"This is the most DJ BBQy burger that DJ BBQ has ever cooked on a BBQ. Although, actually BBQ is the food and not the grill, but people still call the grill the BBQ – just a heads up people. If you are looking to make the perfect burger, then look no further. This, my friends, is it! It’s a blend of different cuts of beef, so if you can’t source them from a butcher just go for a decent fatty beef mince (ground beef) – minimum 20% fat! Oh boy oh boy oh boy… I’m so excited for your mouth. Uh huh! Cos it’s gonna be munching on this perfect thang! This is the best-tasting beef burger ever conceived, created, invented and feasted upon. Good luck, captain!" – DJ BBQ
Make DJ BBQ’s DJ BBQ burger
This burger from barbecue specialist DJ BBQ contains a mix of different cuts of beef and makes the perfect carnivore accompaniment to a summer’s day. Vegans and vegetarians look away now…
Make DJ BBQ’s DJ BBQ burger
David Loftus
Makes 4
Preparation time 1 hour
Cooking time 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the beef patties
- 800g beef mince. Ask your butcher to prepare the following mix of cuts (preferably 21–28-day dry-aged beef) or do it for yourself if you prefer by following he weights and/or percentages below and simply put it all through a coarse grain mincer.
- 240g chuck (30%)
- 160g short rib (20%)
- 120g brisket (15%)
- 120g flank (15%)
- 160g suet or bone marrow (20%)
- Sea salt and black pepper
For the aioli
- 1 whole garlic bulb
- 75ml olive oil
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- 1 tbsp water
- Sea salt
For the onions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Knob of butter
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
To serve
- 4 tbsp American yellow mustard
- 4 slices of Monterey Jack cheese
- 8 dry-cured streaky bacon rashers (slices)
- 4 demi-brioche seeded burger buns
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 1 beef tomato, sliced
Method
- First off, get the garlic for the aioli roasted. Get a load of coals rocking on your grill or preheat your oven to 180C. Loosely wrap the garlic bulb in foil and chuck it in the oven or nestle it in the coals. Leave it there for an hour. Remove and let it cool.
- When cooled, peel four of the cloves – or you can just squeeze the oozy garlic into a bowl.
- Smash the garlic until super smooth. Add the rest of the aioli ingredients, and blend together well until smooth and gooey. Season with salt and stir in the lemon juice.
- Now, get the onions going. Place a small frying pan over indirect heat on the grill, or on a low to medium heat on the hob. Pour in the olive oil, then chuck in the knob of butter. When the butter has melted, add in the sliced onions and brown sugar. Slow-cook and stir until soft and golden – it should take around 20 minutes.
- Once golden, stir in the Worcestershire sauce, then keep this on a super-low heat until you are ready to serve.
- Divide the beef mince into four meaty balls and flatten them into patties a little bit larger than the buns, as you will get shrinkage as the fats render.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Have your American yellow mustard ready in a bowl with a basting brush. This is an awesome hack for making killer burgers – loads of top chefs use this mustard-basting technique.
- Get your grill nice and hot, or set your griddle pan over a high heat on the hob, then slap your patties on. If you're cooking outdoors, the meat might stick to the grill – don't worry, the grill will release the meat when it's ready. You want to sear the bottom of the patties and get a nice crust (around 1–2 minutes), then flip them over and brush on some of the mustard.
From The Burger Book by DJ BBQ; photography by David Loftus. Published by Quadrille.
