Insanity Burger

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 lbs ground chuck steak
• Olive oil
• 1 large red onion
• 1 splash of white wine vinegar
• 2 large gherkins
• 4 sesame-topped brioche burger buns
• 4–8 slices of smoked bacon
• 4 teaspoons yellow mustard
• Tabasco Chipotle sauce
• 4 thin slices of Red Leicester cheese
• 4 teaspoons tomato ketchup
• 1/4 of an iceberg lettuce
• 2 heaping tablespoons mayo
• 1 heaping tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco Chipotle sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• optional: 1 teaspoon brandy or bourbon

Instructions

1. 1

   For the best burger, go to your butcher and ask them to grind 1 3/4 lbs of chuck steak for you.

2. 2

   This cut has a really good balance of fat and flavorsome meat.

3. 3

   Divide it into 4 and, with wet hands, roll each piece into a ball, then press into flat patties roughly 5 inches wide and about 3/4 inch wider than your buns.

4. 4

   Place on an oiled plate and chill in the fridge.

5. 5

   Next, finely slice the red onion, then dress in a bowl with the vinegar and a pinch of sea salt.

6. 6

   Slice the gherkins and halve the buns.

7. 7

   Finely chop the lettuce and mix with the rest of the burger sauce ingredients in a bowl, then season to taste.

8. 8

   I like to cook only 2 burgers at a time to achieve perfection, so get two pans on the go—a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat for your burgers and another on a medium heat for the bacon.

9. 9

   Pat your burgers with oil and season them with salt and pepper.

10. 10

    Put 2 burgers into the first pan, pressing down on them with a slotted spatula, then put half the bacon into the other pan.

11. 11

    After 1 minute, flip the burgers and brush each cooked side with a 1/2 teaspoon of mustard and a dash of Tabasco.

12. 12

    After another minute, flip onto the mustard side and brush again with another 1/2 teaspoon of mustard and a second dash of Tabasco on the other side.

13. 13

    Cook for 1 more minute, by which point you can place some crispy bacon on top of each burger with a slice of cheese.

14. 14

    Add a tiny splash of water to the pan and place a heatproof bowl over the burgers to melt the cheese—30 seconds should do it.

15. 15

    At the same time, toast 2 split buns in the bacon fat in the other pan until lightly golden.