How to make Tom Kerridge's 'classic burger'

Kerridge opened his first Butcher’s Tap & Grill in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, back in 2017 before launching the second site in Chelsea​, Greater London, at the end of last year.

The celebrity chef is also known for his two Michelin-starred gastropub the Hand & Flowers​​ in Marlow as well as the Pub in the Park festival.

On the menu

Best served with chips and a salad, the ‘classic burger’ is currently on the menu at the Butcher’s Tap & Grill venues, with between 150 and 300 served every week.

To make the homemade pickles, Kerridge a sets the baby pickles to the side in a bowl before adding vinegar, sugar and spices to a large pan and bringing to the boil.

He then pours the mixture over the baby cucumbers and leaves to cool before covering and storing the fridge until needed.

Top tip 

The chef explained the pickles can be prepared days in advance, which also gives them a "better flavour" to the pickles. Once completely cold, they are ready to be sliced and topped on the burger.

Kerridge ​added toasting the burger bun helps "flavour" the roll and prevents it from getting soggy from the burger juices and sauce. 

Another top tip from the chef was to not season the burger mix until the burgers are ready to be cooked, as this can draw out the moisture, preventing the burger from caramelising or colouring properly and can potentially make it crumbly.

Ingredients ​​(makes four servings):​​

• 600g beef mince
• 4 brioche or plain burger buns
• 8 rashes of smoked streaky bacon
• 4 slices of American cheese or sliced cheddar
• 3 onions
• 300g mayonnaise
• 200g ketchup
• 100g American mustard
• ¼ bunch of Dill finely chopped

Optional Homemade pickles:​​

• 8 baby cucumbers
• 500ml white wine vinegar
• 250g sugar
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon peppercorn
• 4 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

Making the burger:​​

• Weigh the beef mince into 150g balls and shape into burger patties. If you have a pastry
  cutter or ring cutter, press into roughly 10cm in diameter, if not shaping by hand will do.
• Leave in the fridge to set and firm up
• For the sauce, mix the mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard all together in a bowl, and add the dill. Mix to an even consistency
• Peel and thinly slice the onions. In a heavy-set pan, add some cooking oil then add the sliced onions on a medium heat allowing them to cook and caramelize until they are golden brown in colour

Assembling the dish:​​

• Toast the bun on the inside using a dry non-stick pan until golden brown
• Season the burger on both sides with salt and cracked black pepper when ready to cook the burger
• On a hot grill or pan, caramelise the burger patties until golden brown on each side then place into an oven pre-heated to 180 degrees for three to four minutes
• In the same pan or grill, place the bacon and cook until crispy
• Lay the bacon over each burger patty, usually 2 slices per patty is enough, then top with the cheese
• Place a spoon of the caramelised onions on the bottom part of the bun, followed by a burger patty that has the cheese and bacon on
• For the top of the bun, spread the burger sauce generously and layer the sliced pickles if using
• Close the burger by applying a little pressure to combine the layers, then flash the finished and built burger in the oven for roughly a minute