The burgers you’re not cooking – but should be

There are few foodie moments as satisfying as biting into a really good burger, and BBQ season is the time to experiment with bold flavours that go beyond the usual. Jamie Oliver knows all about the life-affirming qualities of a burger, and he wants to help the general public bring out the best in this simple dish. In his latest book BBQ he shares 90 amazing recipes, as well as the tips and tricks to make your grilling sing. Here are some of his favourite burgers for this summer… Shorts Miso mushroom burger (Photo: Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited/David Loftus) Miso mushroom burgers Serves 4 2 tbsp miso 2 tbsp mirin 1 tbsp low-salt soy sauce 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 large ripe avocado 2 limes 160g white cabbage ½ cucumber (160g) 4 large portobello mushrooms 1 bunch of spring onions 4 burger buns To make the glaze, combine the miso with one tablespoon of mirin, the soy and maple. Halve and destone the avo, scoop out the flesh, mash with the remaining mirin and the juice of half a lime, and season. Use a speed peeler to finely shred the cabbage, then dress with the juice of one lime and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Use a speed peeler to peel the cucumber into ribbons. Light the barbecue. Trim the mushroom stalks, then grill the mushrooms on the hot zone, lid on, vents open, for two minutes, turning halfway. Move them to the cool zone and cook for a further six minutes, turning every minute and brushing with the glaze on each turn. Char the spring onions, then remove to a board, trim, chop and mix with the cabbage. Halve and toast the buns. Spread the bun bases with mavo, layer up with some cabbage and spring onions, the mushrooms and some cucumber ribbons, spread any leftover glaze on the bun tops, then squash together, serving excess veg on the side. ENERGY 310kcal | FAT 7g | SAT FAT 1.1g PROTEIN 11.9g | CARBS 49.1g | SUGARS 14.4gSALT 2.7g | FIBRE 4.7 Sesame chicken burger (Photo: Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited/David Loftus) Sesame chicken burgers Serves 4 1 lime 1 tbsp gochujang paste 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt, plus extra to serve 1 red pepper 4 spring onions 160g white cabbage ½ cucumber 2 sprigs of mint Extra-virgin olive oil 4 burger buns 2 tbsp sesame seeds Olive oil 500g free-range chicken mince (20% fat) Light the barbecue. Finely grate and reserve the lime zest. In a little bowl, mix the gochujang and yoghurt with a squeeze of lime juice until smooth, then season with sea salt. Deseed and very finely slice the red pepper, trim and finely slice the spring onions, very finely shred the cabbage, scratch the outside of the cucumber with a fork to create grooves, then finely slice into rounds. Finely slice the mint leaves. Dress it all with the remaining lime juice and one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, scrunch well and season. Halve the buns. Put the sesame seeds on a small plate. Season the mince well with salt and black pepper, then scrunch with the lime zest. Divide equally into four and shape into 2cm-thick patties, dipping into the sesame seeds to coat all over. Spritz the burgers with olive oil and cook on the hot zone for six minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through, moving to the medium zone if they are colouring too quickly, and toasting the buns alongside. Layer up the gochujang yoghurt, quick-pickled veg and burgers. Spoon over more yoghurt, and get the tops on, serving the remaining veg on the side. ENERGY 438kcal | FAT 12.7g | SAT FAT 3.1g PROTEIN 38.2g | CARBS 42.1g | SUGARS 12.1g SALT 1.7g | FIBRE 4.5g Jamie’s Elvis burger (Photo: James Lyndsay/Jamieoliver.com) Elvis burger with chopped salad and pickled gherkin Serves 4 1 dried red chilli ½ red onion, peeled, finely chopped Sprig of fresh tarragon, leaves picked, chopped 1 large free-range egg Handful breadcrumbs 1 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan Pinch of ground nutmeg 400g quality beef mince Oil, for frying Salt and black pepper 1 cos lettuce 4 plum tomatoes 1 cucumber 4 ciabatta rolls 4 large pickled gherkins Grind up the red chilli with a pestle and mortar, and mix in a bowl with the onion, tarragon, egg, breadcrumbs, mustard, Parmesan, nutmeg and beef. Shape into four patties and refrigerate for half an hour or so to allow to firm up slightly. Get a frying or griddle pan nice and hot. Brush the pan with a little oil, season the burgers generously with salt and pepper, and cook them for 10 minutes, turning them every minute or so, until they are nice and pink and juicy, or longer if you like them well done. Make sure they don’t break up as you turn them. Meanwhile, roughly chop the lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber, mix together and set aside.Once the burgers are cooked, split the rolls in two and toast quickly on the griddle or in a toaster. Sandwich the cooked “Elvis” burger between the toasted rolls and serve them with the gherkins and some of the chopped salad on the side (adding a little extra-virgin olive oil or dressing if you like). ENERGY 659kcal | FAT 29.3g | SAT FAT 11g PROTEIN 40.7g | CARBS 54.2g | SUGARS 10.6g Recipe from jamieoliver.com BBQ BY JAMIE OLIVER IS PUBLISHED BY PENGUIN MICHAEL JOSEPH © JAMIE OLIVER ENTERPRISES, LIMITED (2026, BBQ)