Description
Learn how to make classic beef burgers with juicy homemade patties grilled to perfection on a barbecue. This recipe includes detailed instructions for preparing the beef mixture with fresh onions and egg, forming uniform patties, and cooking them on a medium-hot barbecue for ideal doneness. Serve with your favorite fresh toppings and toasted buns for a delicious, satisfying burger experience.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Burger Patties
- 1 small onion
- 500g good-quality beef mince
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing
To Serve
- 4 burger buns
- Sliced tomato (optional)
- Beetroot slices (optional)
- Horseradish sauce (optional)
- Mayonnaise (optional)
- Ketchup (optional)
- Handful iceberg lettuce (optional)
- Rocket (optional)
- Watercress (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the Onion: Peel the onion and slice it in half through the root, trimming off the top. Place the cut side down on a chopping board. Keeping your knife parallel to the board, make 3 slices through the onion while keeping the root intact. Then, position the knife pointing at the root end and cut down through the onion from top to bottom 4 times. Holding the root end, finely slice across to dice the onion into small pieces.
- Mix the Burger Meat: Transfer the diced onion to a mixing bowl. Add the beef mince and egg to the bowl. Mix all ingredients thoroughly by hand or with a spoon until well combined.
- Form Patties: Divide the mixture evenly into four portions. Lightly wet your hands with water and roll each portion into a ball roughly the size of a tennis ball. Place each ball in the palm of your hand and gently press down to flatten into a patty approximately 3cm thick. Ensure all patties are the same thickness for even cooking.
- Chill the Patties: Arrange the patties on a plate, cover them with cling film, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow them to firm up and hold their shape better during cooking.
- Preheat the Barbecue: Light your barbecue and allow it to reach medium-hot heat, indicated by white ash covering the red-hot coals, usually about 40 minutes after lighting.
- Cook the Patties: Lightly brush one side of each patty with vegetable oil. Place the patties oil-side down onto the barbecue grill. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes until the meat is lightly charred. Brush oil on the uncooked side, then carefully flip the patties using tongs, avoiding pressing them down to retain their juices. Cook for another 5 minutes for medium doneness; reduce cooking time by 1 minute per side for pinker burgers or increase by 1 minute per side for well-done burgers.
- Rest the Burgers: Remove the cooked patties from the barbecue and place them on a plate to rest, allowing the juices to redistribute inside the meat.
- Toast the Buns: Slice each burger bun in half. Place the halves cut-side down on the barbecue rack and toast for about 1 minute until lightly charred.
- Assemble and Serve: Insert a rested burger patty into each toasted bun. Add your choice of accompaniments such as sliced tomato, beetroot, horseradish sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, and greens like iceberg lettuce, rocket, or watercress. Serve immediately and enjoy your homemade barbecue beef burgers.
Notes
- To achieve even cooking, ensure all burger patties are uniform in thickness.
- Wet your hands to prevent the burger mixture from sticking while shaping the patties.
- Resting the burgers after cooking helps keep them juicy and flavorful.
- Adjust the cooking times based on your preferred burger doneness.
- Feel free to customize your burger toppings to suit your taste.
- If you don’t have a barbecue, you can cook the patties on a stovetop grill pan or skillet for similar results.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: beef burgers, barbecue burgers, grilled burgers, homemade beef patties, classic burgers
