My favourite burger is the Oklahoma Fried Onion burger . The recipe is available on YouTube and other web sites . The Big Mac from McDonalds is also high on my list of likes .
In favour of both McDonalds and Hungry Jacks is just how cheaply you can choose a meal that delivers 100% or more of your daily kilojoules or calories in the one sitting.
Not in their favour is that the local take-away stores in many regional towns are now long gone. MacDonalds, HJ’s, Subway etc all moving in with their special deals and lures. One now needs to go further out of the way to find the classic Dinner plate supersized works burgers freshly made to order and preference.
Ahhh who doesn’t love a burger. But I agree the local fish & chippery doesn’t always do a great one these days. If I’m making them at home it’s Woolworths pork & beef burger patties with tomato, lettuce, fried onions and cheese and some burger sauce on the lovely fresh hamburger buns they have a Woolworths. If I’m going for a takeaway then it’s Fatstaks - in Bundoora, their chips and onion rings are great too. But if I’m travelling then it Maccas and definitely not Hungry Jacks.
The burger from Bongo’s look a winner. Google maps says I can get there in just under 10 hours, but I will have to wait for the lockdown to end.
A classic burger easily beats the offerings from most chains and trendy places where you are likely to get a flavourless patty swimming in a weird over-sweetened liquid.
It’s so hard to find somewhere to buy a decent hamburger these days. I think the knowledge has disappeared on how to make hamburger patties. I find pubs can do a really good hamburger.
My favourite hamburger is homemade and is:-
low fat beef mince, chopped onion, mixed herbs, pepper, fresh breadcrumbs (soaked in milk), garlic and beaten egg to bind it all. when cooked, place on a fresh bun with fried onion rings, lettuce, tomato, cheese, beetroot, small amount of mayo & tomato sauce. You can build on to that if you want. e.g. pineapple, fried egg & bacon. Makes my mouth water.
The local fish’n’chips burgers are dreadful (so are the fish and chips. New owners with no clue). I like the HJ’s Aussie Burger. Its not too big, and not tiny like a mac burger. And it has beetroot!!
Too true. Too many sweet but otherwise tasteless buns made soggy by too much sweet dressing, too little fresh salad, not enough thought other than to be cheap and to appeal to the hungriest. A good hamburger can be a tasty and nutritious meal. I haven’t seen one in a while.
If we have a burger it is homemade, it is usually a BLT (bacon, lettuce tomato) and with egg, beetroot and (real marure) cheese added. Sometimes with mayo, mustard or chutney.
Rarely have a patty type burger.
Maybe every few years we might have a bought burger, but when we do, we only go to milkbars/local takeaway joint. We avoid any if the chain burger stores as they are generic in taste, doesn’t taste fresh, only have white bread buns and contains overly processed ingredients.
Local joints often have multi-grain and sometimes wholemeal buns. They also have a greater range of items which can be added.
We cook the burger patties, the bacon, and my egg on the flat plate, and lightly toast the rolls on the grid plate, on our Weber Family Q, and place the cheese slices on the patties after the final flip.
They are the best burgers we have ever cooked at home.
Before I came across the Woolies patties, we used to buy Coles Finest Angus Beef Blended With Coarse Ground Brisket Burger patties.
I believe that a lot of the “junk food chains” burgers should be labelled as “Not fit for human consumption” like the original McDonalds and Hungry Jacks offerings although some of Maccas better alternatives offer something better than what our daughter referred to as 'The Bain Marie Of Death" in regional Qld outlets.
GOOD OLD DAYS BURGERS.
Many years ago, the best burgers in Cairns were made at The Spot.
They used a bun which had some flour on the top and were lightly toasted and they used a beautiful slaw instead of the usual iceberg lettuce.
The best burgers in Townsville were at a takeaway in Gregory Street in North Ward.
My mate and I would go there on Sunday and get a Bombay Burger replete with curry powder and a Hawaiian Burger with a slice of pineapple.
After watching The Chef’s Line on SBS TV yesterday when the head chef made koftas from hand cut diced beef and another show recently when someone made kebabs from diced beef, I recalled watching a show a while ago when someone made burgers from diced beef.
I don’t recall the particular show but I found this recipe for hand cut beef burgers and a few articles recommending hand cut meat over minced meat.
One day I went to Nando’s and had a pulled pork burger. Let me say in all truth that I have not tasted a better burger before or since. Tasted so good!! Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a great burger. Rate it fifty out of ten stars.
Only one type of burger we eat and that is home made:
Buy the best and leanest mince you can get.
Form a ball of it in your hand (easy when you warm the meat with your hands).
Use a knife to “mark” the meat at 5 mm intervals criss-cross on each side. This will hold the meat together and make them look yummy.
Fry in lots of butter (or on the BBQ if you are after a more healthy choice). Add salt after you have turned them. You can turn them as often as you like. Add pepper after they are cooked.
You should never fry them all the way through, they will go dry. They must stay pink in the middle (the reason for buying the best beef). Let them rest for 5 mins. and then use.
I use Remoulade on mine (you can find the Danish recipe for this on-line) - it is basically mayo with keens curry powder and lots of finely chopped sweet pickled gherkins and some of the vinegar from the gherkin jar. You can add an extra hard-boiled egg, tarragon, chopped fried onions and a little extra turmeric powder to give colour.
Other things we add to the burger is lettuce, tomato, sweet pickled gherkins, mustard, ketchup - basically anything you like.
Use two pieces of lightly toasted italian bread like pane di case or the like instead of buns. Buns just get soggy.
The Danish burgers are also great used instead of steaks, without buns but served with gravy and vegs.
Tried tested & true for best textured patty is the good ol’ chipper chopp of the meat (either red or white meat with a bit off fat). Asian method since the dawn of time. Ensures patty doesn’t fall apart & stays super moist. Love it.
Home made is always a winner as it can be tweeked to your whatever your tastebuds are hankering for at the time - Asian, Italian, Aussie Aussie Aussie OiOiOi. I like a white-meat style eg.chicken/ pork/ fish hand minced, ginger, red/ green onion, & add ins.
One of our local onsite van villages has a no fuss takeaway & they have the real McCoy Hamburger hamburger. Proper soft school canteen kinda bun with NO BUTCHERS CLEAVERS/ KNIFE/ AXE/ HAYPICK through the middle!
Have never been able to grasp the concept of that.
A burger is a burger you can get your mouth around without dislocating a jaw.
Have megafun experimenting with your burger challenges out there.
Quality topic!
I used to work in a takeaway store, I have always thought that my homemade burgers with the lot are the best you can get. The type of bun you use is very important and the order in which you stack the ingredients. If I’m after fast food a Big Mac or a cheese burger are good, but recently I discovered this fantastic burger place called Albury Burger Co (in Albury). They do the most scrumptious burgers I have ever tasted, yes, even better than my own. There I said it.
If a burger is something between two parts of a bun, then I quite like a bacon and egg and melty cheese burger.
Also a chicken fillet burger with some mayo and lettuce.
However, for a beef burger;
Good finely ground beef. Not too lean because as they say, fat is flavour.
Some salt and pepper.
Some panko bread crumbs.
And to bind it together, horseradish cream. Now raw it is a bit firery, but when cooked the heat disappears and the result is a patty that stays together.
I prefer a burger that I can eat without having to dislocate my jaw. So these stacked things are of no interest. And I will pass on the pineapple and beetroot and pickles thankyou.
