How to make brilliant burgers

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Summer means barbecues and barbecues mean burgers. Whether you're cooking al fresco or British-style (on the grill because it's raining outside) a good burger is an essential recipe to have up your sleeve.

Jerry Marks of London's hottest burger kitchen Guerilla Burgers shows us how to make a simple burger, which you can jazz up with spices, toppings and condiments to make your very own fun in a bun.

The mince

For Jerry's burgers he uses good quality beef mince, which isn't too lean, seasoning and nothing else. The fat helps to give you a juicy burger and the flavour of the meat gets the chance to speak for itself. If you're less of a purist than Jerry, you could add a few herbs or spices to your burger mix too.

Shaping the burger

Jerry starts by massaging the meat to help it hold together during cooking. He then moulds 150g of burger mince in a large jar lid covered in clingfilm – you can also use a chef ring to do this. Once he's turned it out, he shapes the sides a little more with his hands to tidy up the edges. Then it's time for cooking.

Cooking

Make sure your char-grill is smoking hot, then put the burger on the grill. Season with salt and pepper, or a few spices and allow to cook for 4 minutes, flip the burger and cook for another 4 minutes - if you fancy a cheese burger, add your cheese slice when you cook the second side. Serve in a fresh burger bun with all your favourite toppings.