A really good, home-made burger is such a treat, hot from the BBQ, under the grill or even pan-fried, when the ingredients are great you can’t go far wrong!  Making your BBQ burgers from scratch means you know exactly what’s gone into them, too, which is no bad thing.

To make four generous sized burgers, you will require –

• 1lb of good quality lean beef mince – don’t skimp and buy rubbish here, butcher’s is best!
• Half an onion, finely chopped
• Four or five sun-dried tomatoes, sliced up as fine as you can
• Two garlic cloves, minced
• One and a half teaspoons of dried thyme
• Half a teaspoon of chilli flakes, and
• A generous pinch of black pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, mushing them together with your fingers until they combine.  Then divide into four and shape by hand into thick burger patties.  If you have the time to return the burgers to the fridge for an hour or so, this will just firm them up a bit and reduce the risk of them falling apart on the grill.  If you’ve made more burgers than you want to eat today, interleave them with greaseproof paper before putting them in a bag, and they’ll keep in the fridge for a couple of days, or can be frozen.

When you’re ready to start cooking, place your burgers gently on the BBQ grill, and cook through nice and slowly – resist the temptation to move them or turn them until the bottom is cooking well.  Interfering with them too soon is the best way of losing your hard-earned burger into the charcoal!

Then, enjoy in a nice fresh crispy burger bun with a good dollop of sun-dried tomato ketchup, and a generous handful of salad leaves.  The thyme adds a lovely aromatic note, and the tomato a delicate sweetness to the meat that I think you’ll find rather pleasing!  I love to eat these burgers outdoors, with a cold beer or a nice crisp glass of dry white wine.

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