Backyard Burger Joint

Story by Mifi Purvis & Lindsey Norris

As Jimmy Buffet sings it: a good burger is “heaven on earth with an onion slice.” Experts offer tips that get beyond this summer staple’s beguiling simplicity

There can be no celebration of the summer’s grilling season without a nod to the North American classic: the burger. All the food groups in one place and you don’t even need a fork. With varieties that stretch from basic beef to fish to exotic meats, there’s something for everyone. And there are so many great veggie burgers out there that vegetarians aren’t missing out on the fun, either.

With variety and volume ranging from bland to grand, it’s nearly impossible to discuss just one favourite. Yet everybody has an ideal, that quintessential burger against which all others measure.

“I think simplicity is the key to a great burger,” says Edmontonian Michael Gange-Harris, regional chef at Earls Restaurants.

But don’t take “simplicity” to mean mindless ease. The best burgers don’t come from that cylinder of puck-like frozen stacked patties pulled from the recesses of the grocer’s freezer. The humble burger deserves more respect than that. Gange-Harris says the fresher the patty the better, be it in a backyard or a restaurant.

Earls never freezes its ground meat, and the chain sells more burgers than any other sandwich on the menu. The patties, Gange-Harris says, are the key. Uniform in size and shape, they are made to order by the processor, delivered fresh to outlets within 48 hours, then cooked and served, usually within a couple of days of arrival. It doesn’t get much fresher.

“A good burger is bold, distinct and unmasked,” Gange-Harris says. Now that’s showing some respect.

Currently headquartered in Vancouver, Earls originated on Edmonton’s Calgary Trail in 1983 and now boasts about 20 outlets in Western Canada. Much of the triple-A beef that goes into its storied burgers comes from Alberta.

“The patties are 100 per cent beef,” he says, with no filler or binder. “We use a slightly courser grind than you’d typically find. It helps holds the patty together and gives the burger a distinctive bite.”

Made with about 85 per cent ground chuck and 15 per cent ground blade for extra juiciness, basic burgers are grilled with a little coarsely ground pepper and salt and served with lettuce, onion and a generous slice of tomato. Earls cooks add fixings, such as different cheeses and bacon, to customers’ taste.

Simplicity is the lesson backyard chefs can take to their barbecues from Earls’, says Gange-Harris. “It doesn’t have to be 
                                                      complicated.”

The same commitment to quality ingredients infuses Calgary’s hardest working burger chain, The Burger Inn, says part-owner Kius Pahlavan.

“We make burgers unlike any other,” he says. “The bottom line is finding the right cut of meat for ground.” And that’s no small task for a three-store chain, that in addition to basic beef and chicken burgers, offers up such specialties as ostrich, bison, elk, wild boar and “super harvest gold” (a veggie concoction of cheese, mushroom and fried onion).

Nineteen years ago, Pahlavan, a mineral scientist, was toughing out layoffs in the oil and gas business, watching his once vibrant department shrink alongside the industry. He was one of the last at his company to take a severance package. He and his friend Sharo Soltani, a soil chemist and another victim of the contracting Alberta economy, bought a little burger restaurant and became partners. They figured that one thing they could count on was Albertans’ appetite for burgers. It was a safe bet.

Pahlavan soon went back to the oil and gas industry as a consultant, but as the master of his own hours, he was able to maintain the burger store, too. He did both for a decade, until he finally decided that, despite the PhD, his heart was in his thriving burger business.

Now with three locations, Burger Inn’s fare is reasonably priced and delicious, with something healthy for every taste. “Ostrich is low in fat, lower than chicken breast,” he says. “We add a little minced onion to keep it moist.” Burger Inn orders beef from local ranchers and farmers, has its own butcher and now offers organic beef burgers, too.

The Inn’s loyal following is achieved through word of mouth. “We don’t spend a penny on advertising,” Pahlavan says. He credits his success to great food and the personal flourishes. “We make everything from scratch, we make our own sauces and cut our own fries,” he says. And passion infuses his technique. “It’s the way we move, the way we flip, the way we plate the food,” says Pahlavan.
                                                            “Here is real cooking.”

Remember: if you have to open a box that has the word “precooked” on it anywhere, it just doesn’t count as real cooking, no matter how you dress it up. You have to start from scratch. Pahlavan tells backyard burgermeisters to start with good quality meat, and not necessarily too lean. “Cooking lean meats needs more experience. Cook it well; not well-done.” Burgers should be cooked through, so there’s no pink inside, but burning a patty is the ultimate way to disrespect a burger.

At upscale Okotoks restaurant Divine, chef/owner Darren Nixon shares Pahlavan’s passion for great burgers. And Divine has its share, too. “We make a salmon burger from trimmed fillets, ground with capers and lemon zest,” he says. “And we do a buffalo burger ground with double-smoked bacon. We love the burger thing.”

One item that’s always on offer is the famed Divine lamb burger. One of the restaurant’s signature items, the lamb burger outsells the beef burger hands down. Nixon uses local lamb.

“Obviously, it’s better,” he says. In fact, it’s so much better that he likes to let the meat speak for itself. “I leave it pretty basic. It’s all meat, with no crumbs,” he says.

To keep meat moist and juicy, Nixon typically starts his burgers on the grill to caramelize the meat and finishes them in the oven or over non-direct heat on the grill. Outdoor chefs can try this technique by turning off one burner, or placing the burger on the top rack as far away from flames as you can.

Nixon’s not-so-secret ingredient is a chili paste, common to Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, called sriracha. There are several brands available in both regular and specialty grocery stores in Alberta. The sauce is made from garlic and chilies and Nixon prefers varieties without vinegar.

“It’s not precise; I just add a squeeze, about a teaspoon, to a couple of pounds of ground. And I add some of our Southwestern spice we grind here at Divine. It has a smoked paprika that’s terrific,” says Nixon. To round out the great lamb taste, Nixon serves his lamb burgers with spicy mango mayonnaise and chili-minted cucumbers.

Condiments aside, Nixon advises shoppers to “buy good quality ground that’s somewhat lean but not super lean,” he says. “And try adding a little sriracha. It’s amazing what it does for a burger.”

Once you hit the patio after investing time and money in carefully selecting ingredients and preparing perfect patties, be vigilant. Use a meat thermometer inserted at the side of the patty; repeatedly cutting into a piece of meat to test its doneness will release the juices, and with them, much of the flavour. and for heaven’s sake, don’t burn the thing. Nothing is quite as disappointing as a dried bit of charred shoe leather, and no amount of gourmet mayo or the bakery’s finest bun will save it.

Whether it’s upscale or plain; beef, boar, ostrich or veggie, served with salad or sweet potato fries, nothing satisfies the hungry person quite the way a burger can - especially one that’s cooked to perfection and served hot off the backyard grill.

Beyond burgers

Here’s a tasty sampling of just a few good spots to grab burgers around the province. Tell us about your favourites: info@growingalberta.com.

EDMONTON

At The Dish, you can tickle your taste buds with a homemade Spirit River elk burger spiced with fresh herbs, complete with cranberry aioli and caramelized onions.
Tel. 780-488-6641
12417 Stony Plain Rd.

The Blue Plate Diner’s veggie burger is justifiably famous. Made with beets, turnips, zucchini, carrots, sunflower seeds and rice, and topped with cheddar cheese.
Tel. 780-429-0740
10145 104 St.

The Delux Burger Bar offers a host of different gourmet burgers, including the Delux burger with blue cheese, caramelized onions, grilled portabella mushroom, wild boar bacon and house-made mayo.
Tel. 780-420-0101 
9682-142 St.

Burgers as appetizers? Try baby bison cheeseburgers with caramelized onions at The Butler Did It and you might want to skip the main course.
Tel. 780-455-5228
Suite 10130 -105 St.

CALGARY

Tommy Burger Bar specializes in Alberta beef with a gourmet twist. They offer burgers with prosciutto and blue cheese, which you can wash down with a side of blue cheese poutine.
Tel. 403-258-0668
9629 MacLeod Tr. SW

The Burger Inn has three locations in Calgary where they serve up pork, turkey, buffalo, lamb, vegetarian and Ð don’t get your feathers ruffled Ð ostrich burgers.
Tel. 403-244-9293        1711 4th St. SW
403-252-4840                9669 Macleod Tr. SW and
403-685-0825                3829 Bow Tr. SW)

Peters’ Drive-In has been creating legendary burgers since this joint opened 30 years ago. The best part? It still uses the original menu.
Tel. 403-277-2747
219-16 Ave. NE

FORT MCMURRAY

Earls Restaurant, part of the expansive chain that originated in Alberta, offers a broad selection of beef burgers that you can count on for consistency and great taste.
Tel. 780-791-3275
9802 Morrison St.

If you want to avoid the big chains, the Garden Café is a Fort McMurray standby. Open 24 hours, it’s popular with bar-goers and shift workers.
Tel. 780-791-6665
9924 Biggs Ave.

JASPER

Don’t be surprised if you’ll want to go back to Karouzo’s Steaks, Seafood and Pasta to try all their burgers, including salmon, halibut, chicken, beef and mushroom.
Tel. 780-852-4640
628 Connaught Dr.

BLACK DIAMOND

The Wild Horse Bistro serves a Big Rock elk burger decked out with other regional ingredients: Brassica mustard and Whiskey Creek tomatoes, all served on a Black Diamond Bakery crusty roll.
Tel. 403-933-5800
126 Centre Ave. W

BANFF

If you stop in at the Maple Leaf Grill & Lounge for lunch, you can try the lamb burger with sun-dried cranberry compote, mint aioli and melted brie.
Tel. 403-760-7680
137 Banff Ave.

Cheeseburger in paradise

If you want to be the Big Cheese of your backyard this summer, it’s time to get out of the cheddar rut and break off a piece from a wheel of specialty cheese.

Strict rules for pairing wine and cheese (serve soft cheese with light wines and sharp cheese with full-bodied wines) can have novice chefs quaking in their aprons.

But when it comes to pairing cheese with meat, there are almost no rules. That’s good news for anyone planning a barbecue, because a burger just isn’t a burger without a thick slice of cheese.

Cheese comes in hundreds of different varieties. It’s easy to experiment without turning off pickier diners; if they don’t like the tang of gorgonzola or goat cheese, just leave it off their portion. And with its growing popularity, it’s rare to find someone who doesn’t have a few favourites.

“Because there’s been a boom in wine consumption, people are becoming more interested in cheese,” says Fern Janzen, the owner of Paddy’s Cheese Market in Edmonton. “People are travelling more, and in many other parts of the world cheese is an integral part of life.”

When combining cheese and wine, some people look for items that go together like - well, like chalk and cheese. They pair opposites: a sweet wine with a salty blue, for example. That philosophy doesn’t necessarily apply to meat. Cheese can expand and intensify flavours. The same blue or gorgonzola that complements a beef burger can overpower a turkey burger. A mild edam would get lost on a bison burger.

“People talk about what you should eat with cheese, like nuts and fruits, and they spend most of their time talking about cheese and wine. But they seem to skip over meat,” Janzen says. “In general, you want a cheese that will stand up to the flavours of the meat without overpowering it. If you had a gamey, strong meat, you wouldn’t want to put a mild cheese, like a havarti, with it.”

But it comes down to taste. Janzen recently had two customers buy 15 different kinds of cheese to serve with mini burger appetizers. They planned to experiment until they found what they liked. “I see people using a horseradish monterrey jack, or, instead of an ordinary cheddar, they take a smoked cheddar,” Janzen says. “People who don’t handle cow’s milk might use a goat’s milk gouda. A lot of people put blue cheese in or on their burgers.”

One rule of thumb borrowed from wine-and-cheese aficionados is to start the meal with milder flavours and work up in intensity. If you’re serving mini burgers as an appetizer, you may want to stick with havarti or edam.

If you’re still feeling lost, go to a specialty cheese store and ask the staff to help you avoid making cheesy mistakes.

Pair your meat with the appropriate cheese to make your patty natty:

Beef – blue, gorgonzola, Stilton
Bison – swiss, blue
Chicken – havarti, jalapeno jack
Elk – swiss
Lamb – feta, goat, brie
Ostrich – goat, havarti
Portobello – havarti, brie, asiago
Turkey – gruyere, boursin, goat

Recipes:

Alberta Lamb Burgers
Spicy Mango Mayonnaise
Chili-Minted Cucumbers