Beef burgers: how to do-it-yourself

By Terry Farris

Forget those greying slabs of fatty gristle that pass for burgers at fast food joints. Once you've sunk your teeth into a fat, juicy, spicy, homemade version, you'll never order another, says Terry Farris. And if the sun shines, you could even get out the barbecue

Take a break from fast-food burger chains and make your own. The sky's the limit when it comes to the different ingredients you can add to make a truly personalised burger. Purists may like to mince the beef themselves, but you will need a special mincing machine - chopping it finely won't produce quite the same texture. Most supermarkets and butchers offer mince with varying percentages of fat. While a certain amount of fat is desirable for taste and texture, minced 'steak' or 'lean mince' produces a firm, well-flavoured burger that browns well and won't shrink in cooking. Whether you grill, fry or barbecue, your homemade creation will win out over the burger bar every time.

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Classic Barbecue Burgers with Oven Potato Wedges

These can also be cooked on a barbecue or in a frying pan, but watch carefully as the sauce can catch and burn easily.

Serves 4

600g lean minced beef
1 onion, finely chopped
100ml (about 6 1/2 tbsp) bottled barbecue sauce
freshly ground black pepper
4 burger buns
sliced gherkins and iceberg lettuce

For the Oven Potato Wedges

4 medium baking or roasting potatoes
2 tbsp light oil (vegetable or sunflower)
salt and pepper
barbecue sauce or tomato ketchup for serving

Place the mince, onion, barbecue sauce and pepper in a large bowl and mix well - the best way to do this is with your hands. Shape into 4 round burgers and chill in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up. For the potato wedges, preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Cut the potatoes lengthways into quarters, leaving the skin on. Brush with oil and lay on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden. To cook the burgers, preheat the grill to medium and place on a baking sheet or rack. Grill for about 7-8 minutes each side or until the meat is cooked. Quickly toast the buns under the grill, making sure they don't burn. Serve the burgers with gherkins and lettuce with the potato wedges and extra barbecue sauce or ketchup on the side.

acorry (not verified) replied 31 weeks 2 days ago

Just made these burgers. Don't make the same mistake I did. Avoid this recipe, there is nothing to bind the burgers together so even with 2 hours in the fridge they fell apart on the BBQ. Done the 2nd batch under the grill they fell apart as well. So I'd say add an egg in to bind everything together.

Anonymous replied 1 year 5 weeks ago

Unfortuneately, not true. We all make our own curries, our own home made pizza, and our own burgers, amongst many other home made dishes trying to emulate the burger bar, take away dish. The reality is, they are never as good, they are definitely more healthy though, but they just never taste as good.