Australian Hamburger with pineapple and beets....

Australian Hamburger Picture

When I graduated from college, I moved to the beach.  I had a lot of fun and met a whole bunch of people from all over the world.  One person I met was from Australia, his name is Paul.  We were room mates with 3 other people.  Paul was an amazing fellow, very nice, although we had our moments where we didn't quite see eye to eye.  Isn't that the way it is with room mates?  One thing Paul could do was cook.  He introduced me to the Australian Hamburger.  I will never forget him working in the kitchen, then laying newspaper all over the floor (we didn't have any furniture, we were young!!).  He brought in a roll of paper towels and instructed me to sit on the newspapers.  He tucked several paper towels in my collar and brought me out the biggest hamburger I had ever seen.  He wouldn't tell me what was on it, until I had taken a bite.  Once convinced it was the greatest hamburger I'd ever tasted, which wasn't hard because it WAS and IS the greatest hamburger I'd ever tasted, he then told me the ingredients.  The ingredients included, pickled beets, cheese and an egg, over easy.  No, I am not kidding.  Yes, it was messy.  My Mom called midway through the burger.  Paul, who was seated on the floor laughing his head off at the sight of me covered in beet juice with egg yolk running down my elbows, answered the phone and told her I'd have to call her back since I was covered up, literally with dinner.  That is one of my best memories of Paul.  I never had another Australian Hamburger, but thought of them often.  I finally decided it was time.  I invited my friends John and Leslie over to try them with us.  The verdict, wonderful, fantastic, delicious, messy, awesome......you get the idea. Next time I make them, I will use a "press" to keep the burger meat flat.  It balled up and made the burger so hard to eat that we all ended up eating it with a fork and knife.  Still delicious, but not the result I was actually looking for.  A meat press is cast iron, it is placed on top of bacon, hamburger patty's to keep them flat.   My son even enjoyed his version of the burger, which was basically bun, mayo, tomato and cheese with a little bit of meat.  He's not much of a meat eater, must be a recessive gene .  

Australian Hamburger:


1 lb Hamburger meat
1 package pork sausage
2 tablespoons butter
1 Large onion
4 eggs
4 pieces Canadian bacon
4 pineapple rings
8 slices Cheddar Cheese
1 large tomato
1 jar beet root, sliced
4 large pieces of Romain lettuce
Mayonnaise
Mustard

In a large mixing bowl, mix the hamburger and sausage until well blended
Pat into nice round hamburger patty's
Cook until well done
use a "meat press" to keep the burger from becoming a big lump

Slice the beets, tomato, and prepare your lettuce

Use the same skillet for each of the following steps: 

1) Slice the onion into round slices, then separate each ring so you have a nice pile of  individual onion rings

    Melt the butter in a large skillet and caramelize the onions in the butter 

    Remove the onions and place on a paper towel, cover with foil to keep warm

2) Fry Canadian bacon

    remove and place on top of onions

3) Fry the eggs

    remove and place on top of bacon

4) Fry the pineapple ring

while the pineapple rings are frying, toast the buns and put mayo, mustard on them.

When the pineapple rings are warm and look a little golden brown, remove and put them on the bun along with the sliced beets.

Place the eggs, then bacon, then onions a slice of cheese, the hamburger patty and another slice of cheese and lettuce.  

Have plenty of napkins at hand, a large plate, a knife and fork in case the bun can't hold the burger.  ENJOY!!

Picture borrowed from "Burger Edge": "Burger Edge is one of Australia's fastest growing gourmet burger franchises."  The recipe is not from them. It's personal.