A good burger is the ultimate crowd-pleaser, with the flexibility to keep everyone happy, garnished and sauced and stacked high with goodies. If you can cook it outside on the BBQ, it keeps the mess out of the kitchen, making it the ideal summer meal.
The Burger:
It’s time to try something a bit special – select cuts of beef that provide the most tasty and succulent burger. You can ask your butcher for a 50/50 mix of short rib and chuck steak burger for great beefy flavour and a great texture.
Duck Burgers with soy and spring onion – delicious served with plum sauce for a burger with a difference. Also chicken burgers made with chicken breast that you can marinade in yoghurt, roll in breadcrumbs and fry or bake until crunchy on the outside.
Veg burgers – take a whole portobello mushroom, infused with balsamic vinegar and tamari soy sauce and grill until crisp on the outside and melting in the middle.
In the Isle of Wight they are growing incredible beef tomatoes which have so much flavour. Grilled or raw, alongside a generous slice of grilled haloumi, and you have an outstanding veggie burger that will even keep the meat-eaters happy.
The Sauce:
You have to have mayo, and there’s a great choice of locally made mayos, starting with The Garlic Farm’s Garlic Mayo, or the Condiment Company’s delicious variety of mayonnaises, all made near West Marden.
Ketchup? That tomato flavour is superb, but why not try a hot smoky tomato relish, made with Chipotle peppers made by the Real Jam and Chutney company in the New Forest?
Make your own BBQ sauce to get the sweet / spicy combination that works for you. A combination of ketchup, brown sugar, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, then add the heat – mustard powder, smoked paprika and black pepper, and a bit of oil, cooked together in a pan, brought to the boil and then reduced to simmer for 5 minutes.
Extras:
Smoked streaky bacon, slices of cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, crisped onions and pickles – take your pick or go for the lot, combined in a good white bun.
