My once a week burger habit
I Have a History With Burgers
Let me explain.
I’ve eaten burgers most of my life. Most of us have, right? Nothing unusual there.
But in January 2006 we opened a burger restaurant in Geelong. For those who don’t know, Geelong is Victoria’s second largest city outside Melbourne.
For the better part of ten years running that delicious little establishment, we ate a burger almost every day. It was research… quality control… dedication to the craft.
After we sold the business in 2015, the habit changed slightly. Daily burgers became weekly burgers.
If you’re reading this, you probably just want to know how I make mine.
This is how I like them.
The Ingredients
250g beef mince
Don’t go lean. You want around 15–20% fat. That’s where the flavour lives.
Buns - Lightly toasted
Potato buns are my favourite, though they can be hard to find. A soft milk bun or brioche works just fine.
Cheese
Classic high-melt burger cheese is perfect.
If you want to elevate things a little, try your favourite cheddar. My pick is King Island Smoked Cheddar — the smokiness works beautifully with beef.
Feeling fancy? A creamy brie also works surprisingly well.
Onion
White or red, finely chopped. Cooked or raw, I alternate between them both.
Dill cucumber (pickles)
This matters more than people think. Get the right ones or the flavour can overpower the burger. We use the Polish Dill Cucumbers with the red lid you can find in most supermarkets.
Burger sauce
MasterFoods actually makes a good one.
If you want to make your own:
mayonnaise
American mustard
finely chopped dill cucumber
a splash of pickle juice
salt and pepper
But honestly… the MasterFoods one is pretty good.
Add anything else you like — bacon, lettuce, tomato. Make it yours.
Cooking
Use high heat — either an open flame grill or a very hot cast iron pan.
Form your patty and squash it to about 1–2 cm thick. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook 3–4 minutes per side.
When you flip it, add the cheese so it melts perfectly.
Assembly
From the bottom up:
Sauce
Dill pickle
Burger patty
Bacon
Cooked onion - if you went for raw onion, I usually put it before on the sauce, before the pickle.
Top bun
That’s about it, folks.
