Barbecue Hamburger Recipe - A Tasty Burger That's Really Simple To Make

There's lots of burger recipes floating around, but I always think that the best burger recipe is the simplest one. Since this recipe allows you to make them from fresh, they taste great too.

Hamburgers are usually associated with summer barbecues, but I think anytime is a good time for a bbq hamburger! Sometimes I'll make them for a simple Sunday night dinner.

Note that this is a beef burger recipe, but you can easily substitute whatever meat you like. The quantities are enough to make 12 patties, but they're easy to freeze - see the end of the recipe to find out how.

Like meatloaf this can get a bit messy, so before starting make sure you remove any expensive jewellery and wash your hands thoroughly.

The ingredients you'll need are:

• 1 kilogram / 2 pounds of beef mince
• 2 onions
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of pepper
• Fresh hamburger buns

• A large mixing bowl (fairly deep is best)
• A sharp kitchen knife
• A cheese grater
• A large cutting board

Preparation

Break the mince up (if it isn't already) and put it into the mixing bowl.

Next, peel the onions and cut them in half. Using the grater, grate the onions nice and finely into the mixing bowl.

Add the breadcrumbs to the bowl along with a little salt and pepper to taste, and use your hands to mix the crumbs, onion and mince together really well.

Grab a small handful of mixture and roll it into a ball. Place it on to the cutting board. Repeat until all the mixture has been used (as I mentioned, this barbecue hamburger recipe should make about 12 balls, depending on size).

Roll each ball out until it's about a centimetre / ½ an inch thick (or wide enough to fit on a hamburger bun). You can use a rolling pin but I prefer use my palm to flatten them down. The patties can sometimes stick to the rolling pin and break apart.

Cooking and Serving

Hamburger patties can be cooked in a variety of ways: pan fried, broiled or grilled on a barbecue. Whichever way you choose, the cooking technique is pretty much the same. Simply place the patties on a hot grill (or under a broiler) and cook for a few minutes each side, turning once. Don't overcook them otherwise they'll dry out and crumble.

To flip the burgers, a good utensil to use is a wide, flat spatula. Gently ease the spatula under each patty and turn over gently. I often use something like a wooden spoon as well on the top of the patty just to make it a bit easier.

While the patties are cooking, prepare the buns. I think a toasted bun makes a hamburger taste much better, and it also prevents it from getting too soggy from the meat juices. If you have an oven griller, just cut the buns in half lengthways, and toast the insides until brown.

When it comes to other burger fillings, I like to keep it simple. I just put some washed lettuce, tomato and ketchup on mine, but feel free to put whatever you like on yours!

Sometimes I'll add a cheese slice, though. A good way to do this is to put the slice directly on the hamburger patty while it's still on the griller (after you've turned it, of course!) for the last minute or so. This way to cheese starts to melt into the meat - delicious!

You could also have onions with your burger. I'll usually grill some onions alongside the hamburger patties.

Freezing Patties

A great thing about this barbecue hamburger recipe is that you can make a batch of hamburger patties at once, and then freeze them until you want them.

To do this, place a piece of greaseproof paper between each patty, and stack them up. Put another piece of paper over the top and bottom, place in a freezer bag, and then put into the freezer. They should store for about 6-9 months.

A good tip is to split them up into batches of, say, 2 patties per freezer bag. That way you can just grab a couple each time rather than having to separate them from the rest.

There you have it - a really simple barbecue hamburger recipe that I'm sure you'll use again and again!

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