BUILDING YOUR BURGER
Have you really thought about the perfect set of ingredients to pair with your perfect patty? We’ve collated our favorite cheeses, buns, meat, and condiments to enhance your burgers.
- BRILLIANT BUNS
A large percentage of a burger is made up of the bun, making it an integral part of the dish. So trading up from a standard bun to a gourmet bun is a simple yet cost-effective way to increase margins. The burger bun needs to complement but not overpower the patty and perfectly enhance the other ingredients in the meal. We have selected some of the perfect bun partners to your patty but there are many more to choose from. As a way to add more flavor to your bun, why not marinate it with a flavored butter?
Here are even more options to consider….
Brioche: Rich, buttery, and very slightly sweet, brioche buns have become synonymous with gourmet burgers.
Pretzel: The soft and spongy inside combined with the smooth, brown, slightly chewy pretzel crust means a pretzel bun not only looks unique but has a very different flavour.
Kaiser: A typically crusty round bread roll with a fluffy interior – perfect for big, succulent burgers.
Charcoal & beetroot buns: Add a splash of theatre and color to complement your burger with a pink or black burger bun!
Potato Bun: Growing in popularity, especially Stateside. These buns are soft and pillowy and made with potato flour.
Patty melts: It’s the burger or a sandwich debate? Paring your patty with tasty topping and placing between slices of toasted rustic artisan bread is a growing customer preference.
…And if that’s got you thinking about your bread options, be sure to check out our bread products here.
2. SEIZE THE CHEESE
Offering a choice of cheeses is a brilliant way to make the most of this trend without making things complicated back of the house. The perfect burger cheese is all down to flavor and ‘meltability’. When deciding which cheese to include, it comes down to what its purpose is going to be. If it’s to give a strong, intense flavor then a blue cheese like Stilton is the way to go, however, to complement caramelized red onions, melted Gruyère would be an ideal partner.
Cheddar: Ranging from mild through to extra mature, Cheddar is a classic option but can sometimes pose issues when the fat separates from the cheese under heat. Mild Cheddars tend to melt the best, or grating the Cheddar first can be a solution.
Halloumi: A semi-hard cheese made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk, halloumi
is a robust cheese with a high melting point, meaning it can easily be fried or grilled.
Blue Cheese: Bringing a strong, unmistakable flavour to any burger, blue cheeses like Stilton or Gorgonzola melt beautifully and add a creamy texture.
Brie: Slightly milder than Camembert with tones of cream and butter, Brie is gorgeously gooey and luxurious and perfect for topping burgers.
Mozzarella: With a delicate texture and soft milky aroma, the flavour of mozzarella really comes through when used on burgers and is great with pesto and tomato.
Lacto-Free: With the growing popularity of vegan and other dairy-free diets, numerous dairy-free cheese substitutes are now available – consider a great-tasting lacto-free cheese made from soy, vegetables, nuts or seeds!
Flavoured Cheese: Whether it’s a spicy or smokey cheesy flavour combination, you’re guaranteed a great eat.
Nacho Cheese: The perfect melted cheese partner to a beef burger. Pour on top of the patty or serve on the side in a mini jug as a pour over option.
Have you been thinking about provenance? How about choosing one from your local area to start the conversation about provenance! Don’t forget, we’re big on Quality and Provenance here at Kepak, check it out here for more.
3. MEAT ON MEAT
For many consumers, a meal out of home is often a chance to indulge. Different meat additions give an opportunity to innovate and charge a premium, as well as adding crave appeal to any menu.
Chorizo: Spicy and slightly sweet, chorizo is seasoned with garlic and smoked paprika and has an unmistakeable flavor for the perfect burger topping.
Bacon: Still a burger favorite, the bacon trend shows no signs of slowing down and
is regularly evolving to now include combinations including baconnaise, bacon jam, chipotle bacon mac ‘n’ cheese and bacon ketchup.
Slow-cooked: Slow-cooked brisket, pork shoulder, pulled pork and ribs are BBQ favorites but taste equally as good on a burger. Adding ‘low and slow’ cooked meat to a burger patty gives a different flavor combination and a unique way to elevate the meal.
Rare Beef: Double up on great tasting beef with sliced rare cooked beef on your burger. An extra meaty option!
4. CREATIVE WITH CONDIMENTS
An easy way to differentiate from competitors and offer a cost-effective way to premiumise a burger is to include a unique condiment. Tomato ketchup remains the most popular sauce being served out of home, followed by mayonnaise, but new sauce flavor profiles are on the increase.
The trend for spicy sauces continues, but there are far more options to choose from than just sriracha to add a multi-dimensional heat to burgers:
Green Chilli Sauce: Made with garlic, green chilli and fresh coriander, this hot sauce is both tasty and visually impressive.
Woodsmoked BBQ: Rich and tasty, the smoky flavor from the wood-smoking process gives a rich, tasty flavor and an alternative to a standard BBQ sauce.
Ssamjang: A thick, spicy Korean sauce, Ssamjang is an ideal finishing sauce with a sticky, sweet and spicy flavour.
Sambal Oelek: Similar in taste to sriracha, this Indonesian sauce has less sweetness and contains red chilies, vinegar and salt, meaning it adds a kick without excess sugar and herbs.
Chipotle Ketchup: Made with chipotle chilli peppers, chipotle ketchup is a great smoky alternative to ketchup to add an extra kick to any burger.
Gochujang: A fermented chilli paste, this uses slightly sweeter Korean red chilies and is ideally mixed with soy sauce and honey for a different taste that doesn’t overpower the burger.
For a great burger addition, if time and resources allow it, making your own condiments in the house is a great way to add differentiation and charge a premium. It’s also a fun way to get creative and offer simple menu extensions.
Did you know that 84% of consumers agree that a high-quality bun is a key characteristic of a gourmet burger? Clearly, it’s not just us who thinks that every single part of the burger is so important! The ultimate burger build is a big decision for your business, why not get in touch with us today? We can work with you to find the perfect burger and burger build to suit your business.
