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The burger!
It should be simple to do.
But we know it is not....
They range in quality from that awful disk of hard gristly non-descript meat you sometimes buy from a burger stand at the local music festival. Abandoned on the cheapest roll they could find with a slice of yellow krafty cheese and a splodge of vinegary red sauce they dare not even call ketchup.
Next up are the chains. I can still remember when McDonalds was a rarity and my first visit on a family trip to Amsterdam. Wimpy was pretty much our only choice in England in the early days. Now the chains are everywhere. Like a virus!
You can make them at home. And that seems a better solution.
Some online butchers tempt us with great mixtures and concoctions. Give the JO Burger from Turner and George a go if you want to see what I mean.
You can grind your own, and debate the right cuts to use and fat ratios.
To smash. Or not to smash.
Grill, plancha, smoke?
Great bread choices with ciabatta just piping brioche to the post in my garden.
And on the high street, in the gastropub and posh restaurants the burger has emerged as a culinary encounter.
They can be tremendous and a challenge to eat.
4 beef patties, 3 sorts of cheese, 2 onion rings and even a partridge in a pear tree!
Ubiquitous blogs can help us find a local eatery when faced with the challenge of finding the best burger in town!
Even a moderately sized city like Bristol has a number of Best Burger Blogs! So on a recent trip I searched a few to gain a consensus.
ASADO was a place that kept popping up and topped a few lists. They advertised that they cook on charcoal and promote ethically sourced, traceable, organic aged-beef and local cheese from the West Country. It was the real fire that drew me in.
A low-key restaurant nestling close to the Royal Bristol Infirmary its pretty unassuming. But busy! Staff were welcoming and helped me to my table. A simple menu with just a few burgers and sides on offer, I went for the Asado Burger. A grilled organic beef patty served with West Country Cheddar, Confit Garlic mayonnaise, chimichurri, pickled red onions and natural ketchup. I was asked if I wanted it pink and juicy.
A visit to the kitchens revealed the Argentinian Style Parilla Grill in action. The owner and chef, Lucien Gordon, took me through his philosophy and approach. Blended and minced on site, his patties are cooked over a mixture of wood and charcoal. His 5 star hygiene rating provides assurance that the patties are cooked to safe temperatures and yet still come pink and juicy if you like.
But this is not just the home of the great burger!
Many friends and members of our BBQ Community are represented here!
The Grill is made by friends in Essex at BBQ Mates. The wood from the excellent people at Hot Smoked and the charcoal is coppiced and turned into high quality charcoal by the guys at Resilient Woodlands in the Forest of Dean. Its like a centre of BBQ excellence in the West Country!
Together they work to produce a very beefy, juicy and tender burger that tastes of wood and charcoal nestling in a soft bun oozing with delicious sauces.
Spectacular!
It's My Patty and I'll Cry If I Want To - Andy Williams