What Makes The Best Burger?

What Beef Makes The Best Burger Blend

There are many cuts of beef available – round, short rib, brisket, chuck, skirt steak, hanger, sirloin, etc to make hamburgers.  But which beef cuts are the best for hamburger blends? That’s a great question and the answer is really subjective. You can really blend any of them together because taste preferences and textures are personal.  Which is great for our restaurants! Having your own consistent burger blend will set up your establishment apart. Don’t forget to add your own signature creative toppings. This will keep diners coming back when they crave that good juicy burger. My favorite is using brisket meat and here’s why.

A Brisket burger offers all the flavors of Texas-style brisket sandwich but in burger form.  It offers a rich and beefy flavor making burgers an up-scale feel without the Kobe price.  What is a brisket burger? Well, it’s made of ground brisket cut rather than chuck, round, or sirloin. You haven’t lived until you have tried a brisket burger.  

Beef Cuts That Can Be Used in Burger Blends

Brisket: Moderate to high-fat content, grinding process replaces the slow cook method needed to breakdown this cut and it has a real beefy flavor

Chuck: High-fat content, balanced flavor but no wow factor. 

Hanger: Moderate fat content with a bit of gaminess that adds a gritty, crumbly texture when ground

Sirloin: Low-fat content, extremely tender but lacks the fat to keep it juicy. Never use straight ground sirloin unless you want hockey puck burgers.

Skirt Steak: Low-fat content, strong gamey flavor and slightly gritty texture.

Short Rib: Very high-fat content with a rich and nutty flavor that adds excellent umami to a blend and its high degree of marbling helps even medium or well-done burgers stay moist.

Ground Brisket Vs Ground Beef

So, what exactly is the difference? Let me break it down for you. 

Ground Beef: Doesn’t always have to specify what part of the animal the meat was taken from. It is usually the trimmings that are left after butchering. It can include any cut of beef, chuck, round, and sirloin tend to be the most common. It’s an affordable meat option often used for burgers, meatloaf, meatballs and more.  Here are some of the cuts used in ground beef or in burger blends

Ground Brisket: This comes exclusively from the brisket portion of the cow. The brisket meat is located on the lower chest of the cow. It is one of the least tender cuts of meat, but when slow-cooked or smoked it gains tremendous flavors. 

Are Expensive Beef Cuts Worth It For Burgers

Now don’t get me wrong. A Waygu/Kobe Steak is amazing and worth the price. But as a big half-pound burger, it losses that texture as soon as you put it into a grinder. If you have trim pieces of Waygu then use them for a slider. The super-rich fat of this beef is better in smaller doses when ground up. But stepping up to a brisket burger is worth it.  It tends to be a bit more expensive than plain ground beef, but it’s worth every cent.  

Here Are Some Signature Burger Concepts

• Pair a brisket burger with cheddar cheese, pepper bacon, pickled jalapeños, BBQ sauce and sliced red onion for a taste of Texas. 
• Stack flavors- creamy, smoky, sweet, tangy, crunchy, spicy
• Next level aiolis – garlic, spicy, avocado, dijon mustard, sriracha, jalapeno, bacon, pesto, horseradish

Burger and Frank Guide to the Rescue!

Still not sure what you want for your burger? Check out our latest burger guide for all the burgers and toppings in stock at Ginsberg’s to help you make your burgers stand out.  Including some of my favorite beef blends from Schweid & Sons.