Photography by Stephen Painter

Half Man Half Burger Head Chef / Magician Sam, has created this burger especially for you Get Hastings readers. The crew down at HMHB have dug deep into their box of puns to present to you… The Cheezus of Nazareth with dipping gravy and mushroom ketchup.

But first, here’s some burger tips from the experts at HMHB.

What beef: we use a secret blend of chuck and brisket with around a 70/30 ratio giving us that classic HMHB beef taste from cows we can fully trace back to the farm.Our beef is always grass fed and hormone free. If you cannot get brisket mince, chuck is a great way to start.

Fat%: we use a 15% fat percentage to keep the beef perfectly juicy and to get a lovely char on the grill.

Patty shape: when forming your patty it needs to be just slightly bigger than your bun as when it cooks down it will shrink in size slightly.

How hot: smoking hot! If you have a laser probe it’s probably around 18 degrees

When to season: season once on the grill this helps keep the juices trapped in the patty and also helps with forming the crust. We use a 70/30 salt and pepper mix, no other seasonings.

Choosing the right bun: it all depends on what you like but I like a bun that isn’t too sweet and has the perfect texture and bounce, that’s why we use a hybrid bun that’s a cross between a classic white roll and a brioche. It’s not too sweet so it really lets the flavours of the beef and the fillings sing.

Creating specials: I’ve been creating the specials for nearly a decade now, I really like the simplicity of burgers and I enjoy how creative you can be between a top and bottom bun. My secret formula is something sweet, acidic, creamy and crunchy. As long as you hit these marks you are in for a treat.

Vegan and veggie: I’ve always made it part of my mission to create a vegan version of whatever I make for the meat eaters. I want to be very inclusive with my specials and I think every component can be packed with flavour and everything can be plant based.

Christmas burger: the concept started as a play on a beef wellington with the mushroom ketchup ,pancetta and the mustard mayo. I thought a cross section of a burger that looks like a beef wellington is a really cool idea.  It slowly just morphed into a delicious Christmas burger with the crispy kale and the blue cheese, I’m really pleased with it and I love the idea of serving it with a pot of gravy for you to dunk your burger in.

HOW TO BUILD THE HMHB
CHEEZUS OF NAZARETH FESTIVE BURGER

  • Cook your 150g patty over high heat until nicely browned on the first side, this will take about 3 minutes, then flip for about the same. Burgers cook differently depending on your appliance and pan but just make sure it’s cooked throughout and use this as a guide.
  • Once flipped add the slice of blue cheese right away so it can melt whilst the beef is still hot.
  • Fry off the pancetta until crispy and then drain on a paper towel and save this for later.
  • Once your burger is cooked through, place to one side whilst you start to build your burger!
  • Start by adding your mushroom ketchup to the base of your bun
  • Then add Dijon mayo
  • Followed by the crispy kale
  • Then your beef topped with the blue cheese and pancetta
  • Place the lid on top and your burger is ready!
  • Serve with a pot of gravy to dunk your burger in and there you have it.
  • If vegan or veggie trade out for vegan patty/bacon and cheese.

Recipe: SAM’S DIP-TASTIC ONION GRAVY

Ready in 3 hours (ish)

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg finely sliced white onion
  • 50ml red wine
  • 15g garlic purée
  • 40g vegan butter
  • 2 table spoons on flour
  • 500ml of stock
  • 250ml water
  • 25g dried wild mushrooms
  • 20g soy
  • 10g sugar
  • 20g Worcestershire sauce

Preparation

1.     Heat some oil on a medium/low heat and add the onions with a pinch of salt (this will help them break down and also start the seasoning) and cook and stir continuously for 1-2 hours until the onions are caramelized

2.     Add the red wine and cook until fully cooked out then add the garlic.

3.     Heat up your stock and infuse it with the dried mushrooms to get a ‘meaty’ stock.

4.     Now start your roux, in the pan with the onions and wine add the butter until melted then add your flour and cook out and make sure there are no clumps or dry flour.

5.     Add a little of your stock to start and then gradually add more and more cooking out each time.

6.     Once all the stock is added add 250ml of water

7.     Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes then season for salt and pepper.

8.     You might want to add more water depending on how thick you want it

Tips

  • If the onions start to catch add a little water to the pan.
  • Switch out for beef stock and normal butter if you like!

Recipe: HM!HB! Mushroom Ketchup

Ready in 30 mins  

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 250g chestnut mushroom, sliced
  • 250g flat mushroom, sliced
  • 20g dried mushroom
  • 70g sugar
  • 100ml apple cider vinegar
  • 25g garlic
  • 60g Worcestershire sauce
  • Oil, salt, pepper

Preparation

1.     Place a large pan on a medium heat and add some oil, then cook down the onion until just past the translucent point

2.     Add the sliced mushrooms and cook down until no liquid remains and they just start to colour.

3.     Add some boiling water to the dried mushrooms , once they have rehydrated remove the mushrooms reserving the stock for later and slice and add to the pan along with the other ingredients and cook down.

4.     Blend the ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper, you can also add the reserved stock here to get the preferred consistency.

Tip: Add some salt to the onions to help them break down

Recipe: HMHB DIJON MAYO

  • 4 parts mayo
  • 1 part Dijon mustard
  • 200g mayo
  • 50g Dijon mustard

Recipe: CRISPY KALE

  • Heat some oil in a large thick based pan only filling halfway, the kale will create a lot of overflow. As the water from the kale fries be very careful when doing this as it will sizzle and splash.
  • Remove the leaves from the kale.
  • Slowly lower into the hot oil
  • Remove once crispy, it will continue to cook and the colour will change once it’s been taken out.
  • Drain on paper towel and season with salt whilst still hot.

    …Or buy some seaweed from your local Chinese … Or whack some in your air fryer!

Check out HM!HB! to try the festive burger.