Rodeo burger-style BBQ burger

Ingredients

Onion rings (4 large)

• 1 large onion, sliced into 1 cm thick rounds
• 100 g plain flour
• 1 egg, beaten with 100 ml milk
• 100 g panko breadcrumbs
• Oil for frying

burgers

• 500 g beef mince (20% fat)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

Smoky BBQ sauce

• 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder

To assemble

• 4 sesame seed crown buns
• 4 slices American or cheddar cheese
• 12 dill pickle slices
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. BBQ sauce. Whisk all sauce ingredients together. Rest in the fridge.
2. Onion rings. Separate onion rounds into individual rings. Dredge in flour, dip in egg wash, then panko. Repeat for double crust.
3. Fry onion rings. Heat 1 cm of oil to 180°C. Fry rings 2 minutes per side until golden. Drain.
4. burgers. Divide beef into 4 loose balls. press into large discs. Season both sides.
5. Grill. Heat a griddle until smoking hot. Add oil. Lay burgers away from you. Don’t move for 90 seconds.
6. Flip + cheese. Flip, immediately lay cheese on each burger. Cook 60 seconds more.
7. Toast buns. Toast in a dry pan.
8. Assemble. bottom bun → BBQ sauce → burger with cheese → onion ring → pickle → more BBQ sauce → top bun.

Tips

• Make the onion rings the same diameter as the bun. Looks dramatic.
• Double-dredge the onion rings for a thicker crust that holds up to the BBQ sauce.
• Homemade BBQ sauce beats bottled. The smoked paprika is the secret.