Steakhouse Burger

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Steakhouse Burger

Grind your own mince

I like to grind the beef myself so it's fresh but you can also get freshly ground beef from your local butcher. We'll use 50/50 split of chuck and brisket, sitting at around 80/20 meat to fat. Chuck has the meaty depth, brisket brings the fat that bastes the patty as it cooks. Too much fat and the patty falls apart in the pan, too little and the burger ends up dry, the 80/20 ratio is the sweet spot.

When it’s time to grind, you can freeze the beef slightly. The cold firms up the fat and stops it smearing through the blades, which gives you a cleaner, looser mince. Cut the meat into pieces that fit your grinder, remove any big bits of silverskin, and feed it through on the coarse setting in batches. Press down with the pusher to clear the chamber as you go. Coarse, not fine. Supermarket-grade fine mince packs too tight and gives you a dense, dry patty.

Burger sauce

I think burger sauce is elite and there are so many variations of it. This is how I like to make burger sauce but feel feel to tweak to your liking. Mayonnaise as the base, ketchup for sweetness and acid, yellow mustard for sharpness, Worcestershire for depth, green relish or finely chopped cornichons for the pickled crunch.

Ingredient Notes

Buns:

I like to use soft sesame seed buns. Brioche, milk buns or potato buns also work. Skip anything too crusty or chewy, or it will be too hard to eat.

Swiss cheese:

Two slices per patty melted on at the end. Swiss melts evenly and brings a nutty depth without overpowering the beef. American gives you a saltier, smoother melt and is closer to a classic American steakhouse burger. Gruyère sharper if you want it more grown-up.

Red onion:

Slice it thin, separate the rings, then rinse them under cold water for 30 seconds before draining. The rinse pulls out the harshest sulphur compounds and leaves you with crisp onion that doesn’t punch you in the face. Skip the rinse if you like the raw bite.

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Ingredients

700g coarse-ground chuck and brisket (50/50 split, 80/20 meat to fat ratio)
150g (½ cup) mayonnaise
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp yellow mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp green relish (or 4 diced cornichons)
sea salt, to season
1 red onion
1 tbsp olive oil or neutral flavoured oil
8 slices Swiss cheese
4 sesame burger buns, halved
softened butter, for toasting
2 medium tomatoes, 1 small cos lettuce head, pickles to serve

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife, palette knife, spatula, tongs and butter knife
Mixing bowls
Meat grinder (if grinding your own)
10-12cm round cookie cutter or burger press
Sheet tray with baking paper
Large heavy-based frying pan or cast iron skillet
Second frying pan or chargrill (for buns)
Meat thermometer

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Directions

PREP THE PATTIES

Divide the meat into 4 equal portions and mold into rounds. Press each into a cookie cutter approximately 10-12cm wide, and flatten firmly to create an even thickness. You don’t want any air bubbles, so I use a spoon or palate knife to help flatten firmly. They will be around 180g each
Place on a baking paper lined tray, remove the cutter and repeat with the remaining portions. Put your burger patties in the fridge while you make the other elements.

PREP SAUCE AND SALAD

Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire and relish (or cornichons) in a medium bowl. Mix well and season to taste.
Slice the tomatoes and set aside.
Slice the red onion very thinly and break them all up. Then rinse under some cold water and let sit for 30 seconds. Drain and set aside.

COOK BURGERS

Preheat a large heavy based frying pan over medium-low heat.
Season one side of each patty with salt.
Pour the oil in the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Add the patties to the pan, salted side down. Leave to cook without moving for 90 seconds, until the base forms a crust. Season the top side with some salt.
Turn the patty over and cook for a further 1 minute to form the crust on the other side.
Flip the patty over again, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for a further 30-45 seconds. Then flip again and top with 2 slices of cheese per patty and allow to melt. Turn the heat off while the cheese melts, then transfer the patties to a tray or plate to rest.

ASSEMBLE

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Spread the insides of each bun with some butter and toast until golden brown.
Spread some burger sauce on the bun bases and tops. Top with lettuce leaves, then the burger patty. Top with the tomato slices (3 slices) and season with some salt. Add some onion rings, pickle slices, and then bun top. Enjoy!

Notes

Chef Tips

Use a cookie cutter to shape

Press the meat lightly into a 10-12cm cookie cutter, around 180g per patty. Make it 1cm wider than your bun as the patty shrinks as it cooks. Once it's cooked, it will be the same size as your bun.

Don’t press the patty while it cooks

Pushing down on the patty with the spatula squeezes the juices out and gives you a dry burger. The crust does not get better, the inside dries out. Leave it alone, flip when it’s time to flip, that’s it.

Toast the cut side of the bun

Toasting creates a thin crust on the bun that acts as a barrier between the bread and the sauce and burger juices. Skip this and the bottom bun ends up soggy before you’ve had a second bite. Butter the inside, hot pan, golden brown.

Storage

The burger sauce keeps in the fridge for up to a week in a sealed container, the flavour actually improves after a day. Cooked patties can be refrigerated for 2 days but they’re never as good as fresh, so I wouldn’t go out of my way to make extras. Raw patties can be formed, separated with baking paper, and frozen flat on a tray for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before cooking. Don’t cook from frozen, the outside burns before the centre comes up to temperature.

FAQs

What if I can’t grind my own beef?

Ask your butcher for a chuck-brisket blend ground coarse to 80/20 fat. Supermarket mince is too fine and over-handled, the patties end up dense and the texture suffers. If supermarket mince is your only option, look for chuck mince and don’t compact it when you form the patties.

Can I cook these on a barbecue?

Yes, but use a flat plate or a cast iron pan on the grill rather than the open grates. You need direct contact for the crust. Heat the plate properly first, season the patty surface only as it goes on, and cook the same way you would on the stove.

What internal temperature should I cook them to?

I pull mine off the heat at 52°C-55°C and let carryover cooking finish them as they rest. Burgers keep cooking after they leave the pan, the residual heat firms up the centre while the outside settles. By the time you’re plating, they’re sitting at a medium of 58 to 62°C. Ground beef does carry different food-safety considerations than steak because surface bacteria get mixed through during grinding, and the official guideline is 71°C (160°F). If you’re grinding your own from quality cuts the risk is much lower and the carryover approach is well within reasonable practice. If you’re using supermarket mince, take it higher.