I’ve been discussing what makes the best quality, award-winning gourmet burgers from the ground up. The first blog in this series discussed using good quality fed-beef cattle. In the second blog, I went over the best fed-beef cuts, trim and the best patty machines. For this final installment, let’s talk about the bun, condiments and sides.

Few burger enthusiasts eat a beef burger without a bun. Maybe if you’re on a keto or low-carb diet you’re reluctantly eating naked burgers, but burgers definitely taste best with a high quality bun. And whoever does the R&D to create a gluten-free bun that actually tastes good will hit the high-demand jackpot!

Fresh-baked buns taste very good, but if you don’t like preservatives, go with a frozen bun. Most super-soft fresh buns used in food service contain preservatives to extend shelf life. Rightly-made frozen buns are the best in my view, since they avoid the preservatives. Frozen buns can be kept for 90 days in the freezer, then used for up to 6 days when thawed at room temperature.

Don’t use the walk-in or refrigerator when thawing out or storing frozen buns, as this can make them dry out and crumble. If you’re eating a burger and the bun is dry, it’s either old or the operator thawed or stored the buns in the walk-in.

I really like potato buns. They are made with classic flour dough with real skinless potatoes mixed in. Then they are typically dusted with flour for that fresh-baked look. My favorite bun for a gourmet burger is an egg-washed golden-domed brioche potato bun that’s super-soft and preservative-free.

Now for the butter. The bun should be run through a butter wheel to have a thin coat of golden flavor applied before going on the flat top for toasting. This is my preferred way to toast a bun, but vertical toasters are commonly used to speed up the process. Some operators use vegetable oil or a fake butter substitute, but aficionados prefer real butter.

So, now that you’ve got the perfect beef burger patty and the ultimate toasted bun, what do you put on the burger to really knock the taste buds out of the park?

Condiments and sides are a more subjective matter of personal preference. My ideal sides are hickory-smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, mustard, lettuce and fresh tomatoes. But this is where experimentation gets fun.

I noticed at the Denver burger battle this year that many of the competing restaurants and even the winners combined sweet flavors with their toppings. One of the winners used creamed goat cheese, spiced peach ketchup, pepper jelly, arugula and grilled peach slices. Another winner used American cheese and gooey mac, stacked with a crispy poblano pepper and crunchy Cheetos, finished with a swipe of sweet and savory bacon jalapeno jam. Many others competing used the sweet/salty/sour trio.

What sides do you like on a gourmet burger? What operator in your city has the best gourmet burger, and what’s on it? What are some of the more creative condiment and side combinations you’ve tested or tasted?

The Ultimate Burger, Part 3 – Best of buns and the wonderment of condiments

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