There's a reason every roadhouse from Bourke to Birdsville does a burger with the lot. Hot beef, melted cheese, sweet beetroot — it's the Aussie sandwich. The version we make at camp skips the lettuce-tomato-pineapple architecture and zeroes in on what actually matters: a proper smash patty with a lacy crispy edge, a quick beetroot relish on the side, and toasted brioche to hold it all together.
This is a 15-minute hotplate dinner that makes you look like a hero. Mince keeps fine in the Engel for a few days, the relish is built from a tin of beetroot you'd already have in the pantry, and the only real skill is having the plate hot enough to scare the meat.
What you need
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 600g beef mince (regular, not premium — you want about 20% fat)
- 4 brioche burger buns, halved
- 4 slices tasty cheese (or American singles if you're being honest)
- Salt and pepper
- Butter, ~30g, for toasting the buns
- 1 small jar (or 425g tin) sliced beetroot, drained
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (red wine vinegar works too)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Optional: dill pickles, sliced
- Optional: dijon or American mustard
Gear
- Cast-iron flat hotplate or skillet (something with proper heat retention)
- Fire pit, BBQ or gas burner
- Sturdy metal spatula or burger press
- A small saucepan or enamel pot for the relish
- A square of baking paper (game-changer for the smash technique)
How to make it
- Get the plate properly hot. If you're cooking over coals, push the hotplate over the hottest part. You want it just shy of smoking. Drip a bit of water on it — should hiss and dance off in 1–2 seconds. If it sits and boils, you're not hot enough.
- Start the relish first. In the small saucepan over a medium burner or off to the cooler edge of the fire, sweat the diced onion in the olive oil for 3 minutes until soft. Add the drained beetroot, brown sugar and vinegar. Mash it down with the back of a spoon as it cooks. Simmer 8–10 minutes until thick and jammy. Pull it off the heat and set aside.
- Form 8 loose meatballs. Don't pack them tight — handle the mince like you're scared of it. Each ball roughly 75g. Don't season yet.
- Smash the patties. Drop 2 balls onto the screaming-hot plate at a time. Lay a square of baking paper over each, then press hard with the spatula or a burger press for about 8 seconds — you want them spreading to roughly 12cm wide and the edges turning lacy and crispy. Peel the paper off.
- Season and wait. Hit each patty with a generous pinch of salt and a crack of pepper. Let them cook 90 seconds without moving — this is when the crust forms. If you flip too early, no crust.
- Flip and cheese. Flip each patty once. Stack two patties together and lay a slice of cheese on top. Cook 30 seconds more. The cheese will start melting from residual heat.
- Toast the buns. Spread butter on the cut sides of the brioche and lay them face-down on a slightly cooler part of the hotplate for 1–2 minutes until golden. Watch them — brioche burns fast.
- Build them. Bottom bun → mustard if using → double patty stack with melted cheese → big spoon of warm beetroot relish → pickles if using → top bun. Press gently. Eat immediately.
Camp tips
- Pre-divide the mince at home if you want zero faff at camp. Roll the 8 balls, layer them in a container with baking paper between, and they'll travel fine in the Engel for 2 days.
- The relish keeps a week in a sealed jar in the fridge. Make a double batch — it's also great with snags, lamb chops or a cheese board.
- If you don't have brioche, regular soft burger buns work. Avoid sourdough — too dense, fights the smash patty.
- Cooking on gas? Same method, just give the cast-iron 5 minutes to come up to temp on a high burner before you start.
- Leftover patties chopped into a wrap with the relish makes a cracking lunch the next day.
While you're set up
A proper hotplate cook means a proper hotplate. If you're in the market for a flat-top or thinking about upgrading the camp kitchen, our recipe blog has plenty more dishes that earn their place on the menu. And if your camp setup runs on 12V — fridge, lights, water pump — keeping the auxiliary battery topped up is what makes long trips work. Worth a look at our 12V accessories if you're upgrading.
Got a burger trick that beats this? Drop it in the comments — we love nicking ideas.
