BACK TO BASICS....

Can't Beat A Good Burger...

No BBQ is complete without some burgers and I thought this week it would be nice to share how easy it is to make your own for those of you who have only ever tried shop bought burgers. They are so simple to make at home with the added benefit of being able to use top quality ingredients and knowing exactly what your eating. We also wanted to include a vegetarian option so decided to give portobello mushrooms to try. However if your not a fan of mushrooms aubergine, halloumi and beetroot could be used as similar alternative options. 

Beef Burgers

Ingredients

500g low fat, lean mince (5% if you can get it) 

salt and pepper

5 drops of Worcestershire sauce 

tsp garlic salt

tsp onion salt 

tsp mixed herbs

tsp oregano  

4 brioche buns 

To Cook...

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix with hands until well combined 

2. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions and form and press them into flat patty shapes 

3. wrap each in cling firm and leave in fridge for at least an hour to chill (this prevents burger crumbling)

4. Cook on BBQ for around 3-4 minutes each side depending on how well done you like it

5. Add whatever toppings you fancy, we added tomato, lettuce and smoked cheese for extra flavour

Portobello mushroom burger

Ingredients

4 portobello mushrooms 

1 medium onion, sliced into rings

4 pineapple slices 

extra virgin olive oil

salt and black pepper

4 brioche buns 

1/2 cup of BBQ sauce

Method

1. Remove & discard the stems from the mushrooms and gently clean mushroom caps with wet paper towel.

2. Brush both sides of mushrooms and onion rings with olive oil and season with salt and pepper

3. Place the mushroom caps (cap side down) and the onion rings onto the BBQ and cook for 5 minutes 

4. After 5 minutes, flip the mushroom and onion rings and brush BBQ sauce onto the mushroom caps. Then add the pineapple on the BBQ and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

5. Brush more bbq sauce to the to mushrooms caps and flip the pineapple slices, cook for another 2-3 minutes. 

6. Remove everything from BBQ and place the mushrooms on top of the brioche buns then add grilled onion rings and pineapple slices (can also add cheese for extra flavour).

For s'more fun....  

We decided to sweeten things up a bit by making some s'mores. Again, these are one of the simplest things you can cook on a BBQ and is something that children would enjoy helping to prepare. All you need is 8 rich tea biscuits, 8 chunks of milk chocolate and 4 marshmallows. Start by cutting out 4 squares of tin foil big enough to wrap the treats in then put 1 biscuit on each piece of foil and top with 2 chunks of chocolate and 1 marshmallow. Place the other biscuit on top and wrap each parcel tightly. Cook each s'more for around 2 minutes each side so that the chocolate and marshmallows have melted, and serve!

 

Verdict...

Overall, all recipes were surprisingly easy to make and ideal for beginners. The beef burgers were a huge success, however the portobello mushrooms were a slight disappointment. Perhaps we over cooked them as they were a bit rubbery and chewy so will try cooking for less time in the future. Tomato puree is an alternative sauce that can be used on the portobello mushrooms that may have given it a bit of extra flavour than the bbq sauce. All ingredients used for these recipes are very accessible and can be bought very cheap for those on a budget!