Mar 042016
Ahh the hamburger. It’s basically an American pastime. Couple with some salty french fries and you’ve got the quintessential American dining experience. Thanks to some chefs and restaurant ingenuity, the burger has recently blossomed and taken it’s rightful seat across restaurant chains and local joints alike. So now we live in a burger saturated food culture, but what’s new and what’s next in this beefy world? We recently spoke with Jamie Schweid, President of Schweid & Sons for his take on the future state of this beloved American classic.
- What burger trends do you see emerging for 2016? And beyond?
- The Beef: Beef will be better than ever. More and more farmers are embracing DNA technology and breeding cattle that continuously renders the most marbled beef, which ultimately renders better beef blends.
- Let’s Talk About Bacon: The ‘meat on meat’ trend is here to stay. It’s just too good. Bacon will continue to thrive as the most-used protein to top burgers, but we anticipate we will see a shift to trying a variety of smoked bacons instead. Bacon jams and aioli blends are on the rise as toppings and will continue to gain popularity because of the unique added flavor they provide.
- Hold It Together: In addition to brioche, soft rolls of all sorts will rule as the favorite (including my personal favorite, the potato roll.) We’ll see an increase in more health conscious buns like whole wheat, but it will remain a very small piece of the market.
- How do you see the burger space re-inventing itself over the next year or so?
- Burgers do not need to reinvent themselves year after year. They are a food that resonates with almost all people. I think burgers will continue to evolve with unique toppings, buns etc.
- What’s your all-time favorite burger combination?
- Cheeseburger with BBQ Sauce!
- Most outrageous burger you’ve ever tasted or made?
- Most outrageous burger was a croquetesa burger from the Pincho Factory. It is the burger they make already, but deep fried with Swiss, pickles, mustard, and Mayo on a Brioche roll.
Long live the burger!
Photo Credits: Instagram via Schweid and Sons + Pincho Factory