Burgundy Burger

In celebration of International Pinot Noir Day on 18 August 2024, why not try this delicious Burgundy Burger?

what you need

500 g lean beef mince (or 4 high-quality hamburger patties)
4 hamburger rolls
olive oil
3 onions (sliced)
2 tots Pinot Noir
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 tot butter
2 tots Dijon mustard
2 tots wholegrain
mustard
½ cup mayonnaise (creamy style)
1 whole round (about 125 g) Camembert or Brie cheese (sliced)
1 punnet fresh rocket leaves

what to do

Convert the 500 g lean beef mince into four equally sized, 100% pure-beef patties. Pure mince binds perfectly for a great patty – don’t add anything like onion, breadcrumbs, egg, spices, salt or pepper. Your two recently washed hands are entirely capable of forming patties from mince but a patty press makes the job even easier.
Heat some oil in a pan and fry the onion and until soft. Add the white wine and simmer for 20 minutes or more until most of the liquid is gone and the onions look nicely caramelised. Add the butter and garlic and fry for another 5 minutes.
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.
During the braai, you can mix the mustard and mayonnaise, and cut the cheese into slices. Rocket leaves generally don’t need much attention by way of preparation.
Toast the rolls on the grid, taking care not to over-toast (burn) them.
Assemble the burger: Roll, mayonnaise and mustard mix, rocket leaves, patty, cheese, onions, roll.