Have we reached peak burger? Ever since Gourmet Burger Kitchen sizzled onto the scene in 2001, turning the grab-and-go meal fix into something with a serious side order of sass, the burger has kept on reinventing itself. It’s been plump and pinkish, jaw-defyingly tall, “healthily” lettuce-wrapped, truffled, a two-meat hybrid, vegan, or the latest must-have – smash.
There’s even a national day for burgers, 22 August, and this most democratic of foods will no doubt be celebrated at Meatopia, the annual festival of all things barbecue at London’s Tobacco Dock next week.
“We’ve been waiting for the burger bubble to burst, but it refuses to,” says Anthony “Murf” Murphy, co-founder of The Beefy Boys, a trio of burger joints in Hereford, Cheltenham and Shrewsbury. “Now, it’s all smash burgers, but give it a couple of years and something else will trend.” Murphy’s book, The Beefy Boys: From Backyard BBQ to World-Class Burgers, landed last week; it’s a pacy feast of a cookbook that tracks the story of four tong-wielding pals who make burgers so good – grass-fed, dry-aged Hereford beef, daily-baked buns, American cheese for the classic burger taste (but hold the tomatoes; too watery) – that they compete in, and win, global competitions.
That world stage is key. “Every culture has the concept of a burger,” says Mursal Saiq who founded Cue Point with her partner and fellow chef, Josh Moroney. At their lively, inclusive spot near Elephant & Castle in south-east London, the pair blend Saiq’s Afghan and Moroney’s British-Guyanese heritage to create halal smash burgers laden with cucumber, dill pickles, burger sauce and American cheese. George Wood at Brix and Bones, Norwich, agrees: “Burgers are part of all our lives,” says the self-styled “head fire-starter” whose menu centres on meticulously sourced and aged meat cooked over flames. “It’s only in recent years that chefs have taken things to new heights.”
Indeed. McDonald’s posted its first drop in sales in three years last month, as the cost-of-living crisis collided with a price-rise (in 2020 a Big Mac was £2.99; it’s now £4.69), but new burger places are still opening. Top catering butcher, Philip Warren, has moved to bigger premises, turning its Launceston shop into Native Burger bar; Copenhagen smash hit, Gasoline Grill, is popping up at London’s Standard hotel until 15 September; and French brand, Junk, makes its UK debut in Soho next month.
Even Jason Atherton is embracing the patty. His Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant, Pollen Street Social, closed in July to be replaced by an informal restaurant, Mary’s, which includes a 10-seat burger bar. The first £14 smash burgers were flipped last week and will be on the menu until December when works start on a permanent burger restaurant, Meat and Two Veg.
Chef Mauro Colagreco may have topped the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, but that doesn’t stop him offering a burger at Saison, his Mediterranean-inspired restaurant in the luxurious Raffles London at the OWO hotel. People asked for it, he says, so we responded. The £34 burger is made from Hereford beef topped with streaky bacon, gherkin, lettuce, and Ashcombe cheese. “Burgers are eaten all over the world. Why shouldn’t they have a place in a refined environment?”
Six of the best burger experiences – according to chefs
These chefs, experts at live-fire cooking, share their best burger experiences, and tips for burger perfection this Bank Holiday weekend. Chill the drinks and grab your tongs!
George Wood, head chef, Brix and Bones, Norwich
“The beef is the hero for me. Always choose high fat content because it’s the melting fat that binds the meat and gives that lovely crust and layers of texture and flavour. My best ever? The aged cheeseburger at Whole Beast [Sam and Alicja Bryant’s residency at The Montpelier pub, Peckham].
“It’s made with Norfolk wagyu mixed with dry-aged rib cap, which has loads of marbling. They press the meat hard, but it’s not quite smashed. Then it’s American cheese, bread and butter pickles, diced onion and fermented chilli burger sauce. One of those rare food moments that almost brings a tear to your eye, it tasted so good.”
George’s tip
“Roll a ball of beef, then put it into a hot cast-iron skillet and only then press it. If you shape the meat too much beforehand you can lose texture; it’s like over-working dough.”
brixandbones.com
Stu Deeley, head chef, Smoke at Hampton Manor, Solihull
“Check out The Meat Shack in Birmingham city centre. Paul and Cat’s burgers are as good as I’ve had anywhere. They get the ratios and seasoning right every time, and every bite is as delicious as the first. That’s a skill. Go for the Dutch Piggy – a good char, then they flip, add Edam cheese and streaky smoked bacon, pickles and sauces, top with the bun. Their blue cheese sauce is my favourite, and the bread is like milk bread, bouncy and light.”
Stu’s tip
“Make a good sauce with plenty of acidity. I make one with mayo, confit garlic, ketchup, gherkins, paprika, a bit of chilli, pickle juice and mustard. It does the trick on the home barbecue!”
hamptonmanor.com/smoke/
Melissa Thompson, barbecue expert and food writer
“One of the best burgers I’ve ever had was at Danny’s Burgers in Bristol. It was their take on an Oklahoma smashed burger where fresh onions are smashed into the patty as the meat is pressed into the grill, making the beef and onion as one. It had the perfect crust, the taste of lovely dry-aged beef shone through, and it was all brought together with American cheese – because a burger isn’t the time to get fancy with cheese. Pickles too, for hits of acidity. I prefer a simple burger which means the basics – the beef, bun and accompaniments – need to shine. And this one shone brightly.”
Melissa’s tip
“Don’t overlook the sides when you barbecue. Make a couple of salads, at least one featuring grilled vegetables such as courgettes, and a fresh sauce to bring everything together.” Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook by Melissa Thompson (Bloomsbury, £26) is out now
Mursal Saiq, chef and co-founder Cue Point London
“I can’t get Smash N’ Slide burgers out of my mind. It’s a takeaway on an industrial estate in Northolt, a lockdown project run by husband and wife Zubair and Shanaz Rahim. Three patties, onions, cheese, pickles, perfect seasoning and a stunning crisp edge every time. Amazing. So simple, so tasty, zero gimmicks. The beef is native-breed, grass-fed and halal. I don’t get there as often as I’d like but I honestly can’t stop thinking about them.”
Mursal’s tip
“Pay attention to your fire. Set up a decent castle with wood, get it burning before you add charcoal, and get it really hot before grilling.”
cue-point.co.uk
David Carter, chef-founder, Smokestak, London
“I grew up in Barbados where Chefette is a local fast-food brand – its ‘quarter-pounder’ has legendary status around the island. And it’s certainly my earliest burger memory. Word has it that by two years old I could dunk a whole one. A good burger? You need a damn good bun and a damn good patty made with proper meat from a proper animal, with proper dry-ageing. For me it needs to be a one-hander, not too fiddly or everything just spills out. Bleecker Burger nails it – mine’s a bacon double cheeseburger [the current National Burger of the Year].”
David’s tip
“Use a flat-top griddle so the burger can sizzle and caramelise in its own fat while crisping the edges. I’m all for char, but what you gain in smoke you lose in fat, texture and browning.”
smokestak.co.uk
Anthony Murphy, co-founder, The Beefy Boys, Hereford/Shrewsbury/Cheltenham
“My favourite burger memory is the Double-Double Animal Style at In-N-Out Burger at Big Sur. It was 2016, I was on my honeymoon in California. OK, it’s not the most gourmet burger, but I’ll never forget it. Two patties, two slices of cheese – that’s the “double-double” bit – and it’s “animal-style” because they caramelise the onions, add extra spread (like thousand island dressing) and mustard-fry the patties for fantastic caramelised flavour. Incredible.”
Murf’s tip
“Steam! Cook the burger patty, then place the bun lid with the cheese on top of the patty. Keep it on the griddle, spray water onto the plate next to the burger, and cover with a pan lid to create a burger sauna. The cheese melts, the bun warms up, it makes all the difference.”
thebeefyboys.com
The Beefy Boys: From Backyard BBQ to World-Class Burgers (Quadrille £20) is out now
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
