A well made burger is something that will never go out of fashion

Even though I like experimenting with outdoor cooking and trying out adventurous new recipes, sometimes it’s nice to revisit the classics.

A well made burger is something that will never go out of fashion. The best beef burger is made from chopped, not minced, beef with some fat running through it. In order to get a good even distribution of fat mix some grated bone marrow through your meat. There’s a bit of work in this but it will result in something very special. Go to a good butcher and source some well aged beef, preferably rare breed. It might cost a bit more but personally I’d rather have one magnificent burger a month than many mediocre ones. Years ago I watched someone make me the best burger I ever had at a food festival in England. He topped the grilled burger, 40 day aged Hereford beef, with cheese, then placed a metal dome on top to melt the cheese and keep the burger juicy. It’s easy to replicate this at home by topping your pan with a metal bowl or another frying pan.

If you like dill pickles in your burger, you can buy them in jars in supermarkets or delis but I’ve included a recipe if you fancy doing your own. This is a good way of preserving cucumbers if you happen to grow them.

There’s also a recipe here for burger sauce – mayonnaise based with pops of flavour from pickling liquor, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and chilli.

The whole brioche bun faze has left me cold as I think they’re a bit sweet. Go to your local bakery and buy a nice floury bap instead.

Chicken is a great addition to any barbecue – the sweet meat really suits a bit of smoke action.

The recipe here is for Alabama chicken. It’s a recipe of three parts. The first involves taking skin on, boneless chicken thighs and giving them a rub of mustard, pepper, garlic, paprika and pepper. The next stage is making a mop of boiled cider, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce that you spritz or mop the grilled chicken with. It adds flavour and ensures it will have a juicy, tasty finish. Finally you need an Alabama white barbecue sauce. This isn’t the usual tomato based sticky variety but one with mayonnaise at its core with the addition of garlic, vinegar, mustard, horseradish and chilli – absolutely delicious and so simple.

All you’ll need is some bread for mopping up the lovely juices.