kg good-quality beef mince
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Small handful chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
- 1 large dill pickle gherkin, finely chopped
- 1 large free-range egg yolk
To serve
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 200g good melting cheese, such as cheddar, gruyère or taleggio, sliced
- 8 burger buns
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Avocado, tomato and red onion, sliced
- Lettuce leaves
Method
- Place all the ingredients for the burgers in a large bowl. Season and mix well. Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Using wet hands, shape the mixture into 8 burgers. If you want to cook them straight away skip to step 4.
- If you are freezing them; place flat between sheets of baking paper in a rigid freezerproof container. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, defrost the burgers completely in the fridge; this will take 3-4 hours.
- Heat a griddle pan or barbecue to hot. Brush both sides of the burgers with oil and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until well browned and cooked.
- Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium hot. Top each burger with a slice of cheese and grill for 2 minutes until bubbling. Toast the burger buns until lightly golden.
- Mix the mayonnaise with the mustard and spread over the base of each bun. Add some tomato, lettuce and avocado slices, then the burger, red onion slices and the other half of the bun.
- Serve with a small bowl of ketchup and fries, if you like.
- Recipe from June 2009 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 709kcals
- Fat
- 40g (14.4g saturated)
- Protein
- 43.5g
- Carbohydrates
- 45.8g (4.7g sugars)
- Salt
- 2.4g
Made from durable enamelled cast iron, this 26cm griddle is ideal for getting a great sear on veg and meat – whether cooking indoors on the hob or outside on the barbecue.
Price correct April 2024
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i love this recipe because its what we call a Proper burger,no calorie counting just pure deliciousness x
I love this recipe because it’s yummy and easy to cook on the BBQ or in the kitchen :)
I love this recipe because the family are barbecue burger buffs and this met all standards, so no worry about what to cook next time.
I love this recipe because it’s quick, easy and is a favourite with all the family and friends kids as well.