Epic Cheese and Bacon Beef Burger
Making your own restaurant style beef burger is easier than you think. Once you try this you'll never go back to store bought burgers again.
Ingredients
For the Beef Patty
For the Burger Filling
Method
Add the beef mince to a bowl along with the yolk of 1 egg and a good pinch of salt and pepper, and mix everything together with your hands until you have a large meatball.
Divide the meatball into 4 even pieces of a 1/4 lb (115 grams) each, roll into a ball, then press down with the palm of you hand to make the patty shape ) it should be around 1/2 inch thick). Place in the fridge until ready to use.
In a frying pan or griddle, add a little oil and fry your bacon until nice and crispy - the aim is to not just add flavour, but texture to the burger - once ready you can remove and place on a warm plate, or cover in foil to keep warm.
In the same frying pan, cook your onions until softened and caramelised and set aside, while you cook your burgers.
Heat a BBQ/grill (or the same pan you cooked the bacon in) to a high heat and add the beef patties. Season well with salt and pepper and allow to cook through for a few minutes, then turn over and add the cheese slices on top. Season again with salt and pepper and cook for a few more minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 70C/160F. Remove from the heat and cover with foil to rest while you construct your burger.
First start by toasting the buns. Brush the inside of each bun with a little olive oil and toast on the bbq/grill or in a frying pan/griddle until lightly browned. You may need to do this in batches.
Now its time to construct your burger! Place bottom of each bun on a plate and add a little tomato ketchup, followed by a leaf from the gem lettuce, and a slice of tomato, then top with the onions. Carefully place the burger patty on top of the onions, then add a little more ketchup, followed by two rashers of straky bacon and the halved 4 halves of cornichons if using) then add the top of the bun, and place a skewer through the centre of each complete burger to keep everything together. Serve on its own, with fries or a side of your choice.
Notes and Information
It's all in the seasoning!
As burgers are just ground beef with a little salt and pepper, the trick to getting a good flavour is to season well. For burgers I season the mixture, then season the burger when it goes onto the heat, then once again when I turn it over and add the cheese slices.
What are Conrnichons?
Cornichons are small pickled cucumbers, they may also be referred to as mini gherkins in the UK. They are usually around the size of a pinky finger and have a slightly sweeter, mellower flavour than their larger counterparts however, if you can't find them any pickled cucumber (or gherkin) will also work well, or you can leave them out completely if you prefer.
What type of cheese should I use for the burger?
I always think 'plastic cheese' works best on burgers, but you can go fancy and add Monterey jack, cheddar slices or even mozzarella, just as long as it's a melting cheese.
What can I use instead of brioche buns?
Brioche buns work well because the hold together well, but you can use any dense bun such as a traditional burger bun. However, I would avoid soft rolls as they will fall apart.
It's a big burger! How do I eat it?
If you're struggling to eat it and are happy to get a little messy then you can place a skewer through the centre to hold it together and press it down a little to compress the filling; remove the skewer before eating though. You might find it easier to handle if you cut in half. If all else fails you can do what my dad does and eat it with a knife and fork. 😂
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