What makes a good burger?

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

The Hard Shoulder, with Ciara Kelly and Shane Colman, on Newstalk, with Kia.

Shane Colman (0:09)

Now, the burger restaurant chain, Bunsen, has been ranked the second best burger in the world on travel sites, Big 7's list of the best burger. So what makes a good burger?

Before we talk to our guest, our Henry McKean went to ask people what their favorite hamburger is.

Henry McKean (0:33)

What's your favorite hamburger?

SPEAKER_4 (0:34)

It has to be a Big Mac at McDonald's.

Henry McKean (0:36)

It has to be McDonald's?

SPEAKER_4 (0:37)

Yeah.

Ciara Kelly (0:38)

If it's a hamburger, it be the same.

Henry McKean (0:40)

The bacon double cheeseburger. El Burger King, or rather, a chicken burger.

Ciara Kelly (0:45)

Chicken burger?

SPEAKER_1 (0:46)

Yeah, chicken burger, mate.

Henry McKean (0:47)

From a normal chipper.

Ciara Kelly (0:48)

Like an Italian-Irish chipper?

Henry McKean (0:50)

An Italian-Irish chipper. You have them all, mate. You have them all.

SPEAKER_1 (0:53)

Your favorite burger?

SPEAKER_4 (0:54)

A homemade burger.

SPEAKER_1 (0:55)

How do you make your homemade burger?

SPEAKER_4 (0:57)

Very lean mince meat and just a bit of soy sauce, a bit of mustard, a bit of salt, mix it together and then put them into shape. What about pickle? No, not pickle.

Ciara Kelly (1:10)

I don't like pickle either.

SPEAKER_4 (1:11)

Look, I know you mentioned McDonald's. That's a hangover burger, which is very rare.

Shamim de Brún (1:19)

What about Bunsen?

SPEAKER_4 (1:21)

I've never had a Bunsen.

SPEAKER_1 (1:23)

I wouldn't have anything in it except a bit of salt and pepper.

SPEAKER_4 (1:25)

What about ketchup?

Shamim de Brún (1:26)

Cheese?

Ciara Kelly (1:27)

No cheese, a bit of lettuce, a bit of ketchup, a bit of mayonnaise. It has to be good quality Hellmann's mayonnaise though.

SPEAKER_4 (1:33)

What about a bun? Would you have a bun?

Ciara Kelly (1:35)

Yes, a brioche bun definitely would be the favourite.

SPEAKER_4 (1:39)

Fancy. What is your favourite hamburger?

Henry McKean (1:41)

I don't really like burger chains.

Shamim de Brún (1:43)

And what's on your burger?

Henry McKean (1:46)

Well, it would obviously be made with a lot of herbs and spices, seasoned, like a kind of chilli. So, chilli, quality meats. Quality meats, yeah, it's worth it.

Shane Colman (1:58)

OK, Henry McKean getting the views of people there. We are joined now by the multi-award winning Food and Drinks journalist and member of the Food Writers Guild, Shamim de Brún. Shamim, thanks indeed for talking to us. What makes a great burger in your view?

Shamim de Brún (2:15)

Well, what makes most great food is oftentimes the combination of good quality ingredients and the time and care that's put into the preparation of it. What is interesting about burgers is that they are so teasingly diverse. Yes, there is something that unifies them all. They are always a beef patty between bread. And then from there, you can go anywhere with that. Some people season their beef, some people smash their beef, some people use potato buns, brioche buns, pickles, cheese, onion, lettuce and tomato is more controversial.

But you can really go anywhere. So really what makes a great burger is a dedication to craft.

Shane Colman (3:08)

Okay, can you have too much? I mean, just as you were talking there, I was wondering, can you have too much stuff on your burger?

Shamim de Brún (3:17)

I think that's all a matter of taste. And obviously there's never any accounting for taste.

But personally, I prefer as more a simpler burger. And I think owing to what came in the top along with Bunsen, which was Hamburger America in New York, I think the judges lean towards a simpler classic burger as well. So both businesses would have very small menus that are light on toppings. You can add if you want, but their classics are topped with just onion, cheese and pickle, I believe.

Shane Colman (3:56)

Oh, that sounds good. What is your go-to burger? Where would you go to for your favorite burger?

Shamim de Brún (4:06)

My favorite burger is actually Dash Burger on Camden Street and Capell Street. Dash Burger is owned by Barry Wallace and he brought Smash Burgers to Ireland in the same vein as George Moats of Hamburger America, so I'm kind of inspired by him, but I am actually fond of a Bunsen myself.

Shane Colman (4:25)

Yeah, they are very good. I think the best burger I had this year was at about 3 in the morning at All Together Now. I think it might have been Dash Burger who served it.

Oh my God, it was just heaven.

Shamim de Brún (4:36)

There's some really excellent burgers available at the moment. I actually think we're living in the golden era of burgers.