'Food snobs may try to decry, but I think a properly made and grilled burger, with proper add-ons is just about unbeatable,' says Brian George, founder of National BBQ Week.
We'd heartily agree on the burger: there is a time and a place for fine dining, and a time and a place for a slab of grilled meat oozing juices out of the side of a bun. As summer now looms, the time is now nigh; and you can also raise money for a good cause while you're at it.
National BBQ Week isn't until July 5-12 — it's their 25th anniversary — but they've been in touch to suggest that we invite friends and family around for barbecues, and make a £2 donation each to their Cure Leukaemia Barbi for Britain campaign on May 31st. If you serve them the burger on this page, that feels like it'll be an amazing bargain.
Recipe: Best-ever Burger with Pancetta, Avocado & Blue cheese butter
Ingredients
Makes four burgers
- 500g best fillet steak, minced
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped/deseeded
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 2 tsp’s rainbow peppercorn, crushed
- 8 rashers pancetta
- 1 Avocado, peeled, de-stoned and sliced
- 125g unsalted butter
- 75g blue cheese
- 4 sesame buns
Method
Soften butter and mix with blue cheese, form into a roll and chill.
Mix steak mince, onion, chilli, salt & peppercorn and form into four patties. Sear the patties on both sides on high then grill 3-5 minutes per side on medium heat
Grill pancetta rashers on foil tray on high heat.
Halve buns and lightly brush the cut half with olive oil, then warm through on medium heat.
Place slices of avocado on the pancetta rashers and allow to warm through.
Put the whole thing together and enjoy!
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