Rock-Hard Buns: The Butchers Club's Michelin-Approved, Dry-Aged Burger

In the lead-up to our 2018 Beijing Burger Festival on Jun 16-17 at Galaxy Soho, our Rock-Hard Buns series will whet your appetite by taking a look at those vendors signed up to sling their wares at the veritable meat fest ahead.

The Butchers Club opened with a considerable bang last fall at Parkview Green, not only wowing Beijing foodies with its ranking on the Michelin Guide Hong Kong in 2016 and 2017 and its esteemed reputation in that city. The Butchers Club's Beijing branch also made its presence felt with an opening party that included a mammoth 20-kilogram beef burger which was sliced up and then handed out to free to anyone who could fight off the hordes of ayis who had gotten whiff of the free grub.

And while such a hugely gimmicky burger isn't part of a typical visit to Butchers Club since then, the gourmet burger joint has been earning high esteem in the ensuing months with its premium dry-aged beef patties and other upper echelon flourishes. And while that means none of the menu items come cheap, they're delectable textures and gobsmacking flavors are more than tempting. Let's just say, if you're going to splurge and indulge, this is the spot to do it.

Ahead of their appearance at this year's Burger Fest, we spoke with the Butchers Club team to find out more about their classic burger.

Let’s start with the patty. Tell us about the what cuts you use, where you source it from, how you prepare it, its size and so on.
This 160g mound of flavor is made up of rump, chuck, and brisket from grain-fed Australian Black Angus cattle. We place the beef in a special dry-aging room for 14 days.

Dry-aging is a hugely buzzed term among foodies and high-end restaurants. What benefits does it provide?
The room's temperature, humidity and airflow are strictly controlled in our special dry-aging room to create a climate that allows the meat to 'dry-age'. The connective tissues and fats dehydrate and, when cooked, render into the meat, making it more juicy and flavorsome. At the same time, the flesh becomes denser as the blood is dehydrated and develops a stronger beefy flavor with undertones of nuts and blue cheese.

Sounds impressive, though some patrons might be turned off by the price point.
It's so expensive, in part, because the outer dark meat needs to be trimmed after dry-aging off before being made into burgers. In all, there is around a 20 percent yield loss in this process. It is, therefore, an expensive proposition to dry-age beef for a burger. However, we feel it is well worth the cost and effort, and it does appear that our customers do too.

Aside from dry-aging, what other special flourishes do you add to make your burgers special?
The patties are minced to order in front of the customer, before being thrown back to the kitchen and grilled to a perfect medium, remaining nice and pink in the center. The burger buns are baked according to our secret formula, ensuring they remain fluffy and don't turn soggy after a while.

Then there's our burger special sauce that enhances the tender patty. And it is all topped with all the quintessential ingredients of a burger. The pickles give it a hint of tanginess while the cheese and crispy maple bacon add to the amazing decadence.

What burgers and sides will you bring to our 2018 Beijing Burger Fest?
Our Classic Burger and Slider Trios.

What drink from your menu goes best with the burger?
We offer different kinds of draft beer for adults and milkshakes for kids.

Aside from your own restaurant's burger, what is the best burger you've ever had?
The Double Stacked “Ravenous Style” Burger at Morton’s.

What foodstuff or condiment should in your opinion never sully a beautiful burger?
Bacon, cheese, tomato, and a good sauce!

Taste Butchers Club burger and 40 others at this year's Beijing Burger Festival. To buy tickets or learn more about what's in store, click here.

Photos courtesy of The Butchers Club, Tracy Wang