Top 8: The best beef burgers to pop on the barbeque this summer
From Dunnes Stores to M&S, there are plenty of high-quality tasty options to choose from
Burgers are not just for barbecues, they also make tasty, easy indoor meals all year round. A meal can be put together by frying or grilling indoors and setting out bowls of interesting accompaniments for self-assembly, indoors or out. A 'pic'n'mix' meal may encourage children to eat more vegetables and it’s good to give them control of their preferences.
There are decent buns in supermarkets and bakeries that add to the pleasure of burgers, from baps to brioche to sourdough and plain yeast or cut-out rounds of your favourite bread or slice a baguette. Add greens in the form of shredded lettuce and cabbage, thinly sliced tomatoes, grated carrot, beetroot, chopped celery, thinly sliced spring onion or red onion (less strong than regular white), and roasted red peppers.
Mayo, chutney, gherkins, tomato sauce, and mustard, are standard fare, but you can go wild and try crisp chilli in oil (Laoganma is our favourite from Mr Bells, English Market, Cork). More heat can come from sriracha chilli sauce or harissa paste which can be added to mayo or straight onto bread. Think about adding an interesting cheese too. A little grated hard cheese such as parmesan, Spanish manchego, Irish semi-soft cheeses, Irish brie and camembert, and of course good Irish cheddar. This can amount to a well-balanced meal without a lot of trouble. Your local butcher will have options too. We looked at alternative burgers last year and there are plenty still available.
All beef with just gentle seasoning with black pepper and salt (very low at 0.13%). Fats are average at 16%. The good, natural texture and flavour had all tasters putting this at their no 1. Pricey but worth it. At selected Dunnes Stores.
9.5
With 72% beef, 15% dry-aged beef, roast beef stock, these are tasty burgers. Salt is 0.45%. Quite peppery, with good, natural texture, tasty layers of flavour from dried mushrooms and bone marrow which also makes them juicy with high fats of 20%. Thickening from rice and chickpea flour makes them gluten free. Not cheap, but the current three packs for €12 to the end of summer is very good value.
9.25
These four burgers with 95% beef have a decently natural meaty texture which is not over-minced. Five per cent seasoning includes breadcrumbs which lighten them and suited the children. Salt at 0.99% is just enough with some black pepper. Fats are a low 9.7%. They held their shape well during cooking. A good product at a good price.
9
Produced in Cork, these four burgers of 94% beef from Hereford cattle are nicely peppery in a well-balanced seasoning. Good texture, good price and gluten free. Salt 1%, sugars 0.5%, fats at 19% are high enough. Delicious. All tasters approved.
8.75
Two per pack have 87% beef. Added water is retained by rice flour, tapioca starch, gram flour, with 2% beef marrow keeping them moist and adding flavour. Other ingredients include dried glucose syrup and amounting to a low 0.4% sugars. Salt is low at 0.78%. A little shrinkage when fried, but good, juicy texture with gentle flavouring. Fats at 11.6% are moderate. Pricey.
8.5
We tend to bristle at the word ‘ultimate’ but 99% Irish Angus beef with just sea salt and black pepper added amounted to quite a tasty burger. The texture was a little too finely ground for a completely natural texture, but good to hold together for a barbecue and all the tasters liked them. At 0.75% not over-salted. Fats quite high at 18%. Produced in Co Cavan.
8.25
These neat-sized 95% burgers shrank slightly when cooked. Water is listed and is kept in place by dried potato, rice, rice flour. What was left had a good meat texture and plenty of flavour. The seasoning of sea salt (0.89%
salts) and black pepper was just right. Gluten free. Moderate price.
8
Gluten-free, these have 94% beef, with a rice flour base, paprika extract, black pepper. Dextrose and sugars amount to 0.5%, salt 1%, fats a high enough 19%. For three tasters there was too much seasoning which included unspecified spices, but this decent enough meaty burger was otherwise enjoyed by tasters.
7.75
