My Favourite Burgers
Over the years I have tried a wide variety of shop bought burgers. Normally, they tend to disappoint. I got to the point where I bought my own mincer to start making my own burger blend. They were okay but nothing special. Last year I tried a burger from a butcher in a village not far from me. I have never looked back. The burgers from Carl Woods are fantastic. They taste great, really meaty texture but not dripping with fat. I have given up making my own as I like these so much.
The Cook
For this cook, I banked the charcoal to one side of the Weber GBS so I had 2 cooking zones. I was using the Oxford Charcoal Cuban Marabu and once ready to cook on, I added an oak wood chunk for some extra smokiness.
I started by adding the chopped onion in an iron griddle pan in the indirect area of the BBQ. After 5 minutes I added the bacon and burgers to the indirect area of the BBQ also. I tend to cook burgers and sausages indirect now and just give them a quick(ish) cook directly over the coals to add some colour. Before I flip the burgers I will give the burgers a couple of minutes cooking directly, then flip them and move them to the indirect area again. With 5 minutes cooking time to go, I added the cheese, again still cooking indirectly.
The cheese used in this cook was from a Welsh producer, Snowdonia Cheese. I used a variety called Black Bomber, which an extra strong cheddar. It also has a lovely creamy texture and was perfect on these burgers.
With the onion, the trick here is not to cook them too quickly to avoid them burning.
I used smoked streaky bacon for this burger and just cooked it indirectly.
Black Bomber Cheeseburger with Red Caramelised Onion and Bacon
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time20 min
- Total Time30 min
- Serving Size2
Ingredients
For the Burgers
- 2 of your favourite Burgers
- 2 slices Smoked Streaky Bacon
- 1 Gem Lettuce
- Black Bomber Cheese
For the Caramelised Red Onion
- 1 Red Onion (sliced)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic Oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Method
As your BBQ is coming up to temperature, thinly slice the onion. Once the BBQ is ready to cook on, add the skillet to the indirect area, and pour in the olive oil and let it heat up for a couple of minutes. Add the onion and stir well ensuring all the onions are covered with the oil.
After 5 minutes, add the burgers and the bacon to the indirect area of the BBQ. Add the balsamic oil and brown sugar to the onion and stir well. Cover the BBQ, but every 2-3 minutes check back on the onions to make sure they are not burning. Give them a quick stir each time you check on them.
Cook for another 5 minutes then move your burgers to the direct area of the BBQ for 2 minutes with the lid on. Flip the burgers and move them to the indirect area of the BBQ again.
After a couple of minutes, add the cheese to the burger and replace the lid. Cook for 5 more minutes then move the burgers back to the direct area for a couple of minutes. Remove all the ingredients from the BBQ and quickly toast your Brioche Bun.
To construct your burger, slice some Gem lettuce and place on the base of your bun. Then add the burger, then the caramelised onion and finally the bacon. Place the top of the bun on and serve.
