Whisky Burger

With spring and summer on the doorstep, I thought I would share a couple of my favorite Whisky BBQ recipes. I’m going to start out by writing a series of 4 articles with one recipe in each, starting with a Whisky burger, then moving on to a delicious whisky marinade (for steaks), followed by my very own Whisky Caramelized Bacon recipe (snack/burger topping) and finally a whisky based desert! I guarantee that these recipes will make for one of the best barbecues you’ve ever had.

Right! Let’s get cracking on the burgers then, shall we? This will serve 2-3 people, and shouldn’t set you back too much either!

You’ll need:

• 2c of 10-15% beef mince – you can use 20% as well, but it’s a bit too greasy for my liking
• ½ finely chopped onion
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 4-5tbsp of smoky whisky – I’d recommend an Isla whisky for the job, such as Laphroaig 10, Bowmore 10 or if you’re feeling decadent, Lagavulin 16
• 1tbsp Muscovado sugar
• Optional 1-2 extra tbsp whisky

And how to do it:

I would recommend that you do this the day before your barbecue.

1. Combine all of the ingredients, except for the optional extra whisky. Gently massage the mixture for 4-5 minutes.
2. Cover, and leave in the fridge over night.
3. On the day of your barbecue, form burgers out of the mixture. Size and thickness is up to you.
4. Grill on a medium-low heat.
5. If you wish to be extra decadent, brush the burgers with a further 1-2tbsp of whisky 1 minute before removing them from the grill. Don’t put too much on though, if it drips into the barbecue you’ll get flames shooting up which may burn the burgers.

That’s it! Simple as pie, and absolutely delicious. If you want to spice the burgers up a bit, grab 2 chillies and chop them up finely then place them in a bowl with 2 tbsp of whisky, just enough to half-cover them, and leave over night. You’ll need to do this before making the mixture, but it’s definitely worth it.

Okay, that’s part one done! For those of you who aren’t too keen on burgers, I’ll be putting up a recipe for a delicious beef marinade soon as well.