To those of you who think vegetarian burgers are ‘run of the mill’, think again! Despite only having a few ingredients, this little baby packs more flavour than you would have thought and is truly exceptional. Whether you are vegetarian or a fully fledged carnivore, I strongly urge you to try. The robustly flavoured and distinct umami undertones from the swiss brown mushrooms are packed with punch from the sherry vinegar and garlic which is then smoothed over by the richness of the swiss cheese to give a burger that is both unique and distinct yet undeniably ‘burgasmic’.

Ingredients

4 Large Swiss Brown Mushrooms
4 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar
4 Cloves Crushed Garlic

4 slices swiss cheese

4 Sourdough Hamburger Buns

Method

Heat your oven to 180 degrees centigrade and take the centres out of the mushrooms. Make sure you picks large swiss browns (or Portobello’s) that are a bit bigger than the size of your bun as they will shrink in size during the cooking process. Place the mushrooms on a baking tray. Crush the garlic and mix in the vinegar in a bowl and spoon half the mixture over the mushrooms. Place the mushrooms in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Then take the out, turn them over and spoon the rest of the garlic and sherry vinegar mixture over the mushrooms and place in the oven for a further 20 minutes. Then turn the grill (broiler) of your oven, turn the mushrooms over and broil for a further five minutes. Cut the sourdough buns and brush with oil and place under the grill (broiler) until handsomely browned. At the same time, place the swiss cheese over the mushrooms and grill (broil) until melted and ‘gooey’. Take buns and cheesy mushrooms out of the oven, place a mushroom on each bun base and then place the bun top over and serve.

Here in Australia, it is summer and lamb is all around. Mixed with chopped Kalamata Olives, Lemon juice and Oregano, the flavours are unmistakably mediterranean and the garlic sauce gives it a refreshing extra zing. Served on toasted turkish bread, this could the best burger recipe for lamb that I have ever tasted.

Ingredients

500g Lamb Mince
1 teaspoon (approx 6g) Salt
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Approx 24 Pitted Kalamata Olives roughly chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
4 Garlic Cloves Minced

200g Fetta Cheese cut into large slices as thin as possible.

2 Tablespoons Greek Yoghurt
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 garlic Cloves
1/4 Cucumber finely diced

2 Tomatoes finely sliced
1/4 cucumber finely sliced

Turkish Bread large, cut in to 4 equal pieces and then sliced into buns.

Method

To make the burger patties, mix the lamb mince, salt, garlic, olives, oregano and lemon juice together in a bowl until well mixed. Lightly wet your hands and divide the mixture into 4 equal parts and roll into balls and place onto a plastic cutting board covered with a sheet of baking paper. Place another piece of baking paper on top of the balls and flatten them lightly either by hand or with a rolling pin. Place the burger patties into the fridge and chill for at least an hour. During this time, they should firm up.

To make the Tzatziki, place the diced Cucumber, crushed garlic, lemon juice and Greek Yoghurt into a bowl and mix well to combine. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

Grill the burgers either on a BBQ or a frying pan on a medium heat until cooked through. Grill the buns until lightly toasted. Place some lettuce and tomato onto a bun and then place a patty on the bun and top with Fetta Cheese and Tzatziki Followed by the bun top.

A classic combination of coleslaw, spicy BBQ sauce and pork. This great pork burger recipe is made with pork meat and bound with BBQ sauce. This theme is then taken to the condiments and burger toppings where the BBQ sauce is added to the mayonnaise to create a coleslaw that is slightly smoky and incredibly tasty. The BBQ sauce is made from a base of ketchup and a spicy tomato sauce that has the addition of cola which adds a unique flavour as well as garlic, onion and mustard powders to give some extra zing and smoke powder to give that unmistakeable BBQ flavour. The secret ingredient in the sauce is the addition of Vegemite, a distinctly Australian phenomenon which if added sparingly enhances the savoury notes in the sauce. I’m not sure if there is an American equivalent to Vegetmite but if you get hold of some and are not familiar with it, remember that a little goes a long way!

Ingredients

500g Pork Mince
1 teaspoon (approx 6g) Salt
2 Tablespoons BBQ sauce (store bought or see recipe below)

2 Tablespoons real egg Mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons BBQ sauce (store bought or see recipe below)
200g Coleslaw mix (store bought or home made)

4 Hamburger Buns

Method

To make the burger patties, mix the pork mince, salt and BBQ sauce together in a bowl until well mixed. Lightly wet your hands and divide the mixture into 4 equal parts and roll into balls and place onto a plastic cutting board covered with a sheet of baking paper. Place another piece of baking paper on top of the balls and flatten them lightly either by hand or with a rolling pin. Place the burger patties into the fridge and chill for at least an hour. During this time, they should firm up.

To make the mayo, place the Mayonnaise and BBQ sauce into a bowl and mix well to combine. Pour dressing over the Coleslaw mixture and mix well to combine. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

Grill the burgers either on a BBQ or a frying pan on a medium heat until cooked through. Grill the buns until lightly toasted, place a patty on the bun and top with the Spicy Cola BBQ Coleslaw.

Spicy Cola BBQ Sauce

Serves: Lots!

Ingredients

Vegemite 1 Heaped Tablespoon
Tomato Ketchup 300ml
Spicy Tomato Sauce 300ml
Cider Vinegar 150ml
1 cup Cola (NO diet drinks!!)??
Liquid Smoke Powder 2 teaspoons
Onion Powder 1 Tablespoon
Garlic Powder 1 Tablespoon
Mustard Powder 1 Teaspoon

Methods

In a saucepan heat ketchup and spicy tomato sauce with vinegar. In a separate bowl mix the smoke, onion, garlic. Then pour in some of the tomato sauce and stir until all lumps are removed. If too thick, keep adding the tomato sauce base until desired consistency is reached. Then add powder and tomato mixture back into the tomato sauce base and stir until well combined. Using a whisk, mix in the vegemite and stir until completely dissolved.

Simmer until it reaches a thick sauce consistency. Pour into a sterilized jar and put into refrigerator. Keeps for at least two weeks.

Perhaps the most basic burger but still one of the best! This burger is on the menu of almost every burger bar, burger chain and burger restaurant on the planet and therefore an essential addition to this site. In keeping with the spirit of this burger, it is most authentic to use a processed cheese. I opted for a processed cheese spread. It is possible to make your own version. I have tried to find a good recipe for a cheese spread but have yet to find one that works well. I will post it in this recipe once reliable one is found. The key in pulling off the best cheeseburger is to get the right combination of cheese, sauces and condiments so that not one ingredient predominates but produces a burger whose end result is greater than the sum of its parts.

Ingredients

500g Beef Mince
1 teaspoon (approx 6g) Salt

Tomato Ketchup (to taste)
American Mustard (to taste)
1 Brown Onion thinly sliced (into rings)
2 Pickled Dill Cucumbers thinly sliced lengthways
Processed Cheese (4 Slices) or Cheese Spread (to taste)

4 Hamburger Buns

Method

To make the burger patties, mix the beef mince and salt together in a bowl until well mixed. Lightly wet your hands and divide the mixture into 4 equal parts and roll into balls and place onto a plastic cutting board covered with a sheet of baking paper. Place another piece of baking paper on top of the balls and flatten them lightly either by hand or with a rolling pin. Place the burger patties into the fridge and chill for at least an hour. During this time, they should firm up.

Grill the burgers either on a BBQ or a frying pan on a medium heat until cooked through. Slice the buns and brush with melted butter and grill the buns until lightly toasted, place a patty on the bun, top with cheese slices or cheese spread. Then place sliced pickle and onion and add ketchup and mustard to taste. Top with toasted bun top.

Sick of dry roast Turkey that you struggle to even swallow? This Turkey Burger uses the classic pairing of cranberries and pecans to make a burger that is fit for serving at the christmas table but which you can serve any time of the year.

Ingredients

500g Turkey Mince
1 teaspoon (approx 6g) Salt
3 cloves Garlic (crushed)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Thyme
1/3 cup dried Cranberries
2/3 cup real egg Mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons Wholegrain Dijon Mustard
4 Tablespoons roughly chopped Pecans
4 Hamburger Buns
Rocket (Arugula)
Sliced Tomatoes (optional)

Method

To make the burger patties, mix the turkey mince, salt, garlic, thyme together in a bowl until well mixed. Then add the cranberries and mix lightly until well combined. Lightly wet your hands and divide the mixture into 4 equal parts and roll into balls and place onto a plastic cutting board covered with a sheet of baking paper. Place another piece of baking paper on top of the balls and flatten them lightly either by hand or with a rolling pin. Place the burger patties into the fridge and chill for at least an hour. During this time, they should firm up.

To make the mayo, place the Mayonnaise, Mustard and chopped pecans into a bowl and mix well to combine. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

Grill the burgers either on a BBQ or a frying pan on a medium heat until cooked through. Grill the buns until lightly toasted and arrange the rocket (arugula), tomato (if using), mayo and patty on the bun and enjoy!