DIY FESTIVAL EATS
DJ BBQ is a regular at festivals around the country, and his mouth-watering burgers are the stuff of legend. We asked him to share his recipe for the epic Quad Burger, taken from The Burger Book by DJ BBQ (Quadrille, £12.99), which you can either cook on the barbie or in a frying pan on the hob.
Ingredients:
● 230-280g) beef mince, min 20 per cent fat content ● 1 burger bun (the smaller in diameter the better) ● 3 pickle slices ● 4 slices of burger cheese ● Ketchup ● American yellow mustard
Quad Seasoning Lightning Rub Of Doom
● 1tbsp sea salt ● 1tbsp white pepper ● 1tsp garlic granules ● 1tsp onion granules
Method:
1 Break the mince into four balls. Gently flatten each ball, so that the patty is slightly bigger than the bun. This might sound insane but the thinner those patties are, the more Maillard reaction [the process that gives it that fried/grilled flavour] your eager taste buds get to feast on. Also, you’ll get some shrinkage as the fats render while it cooks.
2 Make the Quad Seasoning Lightning Rub Of Doom by mixing together all the ingredients, then sprinkle onto the patties.
3 Get your cooking surface nice and hot – either a rocking fire on your grill, or frying or griddle pan set over a high heat on your hob – and throw down those patties like Thor unleashing the hammer (but then Korg starts telling stories of Doug, and all I want is Korg The Movie).
4 Get a good sear on one side. You want it sizzling. Nice and hot! And while it’s doing its thing, get your bun toasted. Once you have a nice crust on the burgers – a matter of three or four minutes on each side – turn over and lace each one with a cheese slice. Cover with a cloche or big old metal bowl to speed up the melt on the cheese.
5 Cook for another three or four minutes and get everything ready for a quick build. The bottom bun is bare. Upon it, place each cheeseburger, one on top of the other. This is more than most buns can handle. Add the pickle slices. Squirt the lid with ketchup and mustard and top that burger off. Lord have mercy! This is a heavenly titan of titanic meaty proportions!