Father’s Day is fast approaching, and up goes the traditional chorus call from the kids…
“Hey, let’s treat dad to a nice BBQ on Father’s Day! He loves stuffing his face with meat, and we could fire up the BBQ and cook him dinner!”
Oh, foolish children, you won’t be allowed ANYWHERE near the BBQ – dad will NEVER relinquish his rightful place in front of the grill. Outdoor cooking is his domain, so stand aside. Dad is ‘Master of Meat’, the ‘Sausage Solicitor’. He’s ‘Père Grills’. Dad Must Cook BBQ – dad must provide…
Which of course means dad spending the day sweating over a hot grill, flipping burgers for everyone else’s enjoyment. Maybe he’ll have time to wolf down an ash covered offering in between chef-ing and waiter-ing. Maybe not. Maybe he’ll do a bit of crying as his carefully prepared halloumi kebabs slowly shed their cheesy cargo into the flaming coals, leaving behind nothing but charred peppers on sticks. This is more than a possibility.
Happily, our own Father’s Day BBQ shindig should run a lot smoother thanks to Debenhams, who have kindly furnished us with the necessary hardware to chef up something tasty. We’ve got a Charbroil gas grill from the Debenhams range ready to rumble, we are armed to the teeth with Jamie Oliver endorsed BBQ utensils (the beef patty shovel looks ideal for batting wasps away from pints of cider ) and we are even sporting a Jamie Oliver apron, complete with insensitive pig motif on the front.
But what kind of BBQ feast to serve up? Read on, meat-fans…
The ultimate, fail-proof burger recipe.
We started out using an old John Torode recipe and have gradually customised it to devastating effect. Trust us, after you’ve tried one of these meaty mouthfuls, you won’t want to go back to shop bought ones. Captain Birdseye and his flotilla of frozen meat patties will curse the very day you set eyes on this INCREDI-BURGER recipe.
Serves 6
Prep time 25 minutes plus chilling.
Cooks in 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the burgers
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 chilli (the hotter the better), finely chopped
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg yolk
750g / 1lb 10oz minced beef
For the buns
Burger buns, butter, mayonnaise, ketchup, sliced tomato (beefsteak works best) and iceberg lettuce leaves.
- Tip the onion, chilli, parsley, ketchup, oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce and egg yolk into a bowl with the mince. Mix and knead everything together with your manly dad hands until combined. Separate the mix into six then roll into tennis ball sized, er, balls. Flatten the burgers slightly, place them in a fridge and leave them to chill for around an hour. (This will help them hold together when cooking)
- Fire up the BBQ. Lay the burgers over the heat and leave them for a few minutes until the edges start to brown. Slide a fish slice under the burgers (or use a Jamie Oliver beef patty shovel) and flip them over. Leave to cook for a good 15 minutes before serving between your lettuce and tomato-ed, ketchup-lashed buns.
Bon appétit!
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For a handy list of beers to go with your burnt offerings perfectly cooked burgers, look no further than this piece Nick penned recently for the Indy Best
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With thanks to Meantime for providing tasty liquid refreshment.
