The Donair Burger is another great way to enjoy the classic taste of Donairs. Made with Buttered & Toasted Buns filled with Donair Meat & Topped with Donair Sauce, Tomatoes, & Onions. Optionally with Mozzarella Cheese & Lettuce.
This recipe uses JAH Halifax Donair Spice. If you’re really in a pinch, you can make the standard donair recipe as mentioned in my Donair Meat Post.
Types of Donair Burgers
Sliced Donair Meat stacked on the Hamburger Bun or Donair Meat Shaped into a Hamburger Patty. These are the two ways you will see them prepared.
Donair Burger Patty
Donair Burger Patties are easy enough. Instead of shaping into a loaf, portion out to 90g -114g burger patties. Shape the Patties and place on a baking sheet to freeze. In the below image, I was able to get 4×114g Burger patties and 1×90g burger patty.
These are Steaky Burgers because of the binding in them. Which has the effect of creating a tightness in the meat. The Donair meat is prepared just the same but instead of shaping into a loaf, burger patties are portioned out and shaped.
Thinly Sliced Donair Burgers
You’ll usually see this style at some Donair shops. They slice the meat thinly right off the spit and stack it on hamburger buns. That’s how it was originally prepared, but today formed burger patties are common and used instead. Still, a few shops stick to the classic method with thinly sliced Donair meat, and I tend to prefer this way of making Donair Burgers.
Paper Donair Meat
For the thinly sliced meat, I wanted to try the viral parchment paper method credited to @mezemike. This is an absolute brilliant way of making the donair meat since it eliminates so many things such as the long cook time, the cooling and thinly slicing of the meat and cooking again before serving.
While his method states 400F for 20 minutes, followed by unwrapping, draining the liquids out and cooking an additional 15 minutes. I found this to be too much, when using this method for the donair meat, since it has binding in it. But, it’s an incredibly easy way to make doner kebab meat that yields almost the same results as a doner.
How to make Paper Donair Meat
Prepare the Donair meat as you would normally by puréeing in a food processor. Using a scale, divide the mixture into 4 equal size, about 130g × 4.
Tear off 4 Strips of Parchment paper, about twice the size as the parchment paper is wide. Place a strip of parchment paper on the counter and place a portion of the Donair meat off to the right of center. Fold the Parchment paper over and flatten out the meat with your palm. Then use a rolling pin to spread the meat along the crease and out to the sides. Then roll the meat out to spread the mixture in a nice even thin layer.
Tightly roll the paper in a cylinder shape so that it takes up less space and transfer to the freezer. Repeat for the remaining Donair Meat.
How to Cook Paper Donair
Preheat the oven to 400F with the rack in middle position. Place the frozen paper donair meat on a tray and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the Paper from each portion and slice each portion into strips.
Donair Burger Sauce
The True Halifax Style Donair Burger uses Donair Sauce. Made with Canned Evaporated Milk. Make ahead of time as to allow for it to settle and thicken.
Donair Sauce Ingredients
- 1 can Evaporated Milk
- 3/4 to 1 can Sugar, or about 3/4 C to 1 C of Sugar
- 2 Tbl Vinegar
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
Donair Burger Toppings
Just the same as the Halifax Donair using only Onions & Tomatoes. Slice thin and stacked on top. Use White or Red Onions too. Lettuce can also be included for the Donair Burgers as a topping.
Donair Burger with Cheese
Shredded or sliced Mozzarella Cheese can also be used as a topping for a Donair Burger with Cheese. Just sprinkle on some cheese or top with sliced mozzarella before the burger patties come off the heat. A really good Cheese, is a 3:1 ratio of shredded Mozzarella & Provolone Cheese.
Donair Burger Sides
Typically served with Deep Fried French Fries. Mozzarella Sticks and/or Onion Rings goes really well with this too. Alternatively, you can serve it with a Donair Salad.
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Skillet
Ingredients
- 5 Buttered Hamburger Buns
- 1 lb Donair Meat - Portioned into 90g to 114g burger patties
- 1 portion Donair Sauce - Make ahead of time
- 1 Tomato & Onion - Thinly sliced
- Mozzarella Cheese - Optional, shredded or sliced
- As Desired Iceberg Lettuce - Optional
Instructions
- Prep: Prepare the Donair Sauce first and refrigerate. Then prepare the donair meat as you normally would using a food processor. Portion and shape into 90g-114g Patties and place them on a baking sheet to freeze.
- Buns: Butter the Buns and toast in the skillet over medium heat. Plate to await the Donair Patties.
- Donair Patties: After toasting the buns, sear the burger patties for about 3–5 minutes per side, or just until the juices run clear. Optionally add cheese on top to melt a bit before removing from the pan.
- Donair Burger Assembly: Place Donair Sauce on both the bottom and top bun and top with Donair Burger Patty, Sliced Onions & Tomato. Optionally with Lettuce. Serve right away, or wrap in waxed paper or tinfoil to hold and keep warm.