Hamburger Nation

It’s a great time to be a burger. “Beef continues to be the leading center-of-plate protein in the United States,” says Jane Gibson, director of foodservice marketing, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Denver. And while 16% of the beef served in foodservice is steaks, 12% roasts, and 9% franks, ribs, deli meats, and other beef items, according to the “2007 Beef Volumetric Assessment in Foodservice,” conducted by Technomic, Inc., Chicago, and funded by The Beef Checkoff program, a whopping 63%—roughly 5,450 lbs.—arrived at the table in some ground form, most likely a burger.

“We’ve always had a fascination with burgers, but I’ve never seen it as alive and well as it is today,” says Stephen Giunta, a Certified Master Chef, winner of this year’s RCA Pioneer Award, and culinary director at Cargill Meat Solutions, Wichita, KS. And for good reason: “It’s part of our culture,” he says. “When something’s part of your culture, it becomes your own, and you can do some pretty special things with it.”

And that’s just what sets today’s burger frenzy apart from our steady-state appreciation of the all-beef patty. The modern burger is no longer relegated to QSR. “They’re everywhere,” Giunta says. “When Daniel Boulud puts a Kobe short-rib and foie gras–stuffed burger on his menu at DB, then we know it’s everywhere. Thomas Keller does burgers on his menu from time to time.” We’re also paying more attention to texture than we used to. “Thicker burgers are in vogue now, and you’re seeing almost a crust on the outside,” he notes. “People want that roasted outer crust that you get on prime rib, and a nice, juicy interior.”

Whether highfalutin hamburgers merely reflect the zeitgeist or are the inspiration for it, the public’s taste for the premium burger, Giunta believes, may be the biggest beef trend running. “People are going to steak-type burgers. Sliders are huge now. And it comes down to quality. People want to know that it’s great quality going in, and that it gives a great eating experience.”

A BREED APART

That’s shined a spotlight on the Angus breed of beef—which, while widely considered as American as the wide-open West, is actually an English import. “I think the Certified Angus team did a really good job marketing that brand over 27 years,” says Giunta. “The American consumer has about 87% brand recognition for Certified Angus. So that’s become a quality designation in the mind of the consumer.” According to the Certified Angus website, only 8% of beef qualifies for certification. So by choosing that designation, he says, “you’re going to eliminate a lot of the poor eating experiences. It starts with a really good breed, so genetically, they’re predisposed to delivering a good eating experience.”

And yet it’s an experience that QSRs can deliver. Chalk it up to a confluence of economies of scale, consumer demand and a growing supply chain. “Obviously, you have all the premium cuts of Angus” that go to higher-end restaurants, Giunta says. “But you also have pieces and parts that are used as trim. It’s great quality meat, but it’s just smaller pieces or trimmings from subprimal cuts.” And those are perfect for making one heck of a premium burger.