Trust your butcher, trust Swiss Farm: Burgers without compromise
Can I have some of those cheap, frozen and thawed out heart burgers, please?
If you think you read that wrong, you didn’t. In fact, this is just one of many things burger making establishments will do to drive a profit – but not us at Swiss Farm.
In our latest ‘trust your Butcher, trust Swiss Farm’ article, we’ll show you what makes a great burger, tactics burger making establishments don’t want you to know, and why our burgers have been trusted since 1972.
You’ve heard the saying ‘looks may be deceiving’, well this really is true when it comes to cheap burgers. Unfortunately, many burgers barbecued this summer will be made with poor quality ingredients designed to maximise profits, thus compromising your burger and your wellbeing. So, here’s a little insight into burger making and why you can trust our burgers at Swiss Farm.
Burger brilliance since 1972
We’ve been making all kinds of amazing burgers for over 47 years. From our original classic recipe hamburgers, to our new cheese & jalapeno steak burgers, all our burgers have one thing in common – they’re carefully handmade using great quality ingredients.100% British…always.
We only use the finest locally sourced British meat in our burgers, and for good reason. We know exactly where the animal was reared and where it was sourced from. All our suppliers are local and regulated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which ensures the highest health, welfare and hygiene standards are achieved.
Yes, we could do what some establishments do and make burgers using foreign meat (which is cheaper to purchase), but that’s not what we do. Our priority is to provide you with the highest quality burgers without comprise. 100% British, 100% of the time.
We DO NOT add offal products
Now, just because someone might say their burgers are 100% British, doesn’t mean they won’t also add offal products (i.e heart, liver and kidney) into their burgers. Offal products are used as ‘filler’ ingredients as they are particularly cheap to purchase and are also used to improve the burger’s ‘look’. For instance, some butchers will add heart to make their burgers look more red and appealing. We don’t add offal, and we certainly never will.
So just remember, if a burger is particularly cheap and red, ask yourself why.
Freeze. Thaw. Repeat.
Many establishments will make a batch of burgers, freeze them down, and then thaw them out ready for display. Some will even thaw out the burger meat which goes into that batch. Not good. The problem with continuously freezing meat and thawing it for sale is that it dramatically increases the bacteria potential, thus compromising your health and wellbeing
The two Ts: Taste & Texture
Taste
What makes our burgers taste so good? Well, we don’t use artificial flavour enhancers which have been linked to numerous health concerns. Instead, our burgers are flavoured from our amazing meat and classic combinations of herbs and spices. Take our cheese and jalapeño steak burgers for instance; we use tender beef which is combined with freshly chopped jalapeños, peppers and freshly grated mature cheddar cheese.
Texture
Some establishments will use large quantities of burger binders, as without it, the burger would fall apart due poor-quality ingredients. For example, if you’ve ever had a burger which has a texture like that of a car tyre (i.e. very rubbery and chewy), then it has likely been made with excessive burger binder. Too much binder can also have the opposite effect, giving the burger a mushy consistency (similar to powdered mash potato) due to the binder holding the fat and water together. Binder is also much cheaper than using real meat, and therefore much cheaper to produce.
Another texture trait you may have come across in burgers is gristle. This hard and fibrous tissue is often prevalent in poor quality burgers and often a sign the meat used has been butchered poorly or incorrectly. Our master butchers on the other hand are highly skilled and take absolute pride in providing you with the best, hand-prepared meat.
Bulked out burgers – Two things to look for
High fat content
Many establishments will add large quantities of fat to their burgers. As with excessive binder, more fat in a burger means a cheaper burger to make. Whilst fat is an important component in burger making, too much fat will certainly comprise the taste and texture of the burger.
How to tell if a burger is made with excessive fat:
- Ask your butcher for the burger’s fat content. All good establishments should have that information available. Our quarter pounders are 85% lean meat and our steak burgers with 90% lean meat. Any leaner, the burgers will be to dry.
- Does the burger light up the BBQ? If it does, then this is a classic sign of a high fat content. Fat literally drips onto the hot coals, immediately catching alight.
Loaded with water
If you’ve ever cooked a burger and thought “hang on, where’s my burger gone?”, you may have bought burgers made with specific ingredients designed to hold water within the burger. Increased water content means the burger will weigh more, and you will pay more for less. We don’t bulk out our burgers with water, instead adding just enough to allow even distribution between the seasoning mix and burger meat.
Quality burgers for the whole family
There’s a reason our burgers have been trusted and enjoyed since 1972 – we don’t comprise on quality by replacing real meat with filler ingredients. Instead, we rely on amazing fresh meat, unique combinations of herbs and spices, and our burger making heritage. Great burgers with flavours from around the world, all hand prepared, and ready for you to enjoy this summer with the whole family.
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