Is This The Best Grilled Hamburger Recipe?

I have to start by lambasting my fellow British nationals for not having moved the barbecue grill on in the last 30 years. It's still the case that whenever I go to a barbecue party in the UK that the first thing I see is a packet of supermarket burgers and not only that, the worst quality too!



You may think I'm joking but when it comes to grilling, us Brits are still in a time warp – if you could compare us to an appetizer it would be prawn cocktail.......with avocado! Sausages and burgers, that's all we can do but we can't even make our own burgers either!



What's so difficult about getting a handful of ground beef, forming it into a pattie and slapping it on the grill! Maybe folks don't have the confidence that the burger isn't as well shaped as the ones you get down the supermarket? Well it's time to change because for sure, a home made pattie will be so much better quality than anything bought in the supermarket.



Once you've mastered the art squashing a bit of ground beef into shape it's than all about adding additional flavors and this (for me anyway) is where the fun starts. Bacon and mushrooms with an added zing from some mushroom ketchup is one of my favorites and then there's the good ole chili burger – still as good as ever but maybe now a little passé?



I've tried out all sorts but one that still always manages to find it's way to the fore is a mix that I basically made by a stroke of luck.



It was my daughter's birthday and I asked her what she wanted for her Birthday meal and I was stunned when the answer came back "steak tartare!" not only was I shocked because my daughter was only 12 at the time but it also filled me a little with apprehension because the steak is served absolutely raw.



I went to see my local butcher and he assured me that provided the steak was well hung, good quality and freshly ground then there was no need for me to worry and it would be safer (if not more so) than chancing my arm with one of those supermarket economy burgers that I mentioned earlier.



The mix that I used to make the steak tartare was as follows:-

• 500g of top notch rump freshly ground
  
  
• One white onion peeled and finely chopped
  
  
• 1 tablespoon pickled capers, chopped.
  
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
  
• 1 raw egg
  
  
• Half a tablespoon of chopped pickled gherkins
  
  
  
• A good few shakes of Worcestershire and Tabasco
  
  
• A generous lug of Cognac

All you do is throw it all into a mixing bowl and once mixed, serve it up with some French fries. (I like to make quennelles rather than just dolloping a load on the plate.



Anyway, it went down well but we had some left over. What could you do with a mix like that other than make burgers?.......and great burgers they were too. Even today, I miss out the steak tartare phase and just go straight for the burger, a dollop of ketchup or mayo to complement and what is it about meat with a bit of pickle in it that taste so great?

About The Author



Paul Yates writes grilled burger recipes including a tartare grilled hamburger recipe and a Mexican grilled turkey burger.