Ingredients (serves 4)
- 500 g lean beef mince
- 4 hamburger rolls
- 1 packet bacon (diced)
- 120 g Cheddar cheese (grated)
- 1 medium-sized onion (grated)
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- butter or olive oil
- lettuce
- 2 tomatoes (sliced)
- 2 gherkins (sliced)
- 2 tots mayonnaise (creamy)
Method
- Fry the bacon in a pan on your fire or on a stove. Let it cool down.
- Now add all of the ingredients for the patties to a bowl. That means the fried bacon bits, beef mince, Cheddar cheese, grated onion, paprika, herbs, cumin and pepper. Thoroughly mix everything together, aiming for an even distribution.
- Convert the spiced minced mixture into four equally sized patties. These patties will be slightly more fragile than the 100% pure-beef mince patties we make in most other recipes in this book but will still bind perfectly fine without the need for impurities like breadcrumbs or eggs. Your two recently washed hands are entirely capable of forming patties from mince but a patty press makes the job even easier.
- Braai the patties in a grid over very hot coals. Aim for 8 minutes’ braai time in total, only turning once. To avoid the patties getting stuck to the grid, you can use a combination of the following tactics: Use a grid with thicker rods; spray the grid with non-stick spray; gently lay the patties onto the grid so that you’re not squeezing them into the grid; braai over very hot coals so that the patties seal before sinking into the grid; move the patties slightly with your braai tongs or spatula just as they start to braai and seal, so that ever-so-slightly braaied meat (as opposed to completely raw meat) touches the grid. As the meat cooks, it naturally starts loosening from the grid. Now, only turn the patties once and do that gently.
- Butter or oil the sliced rolls and toast on the grid, taking care not to over-toast (burn) them.
- Assemble the burger: Roll, lettuce, tomato, patty, gherkins, mayonnaise, roll.
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