Burgers come in all kinds of flavours and formats, from veggie and fish to lamb, venison and chicken burgers, however the beef burger is the undisputed classic. Far from only being a fast food, a truly great homemade burger is easy to make, but it does take some time and careful creation. Follow our tips for the perfect hamburger that is charred on the outside and juicy in the middle, and what to serve it with.

You need mince that has a good amount of fat, in order to keep your burger moist, so avoid anything too lean. If you are mincing the meat yourself go for something like chuck steak or rump and mince to a coarse-ish texture. 

If you have good quality mince, you can keep your burger pure and add nothing but salt and pepper to your mix. A lot of chefs do like to add some very finely chopped or grated onion, sometimes garlic or garlic salt. You can also add herbs such as chopped thyme, parsley or marjoram, a splash of Worcestershire sauce or ketchup, or even a pinch of paprika or chilli to give some background spice.  

It shouldn’t be necessary to use egg if you have a good, fatty mince. The egg is used to bind mince that is leaner and is added, along with breadcrumbs, to give your patty texture and stop it from falling apart when cooked. If you are adding extra ingredients to the burger mince mix, such as chopped onions or chilli, you may also want to add egg and breadcrumbs to help them hold together.

Once you have combined your minced beef and seasoning in a bowl, take a palmful of the mince mixture and press it together into a ball. Then flatten the burger using your palm and shape the edges of the patty into a flat round, don’t leave your burgers too chunky as they will contract when cooking. Repeat this making patties of the same size then put on a tray and chill for about an hour, which will help the patties to firm up before cooking.

With any cooking method you want to achieve that burnished, brown crust on the outside of your burger whilst keeping the inside moist and delicious. Grilling beef burgers on the barbecue or in a griddle pan is a great way of achieving this, as is pan-frying using just a little oil. Just make sure you cook your burger on one side, without moving it, for at least 3 minutes to start with in order to achieve an initial seal. Follow our recipe for the best homemade burgers:

Smashing your burger patty can help give more of that delicious, crispy brown crust on the outside of your burger when it cooks, as more of the meat comes into contact with the pan or grill. To make a smash style burger take your balls of mince, squidge them into thick puck shapes then put in the pan spaced well out. Press heavily down with a spatula to flatten the burger patties, then cook to your liking pressing as you go.

You can freeze the meat patties once formed. Put them on a line baking tray and cover with clingfilm then freeze. Once solid you can put the individual patties in a zip-lock bag and pop back in the freezer. They should keep for 3-4 months this way. When you want to cook them it’s best to defrost your burgers, rather than cooking from frozen, to ensure they cook evenly.

You want a cheese that holds its shape but melts nicely. Mild American cheese slices are a classic pairing, but Cheddar and Monterey Jack also both work well. Once you have cooked your burger, add the cheese for the final few minutes of cooking and pop a small bowl over the top to steam the cheese and melt it effectively.

You can use soft buns for your burgers, but toasting the bread not only adds a nice flavour but it can also help hold your burger and its juices in place, stopping them from flooding out too easily. Go for plain white buns, or brioche which have a sweet, buttery flavour that goes nicely with the beef, then cook split buns on the grill for just a few mins on each side until golden.

There are almost an infinite number of options for what you add to your burger stack. For a classic, diner-style burgers serve with some fresh lettuce and tomato, melted cheese and a traditional burger sauce which combines mayo, ketchup, American mustard and chopped gherkins or cornichons. But you can experiment with sticky onions, bacon, blue or feta cheese, chunky onion rings, spicy sauce, coleslaw, pickles and even kimchi. Check out our collection of recipes for inspiration. Serve with chunky or French fries, or these sweet potato fries from chef Simon Hulstone.