Beef and Smoked Cheddar Burger
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.

The two most important tips for a great burger: use really good quality beef mince with a decent fat content, and don’t work the mixture too much otherwise you’ll end up with a dense, hard burger instead of a big juicy one!
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
Burger
800 grams good beef mince
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 egg yolks
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
To assemble
4 buns, halved and toasted
8 slices smoked cheddar cheese
12 slices pancetta or streaky bacon, cooked till crisp
mayonnaise
crisp lettuce leaves
sliced tomatoes
beer braised onions if using
METHOD
Burger: Place all the ingredients in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and, gently but thoroughly, mix together. Shape into 4 patties about 2 cm thick and chill for 30 minutes.
Heat a little oil in a sauté pan and cook the burgers for 4 minutes.
Flip the burgers over and cook for 2-3 minutes then top with the cheese. Cover and cook until the cheese has melted and the burgers are just cooked through.
Beer and Hoisin Braised Onions: Heat the oil and butter in a large sauté pan and add the onions with a good pinch of salt. Cook for 10 minutes then stir in the brown sugar.
Whisk the garlic, hoisin, beer, tomato paste, soy sauce and the chilli flakes together in a bowl and add to the onions. Cook gently forabout 15 minutes until reduced and glossy, stirring occasionally. Makes about 2 cups
To assemble: Spread the buns with mayonnaise then top with lettuce, tomato, beef pattie, onions and pancetta.
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