Burgers and Beer

It's not surprising that burgers on the barbecue are a firm favourite. They're relatively easy, incredibly tasty and when you make them yourself look very impressive! The more you make from scratch, the more BBQ prestige you will receive. And if you thought burgers and BBQs couldn’t get any better, just you wait. We suggest you pair them with an American-style IPA to take the experience to a whole new level. Trust us, it’s a taste sensation.

Beer and burgers on the BBQ: What you'll need

You'll need a BBQ; for extra barbecuing kudos a Big Green Egg with a griddle pan. A burger ring can also be handy, but not essential.

Pro tip: Use meat with a high fat content. Lean meat is not as flavoursome and you'll get less firm burgers. Fat is good.

In this recipe we are going to make 2 complete burgers, that we will then cut in half.

Preparation time: approx. 20 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

1. Prep yourself!

This is a very important step, do not skip. Whilst your BBQ heats up, enjoy a nice cold beer!

2. Mix!

Add an egg to the minced meat, plus salt and pepper to taste. You can also add extra herbs, onion and garlic powder work miracles. Try to avoid chopped onion, this can have a bad effect on the structure of the burgers. 

3. Prep your burger!

Make 4 patties, roughly 125 grams each. With the help of a ring or burger press you can make flat burgers. If you have a Big Green Egg with a griddle feature, you don't have to, you just flatten them on the grill.

Pro tip: make a small indent in the middle of the burgers, this will keep them flatter and prevent you from creating meatballs instead

4. Get saucy!

Mix equal parts of Ketchup and Piccalilli into 1 sauce. Don't be sparing here, sauce will take your burger to the next level.

5.  BBQ time!

Bake the burgers, you don't necessarily have to flip them very often. After a few minutes, put the cheddar cheese on 2 burgers, stack the other burgers on to make a patty and cheese sandwich. When the cheese has melted well, the burger is ready.

Cook some slices of bacon

6. Assembly!  

Spread some butter on the buns and grill them briefly on the plancha or grill. Place tomato slices and lettuce leaves on top of the buns. Put the burgers with cheese on top, then the bacon and slather your delicious sauce on top.

The burgers are big enough to cut in half, so you can have a good bite for 4 people!

Let's not forget the beer ...

Take this opportunity to drink some nice beer. You cannot rush barbecuing, sit back and enjoy your beer whilst it cooks.

When it comes to BBQ beer and food pairings, burgers have a lot of flavour so an IPA will be the best here. A classic American IPA will match especially well here  The hops cut the fat nicely and the salty burger tempers the bitters, making the beer even more fruity. Try Stone IPA, a textbook example of an American Westcoast IPA. 

All the IPAs that come out of Lagunitas are incredibly tasty and will go very well too. Lagunitas IPA, 12th of Never and Hazy Wonder will make a fantastic match to your burger. 

Or alternatively, grab a couple of IPA kegs for The SUB, we have a couple to choose from in our assortment. They will all be delicious!