Did you know that it's National Burger Day today?
Sponsored by Kepak, Flipdish and Blenders, National Burger Day has gone digital this year due to the ongoing pandemic. Usually, National Burger Day sees the organisation name the best burger in Ireland - Handsome Burger in Galway took home the title last year.
Instead of following its usual routine, National Burger day is encouraging customers around the country to support their local restaurants by purchasing a burger today. For every burger purchased from participating outlets, a meal will be donated to the Simon Community. To find out whether any restaurants near you are taking part, click here.
READ MORE: Our top five burger recipes
If you still want to enjoy a burger today, but there are no restaurants near you taking part, don't worry - we asked Gráinne O'Keefe, culinary director at BuJo in Sandymount and our best chef under 30, for her top tips. Check out what she had to say below.
"I worked on the menu for BuJo Burger Joint in Sandymount for two years before we opened and spent that time perfecting my perfect burger. To me, our original BuJo burger is burger perfection: 100% grass-fed Irish beef, chargrilled with pickles, sauce, cheese and a light bun."
What type of bun should we use?
"A light brioche with slightly less sugar and butter than a regular brioche. The bun should stay intact for the entire time you’re eating the burger but also be light and compliment the beef."
What sort of meat should we use?
"Grass-fed Irish beef minced from the whole muscle cuts is the best. Don't use any trimmings and don't add anything to the beef except for some salt just before it hits the grill."
Which cooking technique should we use?
"Cook your burger over flames, always."
How should we garnish our perfect burger?
"If you have really good quality beef then that should be the prevailing flavour. Otherwise, I like to keep it simple with pickles, cheese and a slightly hot burger sauce."
What type of cheese should we use?
"You can’t beat American-style burger cheese for a great classic. There are some beautiful Irish cheeses that work really well too, like Knockanore and Cooleeney."
Do you have any other tips for us?
"Top-quality ingredients are key. You should never have to add anything into your beef to make it taste good. If you’re making your own burgers at home, head to your local butcher and ask them to mince up some beef for you with a fat percentage of around 20 per cent. Fat is the key to a juicy burger."
BuJo is currently open for takeout and delivery: Breakfast is available Wednesday through Sunday from 7.45am; the Bujo menu is available for collection from Sandymount Wednesday through Sunday from 12pm until 9.30am; BuJo burger kits (and new smores kits!) are available for collection and delivery. Click here for more info.
