The True Blue, Two-Handed Burger Featuring Beetroot, Pineapple And A Fried Egg Is On The Endangered List. But Is It Time It Made A Comeback?
Beetroot-stained Aussie beef burgers were once a corner-store classic. Ordered “with the lot”, they came stacked with one of the world’s most controversial flavour combinations: slices of cold, tinned beetroot, a greasy, over-fried egg, and a golden ring of pineapple.
But the once-ubiquitous summer hunger-crusher has become much harder to find.
“You go to many fish and chip shops and none of them have the Aussie burger anymore,” says Nagi Maehashi, owner of website RecipeTin Eats, a self-described fan of the Aussie burger. “They’ve all gone gourmet and upwards of $20.”
Specialty burger shops, too, have largely turned their backs on the classic. A search through menus from more than 20 of the top-rated burger joints in Sydney and Melbourne reveals a conspicuous absence of beetroot, pineapple, and fried egg.
Even among the holdouts, such as BurgerCo in Sydney and 300 Grams in Melbourne, there are notable variations on tradition.
Everyone else in the world claims it’s a crappy burger. But it’s so classically Aussie.
Nagi Maehashi BurgerCo co-owner Leonardo Campi adds “secret sauce”, American cheese and pickles to its Aussie ($18.90), while 300 Grams’ The Norfcote burger ($15.50) adds mayo to the tomato sauce.
Campi says the Aussie accounts for up to 30 per cent of total burger sales, but admits most customers prefer to take out the pineapple.
Says chef and restaurateur Neil Perry: “People’s tastes have changed a lot. Places like [US fast food chains] Shake Shack, Smashburger and Umami Burger spawned out of people wanting to pay more for a quality patty.”
Popular burger joints such as Meat Frankie (Brunswick East), Chebbo’s(Roselands), Burgerhead (Penrith, Botany, Casula) and Parlour Diner (Windsor) have each forsaken the Aussie in favour of a simpler and meat-driven menu.
“The Aussie probably just has too many ingredients on one burger,” says Sam Yakoubian, owner of Parlour Diner.
But at Out of the Blue, a takeaway shop within 10 minutes’ walk from Gordons Bay beach in Sydney, a burger “with the lot” remains popular, particularly among tradies.
“It’s a traditional mix that you have to uphold,” says manager Julien Gubian. “It was the norm when you were growing up in Australia. Liking beetroot on a burger was just ingrained in us.”
A wartime burger fights for survival
Australians first commandeered hamburgers in the late ’40s, a few years after they were popularised by American troops stationed in Australia during World War II.
“Not only did [the troops] bring some of their own foods – Coca-Cola, hamburgers [and] pancakes for breakfast – but also some of their expectations,” writes Professor Emeritus Barbara Santich in her 2018 book Bold Palates: Australia’s Gastronomic Heritage.
“At clubs and rest homes operated by the American Red Cross, American staff taught Australians how to make hamburgers in the American style.
“Nevertheless, Australians adapted the hamburger to their own tastes, adding the signature touch of sliced beetroot.”
There is no clear consensus as to how or why the added slice of beetroot became popular. Some reports say it coincided with a surplus created by the opening of Edgell and Golden Circle canneries in the 1940s. Others claim it was a prank Diggers pulled on US troops that just stuck. Either way, it became an enduring culinary custom.
The wartime dish was necessarily thrifty. The patty was thin and typically made from cheap mince, bolstered by breadcrumbs or Weet-Bix.
In a recipe written for Good Food. chef Adam Liaw says the “secret to [the] success” of assembling an Aussie burger is using a patty just one centimetre thick, ensuring the bun can hold the laundry list of salads and sides without excessive spillage.
In the late ’60s, the combo was referred to as the “jumbo burger” and served to thousands of Australian soldiers at the Pearson Community Centre in South Vietnam.
“To tackle an [Aussie burger] the average soldier would need a mouth twice the size of an RSM [regimental sergeant major],” Australian Army reporter Colonel Don Campbell wrote while sampling the “elephant-size” burger.
Its popularity spawned knock-offs from international fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, which released the McOz burger in 1999 and the controversial Aussie BBQ and Egg burger in Canada in 2018 (swapping the beetroot for beet-flavoured crisps drew significant online criticism).
The taste of nostalgia
When it comes to food trends, it can be difficult to tell the fleeting from the lasting. Will the Aussie burger stand the test of time, as the lamington and the meat pie have? Or will it be relegated to childhood memories and tongue-in-cheek throwback menus, as the rissole and the pikelet have been?
It’s customers from the Baby Boomer and Gen X demographic requesting Aussie burgers or beetroot, business owners in Sydney and Melbourne report.
For Maehashi, the Aussie burger was a summer ritual associated with long days at the beach, grabbing the massive bun with two hands as sticky, red beetroot juice ran down her forearms.
“There’s so much literature on what makes a good burger, and basically, an Aussie burger breaks all the rules,” she says. “It’s so wrong that it’s right.”
She believes the secret to a good Aussie burger is the ratio of meat to other toppings. The traditional version requires two hands to hold the sesame-studded bun, fried onions, beetroot, egg, pineapple, processed cheddar cheese, bacon, barbecue sauce, tomato, beef pattie and lettuce.
“The humble Aussie burger has become a casualty to all these new ingredients and cuisines we’re exposed to,” says Maehashi. “The generation of the classic Aussie burger are people, like me, clinging to nostalgia.”
All about the meat
The quantity-over-quality approach is anathema to the speciality burger stores that have multiplied over the past 10 years.
Many owners have drawn inspiration from American burger shops such as In-N-Out, which put meat quality first. The meat-to-fat ratio, the combination of cuts and the house-made patty seasoning are carefully controlled, and the patty is cooked harder, squashing the meat onto the grill to maximise caramelisation.
Frank Scardamagliacite travelled the US for years, learning about American burgers and what made them great. He returned to open Meat Frankie in Melbourne with a pared-back menu of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and minimal toppings. “When you eat a burger, the main thing you want to taste is the meat,” he says.
Scardamagliacite says modern American-style patties typically contain a 70:30 ratio of lean meat to fat. “You’ll usually see people using brisket, short rib and chuck,” he says.
The fat is what gives the burger its flavour. “When the fat hits a really hot grill, it melts and creates a really nice crust. It also has a different taste to it; it’s a little bit saltier.”
Burgerhead co-owner Tim Rosenstrauss says this approach is more reflective of Australian culture as it is today.
“Australians are some of the smartest consumers on the planet; we’re very conscious about quality,” he says.
A big, juicy, charred burger patty also just looks better, says Clinton Nitschke, owner of Two Hungry Bears at Narrabeen.
In an age of social media, where customers frequently browse Instagram photos of food before deciding where to dine, looks are more important than ever.
“You see all these crazy burgers that really appeal to the eye, and it’s rare to see an Aussie burger amongst them.”
Rare, but not unheard of. Last August, 22-year-old Chebbo’s founder Ali Chebbani tried his hand at recreating the Aussie burger, posting it on TikTok.
The video attracted more than 2.3million views, showing the classic was capable of success in the age of social media.
“I think through social media the younger generation are catching on to the Aussie burger, learning about its history and how significant it was,” he says.
“It’s good to see, because it would be a shame to see such an iconic staple lost to time.”
An Aussie burger for a new era?
So, what would the Aussie burger look like if it were remade for the next generation?
Chebbani’s viral Aussie burger featured several simple changes to modernise the classic. The meat was cooked smash patty-style, American hi-melt cheese was enlisted (for its “mild flavour and better melt”) and thicker-cut onions were browned with butter on the grill (“like the ones you get at Bunnings”).
Crispy, streaky bacon replaced larger bacon rashers, and fresh pineapple was lightly charred on the grill.
While Chebbani used beetroot straight from the can, Burgerhead’s Rosenstrauss and Two Hungry Bears’ Nitschke believe beetroot relish would have wider appeal.
Egg remains an essential component, “fried in a pan with a little bit of butter, cracked white pepper and a sprinkling of Murray River pink salt”, Butter’s Cincotta suggests.
Sauce choice remains contentious. Purists insist on barbecue, American burger enthusiasts suggest burger sauce, while Chebbani advocates tomato.
“It’s bound to spark controversy, but barbecue is a bit too strong, whereas tomato leaves room for the other flavours to shine through,” he says.
And finally, a Japanese-style milk bun to bring it all together. “It’s simple, holds everything together, and doesn’t overpower the ingredients,” explains Yakoubian, of Parlour Diner.
Perhaps in order to survive, the Aussie burger may have to settle for American-adjacency, being a melange of modern cooking techniques and old-school ingredients – a burger that pays homage to its American roots while refusing to sacrifice its bleeding, beetroot heart.
“Everyone else in the world claims it’s a crappy burger,” says Maehashi. “But it’s so classically Aussie.”
It’s time to put it back on the menu.
Ten burgers with the lot Sydney
BurgerCo, Hurstville
The Aussie ($18.90)
The Aussie comes with a twist at BurgerCo, where it’s served with American cheese, pickles and house-made burger sauce. Co-owner Leo Campi says the burger attracts tourists, looking for their first try of the Aussie specialty. burgerco.sydney
Burger Patch, Chatswood
Aussie ($16.50)
American cheese and pickles add American flair to this Aussie. “A lot of foreigners like it because it’s juicy and provides a different flavour profile,” says former owner Sujin Kim. burgerpatch.com.au
Out of the Blue, Clovelly
Hamburger with pineapple, onions and egg ($15)
Fresh and flavourful, the hamburger with the lot at Out of the Blue is a popular choice among locals. It features all the classic ingredients, with fried onions added free of charge. outoftheblueclovelly.com.au
Paul’s Famous Hamburgers, Sylvania
Famous Works with beetroot ($13.50)
A list of Sydney’s Aussie burgers is not complete without Paul’s Famous Hamburgers, a Sylvanian institution for more than 50 years. This burger joint takes a no-frills approach, with raw onion and beetroot optional. paulsfamoushamburgers.com.au
Suburgia, Redfern
Randwick ($19)
Pickles add a sour tang to this reinterpretation of the Aussie. Make it a double, or even a triple – Suburgia isn’t afraid of stacking their burgers high. suburgia.com.au
The Fat Bob burger at Fat Bob’s in Moorabbin. Photo: Harvard Wang
Melbourne
300 Grams, Northcote, Coburg and Richmond
The Norfcote ($15.50)
If you’re the type to take out the pineapple, the Norfcote is for you. The rest of the Aussie’s classic ingredients make an appearance – save for the barbecue sauce, which is swapped out for ketchup and mayo. 300grams.com.au
Andrew’s Hamburgers, Albert Park
Beef hamburger with the lot ($19)
This old-school burger shop has been serving hamburgers since 1939. Order their beef hamburger with the lot (pictured, right) for a true blue Aussie experience. andrewshamburgers.com
Fat Bob’s, Moorabbin
Fat Bob ($20.50)
Fat Bob’s makes a gourmet Aussie with 180 grams of grass-fed beef, tasty cheese and cos lettuce added to the regular line-up. Wash it down with a craft beer in a diner-style restaurant illuminated by vintage neon signs. fatbobs.com.au
Parlour Diner, Windsor
Down Under ($17)
This diner is pure nostalgia, with booth seating, pastel walls and chrome-based swivel chairs. The Down Under features house-made barbecue sauce, but leaves out the egg. parlourdiner.com.au
Simpson’s Burgers, Melbourne
Aussie Burger with bacon $18.90
Corporate workers can get their Aussie fix at this hole-in-the-wall burger joint on Russell Street. Flame-grilled beef patties are topped with cheese, egg and grilled pineapple for an elevated take on the classic. simpsonsburgers.com.au
