Everywhere you look it’s smash burgers, but The Aussie Burger with the Lot is a different beast: big, unapologetically stacked and proudly messy. For me it’s pure nostalgia, the kind of burger you’d unwrap at the corner shop or milk bar, with soft buns barely holding layers of beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, beetroot, pineapple and a fried egg. Beetroot is non-negotiable, pineapple divides opinion, and I like to sneak in a touch of char siu sauce to the patties for that subtle sweet-charred flavour. It’s not about precision. It’s about indulgence, childhood memories, and embracing the glorious mess.
Beef patties:
800g beef mince
2 tbsp char siu sauce
2 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
Caramelised onions:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large brown onions, peeled and sliced
1 tsp sea salt
To assemble:
6 soft burger buns, halved
6 slices cheddar cheese
2 cups finely sliced iceberg lettuce
12 slices tomato
12 slices canned beetroot
6 fried eggs
6 pineapple rings (fresh if grilling)
Barbecue sauce, to serve
- Mix the beef mince with the char siu sauce, salt and pepper until just combined. Divide into 6 portions and shape into patties slightly larger than your buns.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and salt, and cook gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft, golden and sweet. Set aside.
- Preheat your grill to high. Place the pineapple rings and burger buns on the grill and cook until lightly charred. Transfer to a tray and keep warm in a low oven.
- Place the patties on the hot grill and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until almost cooked through. In the final minute, top each patty with a slice of cheddar cheese and let it melt. Keep patties warm in the oven while you fry the eggs.
- Heat a pan over medium heat and fry the eggs until the whites are set but the yolks remain runny.
- On the base of each toasted bun, layer lettuce, a cheesy beef patty, caramelised onion, tomato slices, beetroot slices, a slice of grilled pineapple and a fried egg. Spread barbecue sauce on the top bun, then crown the burger. Wrap in baking paper to help stabilise, slice down the middle and enjoy messily.
- Notes: Grilling the pineapple and buns gives your burger that smoky edge that feels straight out of a pub or milk bar. And wrapping the whole thing in baking paper before cutting isn’t just a trick, it’s how you actually manage to eat a burger with this much going on.
