Burgers are a must-have on today’s menu
/Once confined to takeaways and burger bars, today the longtime foodservice mainstay is today an essential component of the pub, club, bistro and café menu, and even upmarket restaurants are getting into the act. Burgers present a great opportunity for chefs to showcase their creativity through adding all manner of inventive ingredients, encased within a variety of stylish buns far fremoved from the simple presentation of the old days.
SAM BURKE
Sam Burke, Consultant Chef for Meat & Livestock Australia, says burgers have become so prevalent on the menu because they tick multiple boxes.
“They’re relatively easy to make, they’re easy for customers to eat on the run, they’re tasty and packed full of flavour, and you can load them up with a multitude of different ingredients,” Sam says. “There’s so many alternatives out there. If you think back to the traditional Aussie beef burger which used to be sold in milk bar, today we would call that a smash burger – it still gets served today across country towns and is making a comeback in our big cities.
“We’re now seeing foodservice operators highlighting the provenance of their ingredients in gourmet burgers”
“We’ve also seen widespread takeup of the American style burger made with 100 per cent ground beef patties, seasoned with salt and pepper, topped with Jack style cheese and served on a soft bun.” This is what the Aussie burger evolved from, but the American version has a distinct flavour that has been discovered by our consumers, driven in part by the rise of social media and Instagram influencers.
This has also led to gourmet burgers becoming a signature trend – notable for their high end ingredients and creative toppings. “We’re now seeing foodservice operators highlighting the provenance of their ingredients in gourmet burgers,” Sam points out, “like calling out grass fed Waygu beef, or the fact that they’re using a mix of different cuts, like chuck and brisket – where the chuck provides the fat while the brisket imparts the flavour.”
He says these kinds of callouts help create a premium perception around the burger. “It’s all about branding carrying weight because it communicates a provenance story. If you can tell a story around your burger, and it’s backed up by great presentation and flavour, that’s building more attraction for the customer. You might say you’re using 100 per cent grass fed patties from a particular part of Tasmania - when you call out the breed it helps premiumise the experience, just the way you would highlight the provenance of a good wine.
“If you can tell a story around your burger, and it’s backed up by great presentation and flavour, that’s building more attraction for the customer”
“In line with this, we’re also seeing the use of high end fillings which once upon a time would have been unheard of upon burgers, like truffle mayo and brie.
“I think a big drawcard for foodservice professionals is that burgers are not only cost-effective, they’re easy to make and you don’t need a lot of equipment – you can do it all with a flame grill and a fridge.”
Lamb burgers ideal for Middle Eastern flavour pairings
While the beef burger is still the most popular protein choice, Sam says lamb is rapidly emerging is a popular alternative, especially when paired with Middle Eastern flavours. “We’re seeing a real rise in lamb burgers with fillings including feta, tzatziki, roasted vegies and rocket, as well as kofta burgers using spices like cumin, parsley and garlic.”
And with burgers such a strong profit generator, Sam offers a few tips to make sure that the burgers you’re offering will whet the appetites of your customers.
“You’ve got to start with a great quality burger pattie – that means a good balance of fat and meat to give it that moist mouthfeel that customers love. I find chuck beef to be a very good cut that provides plenty of flavour and a bit of fattiness – that comes from the neck of the cow,” Sam explains. “Brisket gives a lot of flavour too which is why chuck and brisket is such a popular blend.”
Sam says the ratio of chuck to brisket you should use varies depending upon whether you’re going for grass or grain fed beef, but he prefers a 60 per cent chuck to 40 per cent brisket blend. “Grain fed has more intramuscular fat than grass fed beef,” Sam explains – adding that while there is more grain fed beef available in Australia than in the past, grass fed is still the predominant form.
“You might want to do a smash burger where you squash the pattie flat onto the grill to get a thick crusty coat”
“All Australian beef starts off grass fed in pastures,” he says, “but what happens with grain fed is that the animal lives on grain for the last 150 days of its life. This is a higher energy diet than grass which produces more marbling in the meat.”
Outdoor grills and barbecues impacting burger builds
In addition to getting the fat to meat ratio right, another important consideration is the thickness of the burger pattie. “I would go for a 160g pattie, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked on a flat grill so you get really nice caramelisation of the meat,” Sam says. “You might want to do a smash burger where you squash the pattie flat onto the grill to get a thick crusty coat – others prefer a thicker texture, almost like a rissole.
The emerging trend of cooking and serving from outdoor grills at pubs and outdoor barbecue festivals like Meatstock, held across two days in Sydney and regional centres, is also impacting burger builds. “This approach imparts a nice smoky flavour to the burger – nothing beats a smoke cheeseburger, where you smoke the pattie and add cheese, ketchup and mayo in a soft potato bun.
“We’re also seeing a real Asian fusion approach taking hold with burgers – like hamburg steaks served with savoury sauces made from soy mirin, vinegar and kewpie mayo, served with Japanese pickles. Recently we’ve had the Japanese MOS Burger chain in Australia, which has now closed but which brought some really cool flavours like Soy Teriyaki Burgers to our shores. That has influenced other foodservice operators and we can expect to see more Asian style burgers on menus in the future, with innovative approaches like replacing the burger bun with a rice cake.
“Indian style burgers, with fillings including mint chutneys, tamarind, yoghurt raita and served with naan are also starting to trend,” Sam adds. “It’s all about putting a new spin on the standard. Those different cultural influences are starting to make inroads in burger chains across the nation.
“What I’ve found over the years is that burgers have really become a canvas for creativity across the world”
“What I’ve found over the years is that burgers have really become a canvas for creativity across the world – each culture adds its own unique spin via its own local cuisine, from Middle Eastern to classic American and Aussie burgers, there’s so many different options open to chefs today. As one example, I’ve recently seen Japanese burgers served with lotus root chips rather than French fries – so I would say to chefs, challenge yourself to think about your own cultural influexnces to add a unique spin to your burgers. For a Greek style burger, you might use a lamb pattie with a mix of oregano, garlic and lemon zest and top with some fresh cucumber, tomatoes and maybe serve on a pita bread rather than a traditional bun. Always think outside the square!”
Sam adds that consumers are more educated about food today and are actively looking for new experiences. “They want to be challenged, they want something different – people love the classics but they also want to be inspired to try new things. The burger is a unique entry point to different cuisines – we’re now seeing a lot of fine dining restaurants creating burger bar and food van offshoots, because they reinforce their brand and provide a cheaper access point for consumers to try their food.”
What makes the perfect burger build?
Gary JOHNSON
Chef Gary Johnson is fond of saying burgers are like blue jeans – “they never go out of fashion, as long as you get the basic building blocks right. And if you can provide a really excellent burger, then customers will trust the rest of the menu.”
Gary argues there are several integral elements in creating the perfect burger build. “When it comes to your classic beef pattie, I like to use a well-marbled sirloin ground to 2-3mm and mix it very gently. Then I season on both sides with salt and pepper and cook for two minutes on a flat grill to get that nice caramelisation, then turn and cook another two minutes on the other side, before adding a slice of cheese and taking it off the heat to rest for one minute with the cheese sitting on top. That lets the meat relax, so you have that just-cooked shade of pink coming through.
“Ideally you want your cheese to melt and envelop the pattie without running off – so it’s imperative to choose the right cheese for the job. Dairy Farmers Burger Cheese Slices and Hi Melt Cheese Slices are my go-to choices because they deliver an even melt and smoothly textured mouthfeel, complementing the taste of the pattie while helping to hold the other fillings together.
“Dairy Farmer Burger Cheese Slices are a slightly smaller slice, so I use them for smaller burgers and sliders, while Dairy Farmers Hi Melt Cheese Slices are ideal for those chunkier burgers, with their high melting point making them ideal for use in the most demanding commercial kitchens. Both have aged cheddar notes which are the perfect complement for burgers and a deep orange hue which ties in to the American burger cheese trend.”
“Pork, like chicken, lends itself to so many flavours and textures and chefs really appreciate its versatility”
Gary emphasises that when it comes to beef burgers, resting the pattie with the cheese after taking it off the flat grill should signal the end of the cooking process. “You don’t want to have to finish it in the oven because you don’t want to compromise the integrity of the meat or the creaminess of the cheese.”
Another benefit of using Dairy Farmers Hi Melt Cheese Slices is that they are lower in sodium than some burger cheese slices. “This means you can afford to put a bit of extra salt on the pattie, which will ensure perfect caramelisation by helping to draw the sugars to the surface, without running the risk of over-seasoning,” Gary explains.
“Once I’ve finished the cooking process, I always put the salad on the bottom bun – then I add the pattie, top it with a couple of pickles and sauce, and add a smear of mayo and American mustard to the top bun and that’s it.”
While beef burgers are always popular on the menu, Gary acknowledges that almost any protein can be used in today’s burgers. “I make a great peanut butter and maple bacon pork burger – pork, like chicken, lends itself to so many flavours and textures and chefs really appreciate its versatility. You can also make terrific burgers using lamb, chicken, turkey, seafood and plant-based protein.
In almost all cases, cheese remains an essential element for visual appeal, taste and hold – as Gary says, “Dairy Farmers Cheese just partners with the burgers so well - it balances all the ingredients while holding them together, so you can taste everything in each bite.”
