Beef burgers - learn to make

Beef burgers - learn to make

Learn how to make succulent beef burgers - just four steps and four ingredients

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 25 mins

Plus chilling time

Method

  1. Peel the onion, slice in half through the root and trim off the top. Place cutside down on a chopping board. With your knife parallel to the board, cut 3 slices through the onion, keeping the root intact. With the knife point at root end, cut down through the onion from top to bottom 4 times. Holding the root end, finely slice to give you small diced pieces. Tip the beef into a bowl with the onion and egg, then mix.
  2. Divide the mixture into four. Lightly wet your hands. Carefully roll the mixture into balls, each about the size of a tennis ball. Set in the palm of your hand and gently squeeze down to flatten into patties about 3cm thick. Make sure all the burgers are the same thickness so that they will cook evenly. Put on a plate, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to firm up for at least 30 mins.
  3. Heat the barbecue to medium hot (there will be white ash over the red hot coals - about 40 mins after lighting). Lightly brush 1 side of each burger with oil. Place the burgers, oil-side down, on the barbecue. Cook for 5 mins until the meat is lightly charred. Don't move them around or they may stick. Oil the other side, then turn over using tongs. Don't press down on the meat, as that will squeeze out the juices. Cook for 5 mins more for medium. If you like your burgers pink in the middle, cook 1 min less each side. For well done, cook 1 min more.
  4. Take the burgers off the barbecue. Leave to rest on a plate so that all the juices can settle inside. Slice each bun in half. Place, cut-side down, on the barbecue rack and toast for 1 min until they are lightly charred. Place a burger inside each bun, then top with your choice of accompaniment.
Try

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Recipe from Good Food magazine, July 2006.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 21-36

  • Binder photo GT

    30 April 2011

    GT commented on this recipe

    Do you not risk contamination by leaving it pink in the middle? Since the beef has been minced, it is not safe to allow any part of it to be undercooked so I thought. Still using the recipe though! :) Worcester sauce in the mix and some relish on the top in a ciabatta bun, mmm.

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  • Binder photo Hibbs

    29 May 2011

    Hibbs rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Very easy and held togethr well after chilling. After reading comments I added Worcester sauce and a little corriander.Tasty!

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  • Binder photo Lorraine

    17 July 2011

    Lorraine rated this recipe

    3 stars

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  • Binder photo KHolmes

    09 September 2011

    KHolmes rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo bjam1964

    29 October 2011

    bjam1964 rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    This recipe should be thought of as a basic, starter mix. To this you add your cookery skills to create the right balance of flavouring and seasoning. I added chopped parsley and Lea and Perrings sauce - turned out nice. I also used a George Foreman Grill to cook them - they held together extremely well despite using lean beef.

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  • Binder photo dan

    29 December 2011

    dan rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    very good and came out great, with a slight tweek i used 800g of mince 2 eggs and 1 oxo cube as my wife and kids don't like onion, left to chill for about two hours in fridge and the grilled . 1st time i'd ever done them and was so easy got the thumbs up off kids so will do again and again as they are far better than shop bought

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  • Binder photo Keen_Cook_Holly

    09 March 2012

    Keen_Cook_Holly commented on this recipe

    I will be making these tonight for a yummy Friday night treat! :)

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  • Binder photo Fabian

    16 March 2012

    Fabian commented on this recipe

    Excellent beyond measure!! What have the Supermarket/ Fast Food Chains been feeding us?????? I'd actually stopped eating burgers out until I decided to start making my own "after all how hard can it be"? Turned out it was relatively simple - Added some worcester sauce and a load of freshly ground green chilli in the mix and voila! They turned out to be the best burgers I've ever had! Left them in the fridge for about 2 hours but they never once gave me any trouble on the grill. Thanks to you Saturday has now officially become Burger Night!

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  • Binder photo jan

    11 May 2012

    jan commented on this recipe

    Mmmm i like to add plenty of garlic to mine put in the fridge over night then we have beautiful garlic burgers. :-)

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  • Binder photo mosaics

    26 October 2012

    mosaics commented on this recipe

    I haven't tried these but I would imagine they'd be bland as there isn't much in them to make them tasty. Don't buy lean mince as you need a bit of fat for the taste. When I make my own burgers I add sage & onion stuffing mix, breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp of mustard powder, salt & pepper, onions, dash of tomato or worcester sauce and 1 teaspoon of vegetable stock powder. I also use a little egg and flour to bind together. Think i'll try the BBQ marinade next time as well as or instead of the worcester sauce! I pan fry mine in a little oil. The burger press is brill!

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  • Binder photo rooferglasgow

    20 January 2013

    rooferglasgow rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I slightly altered the recipe by mixing a spoonful of plain flour in with the egg (on the advice of a friend who said it helps bind it all) but, it all turned out well & with this weeks scandal involving 29% horsemeat in some shop bought burgers, I've happily served mine to my sons.

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  • Binder photo Daydreamingfaerie

    21 January 2013

    Daydreamingfaerie commented on this recipe

    I didn't add anything extra to the original recipe, the kids absolutely loved them! However, will be adding a bit extra next time for the adults.

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  • Binder photo nat123

    28 February 2013

    nat123 commented on this recipe

    sorry bit of a novice in this but would it be possible to freeze these ?

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  • Binder photo missrhi

    16 March 2013

    missrhi rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really yummy recipe, I added a small green chilli to the ingredients but would add another next time & maybe reduce the amount of onion I put in too as my burgers could've been mistaken for onion bhaji's! (tasted good though) I left mine in the frigdge for just over an hour to bind after reading everyones comments & then cooked under the grill they stayed perfectly in shape! :) Great recipe, great for peace of mind after the horse meat scandal!

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  • Binder photo Emma83

    30 April 2013

    Emma83 rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    Waste of my time and effort. Fell apart even though they had been chilled. Now having onion mince for dinner instead of burgers :-(

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  • Binder photo Natalley101

    05 May 2013

    Natalley101 commented on this recipe

    I just prepared mine and I added half a chicken stock cube, some chilli flakes, a little paprika and garlic powder. Im leaving it overnight and preparing it tomorrow hope it turns out well! Will give it a rating tomorrow

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 25 mins

Plus chilling time

Simple family treat

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion
  • 500g good-quality beef mince
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 4 burger buns
  • All or any of the following to serve: sliced tomato , beetroot, horseradish sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, handful iceberg lettuce, rocket, watercress
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