Keeping up with latest innovations on the burger front

“There’s more competition in burgers than we’ve ever had before,” says Delaware North Australia’s National Executive Chef Markus Werner. “You can’t keep up with all the new burger chains hitting the market – either from New York, the UK or Asia – it’s really become a massive trend and everyone’s trying to compete.”

The biggest change increased competition has brought, Markus says, is that customers are willing to undergo longer wait times, and this gives chefs more opportunity to add signature touches and presentation tweaks.

“The old days of expecting to grab your burger and go are well and truly gone,” Markus emphasises. “I don’t think people are willing to have a 25 minute wait but certainly a five or so minute wait has become acceptable, because burgers have evolved from fast food into a made to order meal.

“We see this even in the burgers we serve at sports stadiums where there are big queues – customers are still prepared to wait, as long as the quality is there. You need to be offering a great burger build with quality pattie and ingredients, as opposed to the old fast food chain approach.

“Our burgers feature bold, freshly made sauces like sriracha or even a truffle sauce. You can bring bulk flavours into your burger as well, but more important is the ratio between the bun, the pattie, the sauce, the vegetable ingredients to impart freshness and also the need for a bit of crunch in there – whether it’s a pickle or crispy chicken skin, even fried onions, that crunchy texture needs to be included if you want to make the perfect burger.”

Every ingredient is important

Markus emphasises your choice of cheese is an integral component of the burger too: “You can’t just slap any type of cheese on there, as some have higher melt points than others, and you don’t want the cheese to just melt away on the grill – you want the customer to be able to taste every ingredient you’re putting on. The onion needs to come through, the pickle needs to come through, not be overpowered by lots of rich sauce and bread. Every component needs to work together to complement the overall taste.

“Burgers are actually getting smaller, and not because we’re using less protein. It’s part of this move away from seeing them as fast food and more of a meal – so it needs to be a size that’s easy to pick up and bite into: with a freshly made pattie that’s as natural as possible and the right choice of quality ingredients. Every single ingredient is important and you can go wild on the sauces as long as they complement the overall flavour – you can use pico di gallo, chimichurri, whatever.”

Markus adds vegetarian and vegan burgers are still in strong demand, but qualifies this by saying “Forget about your fake proteins, they’re gone – your customers would rather have a really beautiful piece of genuine vegetable protein, like a beautiful marinated miso eggplant. It’s all about fresh, bold flavours and real food.”

Birria burgers on trend

Chef Adam Moore is always on the lookout for latest burger innovations and notes several which have come on the scene in recent months. Top of his list is birria burgers, which have evolved from birria tacos.

“Birria is a Mexican dish, a kind of stew or broth made from meat that’s been marinated in vinegar, chilli, garlic and other herbs,” Adam explains. “We’re now seeing birria served with your burger as a dipping sauce – or perhaps dunking is a better word; you dunk the burger in it.”

But it doesn’t stop there: chefs are also using birria as a marinade on the burgers – “you cook it in the broth and then fry it off on the pan, so the flavour is already infused into the burger itself, and then you’re enhancing that by dunking the burger bun and filling into the broth.”

Burger hybrids or mashups are another emerging trend, including cheese burger/taco hybrids and even cheeseburger wraps. “Essentially you’re taking all the elements of a cheeseburger and turning them into a taco, either using mincemeat or an actual burger pattie. We’ve also seen burgers being hybridised into spring rolls and even Asian style dumplings.”

The willingness of creative chefs to experiment with new protein choices for burgers has seen the rise of new seafood burgers, including butter poached lobster burgers served on brioche buns and even Moreton Bay bugs burgers. “We’re now seeing the premiumisation of the seafood burger category,” Adam points out, “not just with these protein choices but even your standard fish burger. Once upon a time the protein would be crumbed hake but now you can find everything from leatherjacket to whiting, really nicely prepared with premium sauces; we’re even seeing salmon on burgers. There is a real synergy between seafood and burgers which is only now being recognised – and it’s not just crumbed, it can be battered or grilled.”

Another innovation Adam has identified on the premium burger front is the use of beef tallow to fry chips or potato gems and loading them up with cheese to create tater tot mini cheeseburgers. Adam has even seen dessert burgers with such fillings as fried ice cream. “Janice Wong, who’s known as the queen of desserts and was named Asia’s best pastry chef, recently opened at the W Hotel in Sydney and she is well known for her dessert degustations, so I think that is encouraging more chefs to be innovative in that space – what would once have been confined to fine dining is now going more mainstream.”

Chef shares his recipe for a great burger

Gary Johnson, former National Executive Chef for a major hotel chain, argues it was the pub market which pioneered the upmarket burger.

“Pubs have had attractively presented and generously filled burgers on the menu for years – what we’re seeing today is simply the realisation by the rest of the market of what chefs in pubs knew long ago, that the public are prepared to pay for a great burger made with quality ingredients,” he affirms.

Gary is happy to share his recipe for a great burger. “It’s always wise to err on the side of high quality – for example, ensure the patties are made to your specs by your butchers and make sure they come right to the edge of the bun. You might offer a choice of three or four different buns – anything from Pretzel buns to Matcha buns or the standard milk bun.”

As for the the pattie itself, Gary recommends it should weigh between 150 to 200g and contain the right blend of meat and the right amount of fat – “topside, maybe a little skirt, the right calibre of grind. All these are important components that go into making the burger.

“There are some boutique butchers who can do fantastic burger patties – getting that right is really the key to your burger build. I always say that starting with quality meat and cooking it simply with olive oil, salt and pepper is the way to go.”

“Once you’ve got the bun and the pattie right, the next step is ensuring a good mix of ingredients with complementary flavours and textures. Start with the staples like lettuce, tomato, cheese and dill pickle, then you can begin to customise.

“Sauces like chipotle and barbecue are extremely popular, as are fillings like kimchi. A lot of customers especially in the pub market like to build their own burgers according to personal preference so it’s wise to give them that option.”

It’s also a good idea to offer several signature burgers which give your chefs a chance to showcase their creativity – Gary cites the example of a Southern Fried Chicken Burger. “You might use a little bit of slaw, some cos, a buttermilk-soaked chicken thigh fillet, ranch sauce and then whatever else the chef wants to include.”

“I think when it comes to burgers, the only real limit is the chef’s imagination – as long as the flavours complement each other and don’t override or disguise each other and you’re using the right buns for your customer demographic.

“One of my recent favourites is a peanut butter and maple bacon pork burger, or you might do Cajun spiced fried chicken with slaw ranch dressing, or maybe a miso beef burger on a green matcha bun with wasabi mayo and Japanese pickles! I’m fond of saying that burgers are like blue jeans – they never go out of fashion, as long as you stick to the basics. If you can provide a really excellent burger, then customers will trust the rest of the menu.”