Australian Hamburger

Ask any Aussie about a proper burger and they’ll tell you it needs ‘the lot.' This towering burger piles a beef patty high with a fried egg, bacon, melted cheese, lettuce, and tomato, but the two ingredients that make it unmistakably Australian are a slice of grilled pineapple and, crucially, a disc of pickled beetroot.

That beetroot is the heart of the thing. Sweet, earthy, and vinegary, it stains the bun pink and balances all that richness, and leaving it out would have any Australian crying foul.

The patty itself is closer to a rissole, ground beef bound with milk-soaked breadcrumbs and a whisper of rosemary, which keeps it tender and juicy.

Pile on heavily caramelized onions, a slick of barbecue sauce, and a fried egg, and you’ve got a knife-and-fork monster best chased with a cold beer.

Chef Tips

• Cook the onions until deeply caramelized, almost to the edge of burnt. That sweet, jammy char is what carries the whole burger.
• Break the egg yolk in the ring and fry it slowly. A set yolk means you won’t wear it down your shirt at the first bite.
• Grill the pineapple and tomato slices. A quick char caramelizes their sugars and adds real body to the stack.
• Toast and lightly butter the buns so they stand up to the juicy, towering fillings without going soggy.

Variations

• Swap the beef for a grilled chicken or lamb patty, both common Down Under.
• Add tinned spaghetti or a hash brown to the stack if you want to go full Aussie milk-bar style.