When it comes to burger classics, cheeseburgers occupy a momentous and prestigious position, especially to Millenials who grew up eating fast food offerings that included a toy! But in terms of ingredient quality and flavour, can any of the worldwide burger joints really stand up to what is being offered today by the more local burger makers? To us, the answer is no, and that’s why we went to Sliema to check out Just Burger‘s new monthly special.
The quality of a cheeseburger often tends to be a good indicator of the level of the rest of the menu. Just Burger are no strangers to cheeseburgers as they have produced quite a few monthly specials based on beef & cheese in the past. This time their monthly special is made up from an Angus beef patty, applewood cheese, crispy onions and a smoked paprika mustard sauce.
Throughout the past 6 years, we found out that many burger makers lie through their teeth. Many claim that they get their beef delivered fresh every morning, whilst in reality, they just use frozen patties from the butcher. Some even want us to believe that they have a secret underground factory that exclusively churns our their patties! We’ve never been believers of mere words. Unless we see a patty being minced and handcrafted, we’re not going to praise any burger maker. Just Burger grind cuts of Black Angus chuck to create their 140gr patty in their own kitchen. There is no magic formula here, it’s just quality Swedish beef, that yields an extra punch of unique flavour. Beef is beef, but it’s all about what you do with it, and the quality and care taken makes a whole world of difference.
The seasoning is as simple as it gets, yet nothing short of flawless. Just Burger don’t add any spices to the meat, just salt & pepper. The patty is crisp on the outside and hot and well cooked through on the inside. Each bite is mouthwateringly juicy and loaded with beefy flavour. The meat is always very tender and almost falls apart, and we really like the consistency that Just Burger always keeps up. From the very first bite, this delicious patty is as juicy as it ought to be, and is grilled with so much love and patience that it’s very hard for us to pinpoint any shortcomings! The patty has a dense texture and is not too fatty. The kitchen guys have erased the word “dry meat” from their vocabulary, and we love that!
With so many varieties of cheeses out there, how do you figure out which is the best one to enhance a juicy patty? That’s an old age dilemma, that until recently had one common answer: American cheese! While this processed option might not be the most real deal, it melts easily and is mild enough to be a sure-fire pairing with any blend of beef. Just Burger are not known for taking shortcuts with their burger specials, so it’s no wonder that this one has no American cheese inside. Indeed, one by one, many fast food outlets are abandoning the century-old American staple and replacing it with fancier cheeses. The qualities for the best cheese for a burger are a combination of flavour and moisture. If it’s something really dry, it won’t melt too well. You want a cheese that naturally melts, yet still keeps some sort of consistency, when you apply heat to it. Enter the Applewood cheese, which brings into play its own kind of flavour. This semi-hard cheese is coated with mild paprika but does not leave a burnt aftertaste. It’s also fair in the melting department because it’s thick so it does not melt away from the burger. The thicker the cheese, the more flavour it imparts. Add that concept to the juicy patty and we already have a winner. You get two fat slabs of it, to make sure that it covers every centimetre of the beef!
The mustard sauce, infused with smoked paprika brings out the juices and vitae of the beef and cheese and drives the whole burger over the top! The combination of paprika and mustard creates the best sauce you could wish for in any cheeseburger. All the flavours come together so well that propel the burger into overdrive mode, bringing you one unforgettable bite. There was enough spread on the top to permeate every bite and unite all the burger’s components. The fried onions are a great topper on such a classic burger as this one. These onions are golden crisped and have that oh-so-oniony flavour, yet they don’t seem like veggies amidst all the meat! We love crispy onions, but when they fly all over the place, they are more a nuisance than a blessing. This is not the case here as they are well cemented on the sauce. These fried onions provide crunchiness and add an extra layer of height to the overall size of the burger.
There’s no shredded lettuce or tomatoes in this burger, and the patty sits on a bed of rocket leaves. The bun is made from a Swedish recipe and produced by a local bakery. They have a gluten-free bread option too, which is very welcome by many.
Once again, Just Burger never cease to delight us with yet another twist on the classic cheeseburger that is very filling and satisfying. There’s nothing not to like about this burger and the merry guys behind it all. Just Burger have now fine-tuned their winning formula to a high degree with their delectable beef, crispy fries and weekly and monthly distinctive condiments, that brings them way ahead of the competition in the local express food scene.
