Australian Gourmet Traveller – (02)February 2019 (1)

THE BUN

White, soft and squishy, and maybe slightly

crusty, is the classic bun choice. Invariably it’ll

become stained with bright beetroot juice.

To take the burger up a notch, you could

use a brioche bun instead, shown here.

THE EXTRAS

For a burger to

have “the lot” it

has to have

beetroot, egg,

pineapple and

bacon. The egg

should be fried

and runny and

the beetroot and

pineapple come

straight from the

tin. Iceberg

lettuce, tomato,

red onion might

be involved, but

aren’t strictly

necessary.

MEAT PATTY

It’s simple: minced beef,

possibly cut through with

diced onion, bound with an

egg. Well-done is the word,

even if it’s a little dry, that’s

where the sauce, beetroot and

the pineapple come into play.

“Y

ou know who fuck up burgers more than

anyone else in the world? Australians.” David

Chang didn’t mince his words when he ranted

against the great Australian burger in his magazine,

Lucky Peach, in 2009. He mostly took exception to the addition

of a fried egg and a circle of tinned beetroot: controversial

components, maybe, but ones close to our hearts. The sensation

of wandering up from the beach, sun-kissed and salty, ordering

from the kiosk, and having beetroot juice run down both arms

is as familiar as the buzz of flies or the crash of waves on the

shoreline. Here’s to a burger with the lot.

We do things a little differently Down Under.

Aussie burger

CHEESE

It’s got to be a

pre-cut slice of

cheddar melted

over the patty

while it’s still

on the grill.

Two of our favourite classic

Aussie burgers are from

Andrew’s Hamburgers in

Melbourne and Paul’s Famous

Hamburgers in Sydney.

Find

one

SAUCE

Barbecue or tomato – the great

Australian debate. Barbecue is

sweeter and often the go-to here,

but tomato sauce is an equally

acceptable option.

PHOTOGRAPHY ALICIA TAYLOR. STYLING GERALDINE MUÑOZ.

Anatomy of a dish

GOURMET TRAVELLER 41