stut

I'm not a fan of the bling burgers - for me, it's all about the meat and some decent cheese. No pickle or sauce for me - get the basic flavours right, and you don't need all the rest.

A couple stand out:

A farm stall at a weekly market at Woburn, Bedfordshire (everything was just right - the top-quality, slightly rare beef, the freshly baked roll, the sharp, crumbly cheese...)

My home-made ones! Most recently, barbecued on the roof of a narrowboat somewhere in Cheshire. Mmm. Plenty onion and chilli in there...

nacho

Wow that's a huge price difference between the 2 burgers - I don't think it's fair to compare the 2.

5 guys is definitely better, however we don't think it's worth the price difference.

The best burger I have is from my home - our local supermarket has great minced beef that is so easy to shape into a burger, no chunks, low fat. Combined with the bun made by a local burger chain, Mr. nacho said it can beat any burger we have tried.

uk1

+^

Having a course good quality mince and with good thoughtfull seasoning. Also ... no one says they must be round and many of the best breads for burgers are square .....

stut

Yes, it can be quite difficult to find the right bread for a burger. It shouldn't take away from the texture of the meat itself, but should be solid enough to hold it (and whatever else you want to put in there).

I have a particular hatred of generic, foamy bread. Sourdough works pretty well, I think, as long as it's not the more chewy varieties. My personal favourite, however, is a Scottish morning roll - the kind with the rice flour crust on top. Naturally, they suit a square sausage best of all, but they do a good job with a burger.

Also... It's not just about the quality of the mince, but the type as well. IMHO steak mince isn't the right type to use - a slightly fattier cut (or at least some of the fattier cut mixed in) does wonders for the flavour.

Linda VH

One of the best - Bingo's in Aruba with curly fries but forget the egg

uk1

I think the perfect fat content should be around 15% otherwise it's either too dry and cardboard like - or makes the bread to wet. The mince itself mustn't be the discarded beef bits. It mustn't have gristle or sinew but simply be really good beef and fat. And of course once cooked you must leave the patty to sit to rest like a steak so that it is a juicy and not leaky.

My favourite burger bread was an accidental discovery. I was trying to perfect a bread machine challah mix (it's a jewish sort of brioche bread) but I wanted to make it in a machine so it could be available for marmalading at breakfast ... this is what it normally looks like ......



.... and it took me a year to arrive at the right mix suitable for a machine. I genuinely believe my machine version is tastier (but I recognise less attractive) than the plaited shop version. It is sweet and rich and great for sandwiches. Because it's square from a bread machine rather than plaited like the challah or round like a bun - it is the perfect base for a burger "bun". So it's cut thickly and toasted so is a sweet crisp rich and the patty is always square. So it is where it started - a "sandwich".

Actually we had exactly this today but I used a pre-made Laverstoke Buffalo burger which was flattened and squared with lashings of slowly braised red onion, with Dijon mustard and dare I say I Kraft slice on top. I know it's wrong and this sets me out as a heathen tasteless slob - but Kraft slices just seem right. This was with potato rostis and some sauvignon.

mosburger

I have a good friend who relocated from Philadelphia to NYC a couple of years ago.

Planning a layover on my next trip to see the Florida based family members mostly to gently push him to organize a tour of the Gotham food classics. The Peter Luger lunch burger is among the top priorities...

Sweet Willie

My favorite local burger stand (close to ORD) uses a challah bun baked for them, Paradise Pup is listed here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chica...s-chicago.html

uk1

Thanks - that's very reassuring! Most people think the idea barmy.

I also prefer very thin elongated and wide burgers rather than fat meatball type ones. Maximum surface flamed caramelisation is the aim surely!? To me thin is better than fat.

Sweet Willie

and here we'll part ways

uk1

This sadly sometimes happens .... but let there not be burger wars .....

uk1

Quite right ..... much healthier having the appointment of a president underwritten with $1.3bn worth of funds from altruistic philanthropic Americans none of whom have any dream of receiving favours in return ............

Mind you we did end up with Tony Blair, Gordon Borwn .......

Who's to know?

cblaisd

Topic check!

cblaisd
Moderator, Dining Buzz

uk1

Fair enough!

hmv

Thanks for the tip: I am going to try the Burger Bar next week, the concept sounds nice, its like a Subway for burgers. ^