A Tale Of Two Burgers ..... most aweful tale, third burger story too!

ven0m

So last night, me & the missus go to Dundrum to catch the new Guy Ritchie flick, & decide we'll go to Bennigans to grab a burger, since Empty Pockets didn't appeal (not to mention they are uper hit & miss).

I've eaten in Bennigan's countless times, & had no issue whatsoever. So, I order one of my favorites, their Blue Cheese Burger with crispy onions, the missus orders their 'Classic' burger.

Meal arrives timely, plates warm food warm. No blue cheese on my burger, so it goes back. New fresh burger comes back, plate warm, food warm - burger totally pink all the way through.

So, my missus is already finished her burger by the time I've discovered mine to be pink, so I decide I'm not having another burger from them & decide that I'm hungry (hadn't eaten all day, it's 9.10pm at this point) & it's close to movie time (9.30pm), so I decide McDonalds (while not great, sure of course it'll be a safe option - they CAN cook a burger so it don't poison me!), so I order a Double Quarter with Cheese & Bacon.

Had I known what was going to come, I wouldn't have bothered. I was presented with a burger that had soooo much grease on it, I had a 3mm in height layer of grease that had dripped off the burger into the box, & more was still dripping & I hadn't even taken a bite, & I could not bring myself to even eat this abomination. It has now put me off ever eating in a McDonalds ever again.

My other recent burger experience involves the 'Gourmet Burger Kitchen' in Liffey Valley, who recently while eating in there, charged me €3.50 for adding two slices of crispy bacon to a burger ....... and nowhere on any menu or sign did it mention the Bacon would have cost this much extra, nor was I told by the waiter. Not to mention the burger was dry as old boots. A priveleged they charged me nearly €14 euros for, & wouldn't back down over me not paying for a lousy meal or being conned on the bacon.

This now begs the question, is it possible to get a decent bloody hamburger ANYWHERE in Dublin without being poisoned, given a heart attack, or having your pants pulled down over the price?

Any suggestions anyone?

twerg_85

real burger in dun laoighre has some nice ones. lamb, venison as well as beef.

Easy to make burgers at home too and you know they'll be cooked properly and to your taste.

super_furry

Can't recommend Jo Burger enough.

Krusty_Clown

I have never been disappointed at 'The Real Gourmet Burger' (except possibly with their website!). They're in Dun Laoghaire, and Ballsbridge.

monkeyfudge

There's a new place on Talbot street called Garibaldi's.

The burgers are pretty damn tasty.

AARRRGH

I gotta say... the atomic in Eddie Rockets is better than any of the gourmet burger places, and I eat a lot of burgers!

Ricks is a bit hit and miss.

Melion

XL Bacon Double Cheeseburger in Burger King

funky penguin

twerg_85 wrote: »

Easy to make burgers at home too and you know they'll be cooked properly and to your taste.

This has been my best experience with burgers and you don't pay through the nose for it.

Dubdude

http://www.bobos.ie/

ven0m

Going to try Ricks, Bobo's & Jo Burger over the coming weeks see how they are .....

p.s. Burger King 'burgers' aren't real, & my McDonalds experience has put me off them now too!!!! :mad:

Toto Wolfcastle

Melion wrote: »

XL Bacon Double Cheeseburger in Burger King

My absolute obsession!

whiskeyman

Melion wrote: »

XL Bacon Double Cheeseburger in Burger King

janeybabe wrote: »

My absolute obsession!

'Gourmet' it isn't, but it sure is the tastiest thing on planet Earth!!
Chuck a few sachets of ketchups on, and wolf down that meat patty goodness!!

Feck, I'm drooling just thinking about it!

WindSock

monkeyfudge wrote: »

There's a new place on Talbot street called Garibaldi's.

The burgers are pretty damn tasty.

But that's on the northside, how are southsiders supposed to get to there?

Talliesin

ven0m wrote: »

it'll be a safe option - they CAN cook a burger so it don't poison me!

Burgers are traditionally made out of beef. If it's at all fresh it can't be undercooked. If not fresh, why eat it no matter how well-cooked it is?

Never have blue steak, steak tartare or beef sashimi? Raw beef is delicious.

funky penguin

I thought if it's minced beef its always best to cook it through as its not pure lean meat?

On the other hand... sashimi is lovely, and I never go above medium rare for my steaks. Melty!

Talliesin

funky penguin wrote: »

I thought if it's minced beef its always best to cook it through as its not pure lean meat?

Not if it's the really good stuff.

If I have to eat a burger in BK for lack of available real food I'm glad they cook it so high, if I'm in Elephant and Castle, say, I'll go for pink in the middle. tSubh's homemade ones are definitely for keeping pink in the middle.

funky penguin wrote: »

I never go above medium rare for my steaks. Melty!

Apart from tasting nicer in itself, anything above medium rare (and more so the higher you go) is a bad idea in a restaurant because,

1. over-cooking hides poor quality
2. the chef will hold you in contempt and think you have no taste so s/he's not going to waste the best steaks on you.
3. he'd probably be right

the_syco

Joels out past the Red Cow Inn. Lovely food, excellent burgers.

funky penguin

Talliesin wrote: »

Not if it's the really good stuff.

Ahhhh.... good to know.

Have to say I've never been asked how I like my burger cooked, so safe bet if I am asked, then the meat is good quality?

ven0m

Talliesin wrote: »

Burgers are traditionally made out of beef. If it's at all fresh it can't be undercooked. If not fresh, why eat it no matter how well-cooked it is?

Never have blue steak, steak tartare or beef sashimi? Raw beef is delicious.

I like my steak blue, I've eaten more steak tartar than you can imagine, but that's meat that is chopped there & then in front of me & then served.

Mince meat is a whole other ball game - esp. in burger joints & it needs to be cookoed well & there's also a health & safety req. to ensure it is cooked well also.

Talliesin

funky penguin wrote: »

Have to say I've never been asked how I like my burger cooked, so safe bet if I am asked, then the meat is good quality?

Well, I've never been asked when I've made restaurant-choice decisions under the influence of alcohol, but have in a few really good places.

On the other hand, don't tell anyone this! (Do we want the bad places to start treating their meat like its better than it is?)

copacetic

Talliesin wrote: »

Not if it's the really good stuff.

If I have to eat a burger in BK for lack of available real food I'm glad they cook it so high, if I'm in Elephant and Castle, say, I'll go for pink in the middle. tSubh's homemade ones are definitely for keeping pink in the middle.


Apart from tasting nicer in itself, anything above medium rare (and more so the higher you go) is a bad idea in a restaurant because,

1. over-cooking hides poor quality
2. the chef will hold you in contempt and think you have no taste so s/he's not going to waste the best steaks on you.
3. he'd probably be right

Talliesin wrote: »

Burgers are traditionally made out of beef. If it's at all fresh it can't be undercooked. If not fresh, why eat it no matter how well-cooked it is?



Never have blue steak, steak tartare or beef sashimi? Raw beef is delicious.

Don't agree with this at all, it's dangerous advice and couldn't be more wrong. Food safety has nothing to do with the quality of the meat. Anything that is minced needs to be cooked through. You've totally mixed up steaks/whole meat and minced or ground meat.

e.coli etc can easily end up on the outside surfaces of meat during slaughter, this is made safe by cooking a steak so it isn't pink on the outside. It can be as rare as you like on the inside it is still safe.

when you mince said steak, the outside is now the inside, it needs to be cooked through.

I'm actually stunned that this apparently isn't well known.



fsai (ireland) e.coli saftery leaflet.
http://www.fsai.ie/publications/leaflets/EcoliO157_Leaflets/family.pdf

Up to 30% of people
infected with E. coli O157 can develop
kidney failure and 3-5% of
these people die

Adequate cooking
kills this germ

Cook food adequately:
• Cook beef burgers, minced, diced or rolled meat well.
Cook until juices run clear or until the thickest part
of the meat has reached 75°C

fsa (uk) http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/keepingfoodsafe/cooking/

E. coli O157 and other VTECs have been transmitted most commonly through undercooked minced beef and milk that is unpasteurised, inadequately pasteurised or contaminated after pasteurisation.

Checking if meat has been properly cooked

It's very important to make sure poultry, pork, burgers, sausages and kebabs are properly cooked all the way through.

If you are checking a burger, sausage, or a portion of chicken or pork, cut into the middle and check there is no pink meat left. The meat should also be piping hot in the middle.

If you're checking a whole chicken or other bird, pierce the thickest part of the leg (between drumstick and thigh) with a clean knife or skewer until the juices run out. The juices shouldn't have any pink or red in them.

Kidneys, liver and other types of offal should be cooked thoroughly until they are piping hot all the way through.

back to top

Rare meat


It's fine to eat steaks and other whole cuts of beef and lamb rare, as long as they have been properly 'sealed'. Steaks are usually sealed in a frying pan over a high heat.

It's important to seal meat to kill any bacteria that might be on the outside. You can tell that a piece of meat has been properly sealed because all the outside will have changed colour.

It's OK to serve beef and lamb joints rare too, as long as the joint is a single piece of meat, not a rolled joint (made from different pieces of meat rolled together).

But pork joints and rolled joints shouldn't be served rare. To check these types of joint are properly cooked, put a skewer into the centre of the joint. The juices shouldn't have any pink or red in them.

Remember, you shouldn't eat these types of meat rare:

• poultry
• pork
• burgers, sausages, chicken nuggets
• rolled joints
• kebabs

This is because these types of meat can have bacteria all the way through them. So if they aren't properly cooked then any bacteria in the meat might not be killed.

fda (US): http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/fttmeat.html

Ground Meat
Meat can have harmful bacteria on the surface from the slaughter process, equipment from the processing plant, or germs on hands, utensils, or kitchen surfaces. When meat is "ground up" at the supermarket and handled at home, this surface bacteria can end up inside the meat. This is what makes ground beef, for example, particularly at risk for E. coli O157:H7 contamination.
Proper cooking will kill harmful bacteria on the surface of a solid cut of meat, such as steak, because the surface gets direct heat. However, harmful bacteria on the inside of the meat are less likely to be killed by cooking if proper internal temperatures are not achieved.
That's why it's important to be especially careful that the internal temperature of ground meat reaches a high enough degree to kill bacteria. To destroy harmful bacteria that may be present in ground meat:

• All consumers should cook ground meat to at least 160° F (71° C). Use an accurate, instant-read food thermometer to check. Make sure the food thermometer goes straight into the meat, but does not come out the other side and touch the pan.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention link eating undercooked, pink ground beef with a higher risk of illness. If a thermometer is not available, do not eat ground beef that is still pink inside.

oblivious

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I have never been disappointed at 'The Real Gourmet Burger' (except possibly with their website!). They're in Dun Laoghaire, and Ballsbridge.

Very nice alright

valleyoftheunos

Jo Burger is absolutely top stuff, great menu with loads of options and not a dud anywhere on it.

skibum

The Millhouse, in stillorgan serves a fantasic burger, I go about 2 - 3 times a month and they are always great. The buns are nice and soft and the burgers are cooked to perfection, never hard or lumpy.

Going there this afternoon, after I cut the bloody grass

Frisbee

+1 for Jo Burger

jdivision

Dubdude wrote: »

http://www.bobos.ie/

is rubbish imo, chips are terrible too

WindSock

I thought their Dubliner Cheeseburger was nice.

olaola

jdivision wrote: »

is rubbish imo, chips are terrible too

The last time I was in here - I was served two very long black hairs in my burger. Can't go back... it made me gag.

Jo Burger FTW!