Tom Byng - Byron: The Cookbook

The beef was succulent, the bun was perfectly squishy and the cheese was soft and comforting. We ate our burgers silently with hot, salty fries and, from then on, burgers at the Silver Top became a regular part of my student life. I returned home from the States with only a rough idea of what to do with my life. After a short spell in advertising I fell into restaurants, owning and running a couple in Londons Notting Hill when the area was much less trendy than it is today. By 2006, the rents had become unaffordable. I needed a new challenge and I remembered the Silver Top.

It almost surprises me to think about it today, but burgers in Britain were still pretty dreadful back then. Too many restaurants served mediocre, overcooked minced beef in dry buns with a splat of cheese. Then, of course, there were the huge chains. To me, these lacked soul and were too obviously about labs and logistics. I wanted to make proper burgers the way I remembered them from the misspent nights of my American youth. There was a clear idea from the start.

We would keep things simple: a classic burger, a cheeseburger, a chicken burger and a veggie burger. Three salads, homemade fries and sizzling onion rings would complement the star. The beef would be of high quality and sourced carefully, the buns made fresh each day. Byron, of course, was a great English poet; I liked the contrast between his British name and our American food. We looked in the dictionary and discovered that byron comes from the Old English word for cowshed. So it almost seemed like fate.

We found a site at the unfashionable end of Kensington High Street and launched in December 2007. We were busy from the start, and I think I know why. Made with honesty and good ingredients, and above all kept simple, the hamburger is a pleasure and not necessarily a guilty one. Then, in 2012, I heard about a chef who was making some of the best burgers in London from a small pub kitchen. I went to The Admiral Codrington one night, tried his burger and said to myself: this is far too good. Fred Smith and I met for several cups of coffee over the following weeks, eventually agreeing to collaborate on a special Byron burger for the Royal Jubilee that summer.

We cheekily named it The Chilli Queen, it was a huge success, and soon Fred came to work with us full time. Since then, he and I have eaten dozens possibly hundreds of burgers across the US: in Miami, Dallas, Kentucky, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and New York. Weve travelled to other countries on similar adventures, even going to Paris to taste the best burgers the French can make. (They are very good, if you were wondering see one of the best. This book is our attempt to share our knowledge and experience with you. Fred will explain how to keep a burger juicy and make your own buns and sauces; he will outline the best techniques for the BBQ as well as the hob if barbecuing isnt an option.

Hell reveal the best cuts of beef, how to blitz the perfect milkshake and how to make fries crisp outside and fluffy within. We keep our menus simple at Byron, but Fred and I have also included diner dishes that weve loved on our travels. Our goal has been to design doable recipes that lift the spirits and warm the soul. Since Byron was born, the British burger scene has transformed beyond recognition. The average hamburger you find in your local pub or restaurant tastes incomparably better than it used to. Chefs use better beef, cook ingredients more carefully and, only rarely these days, bring out the ciabatta.

Im proud that Byron has played a role in these changes, and my hope is that this book will bring the joy of my first Silver Top experience to burger-lovers everywhere. Tom Byng

WE USE A MIXTURE OF CHUCK, SKIRT, BRISKET AND RIB FAT IN THE RESTAURANTS, FOR THEIR UNBEATABLE COMBINATION OF TEXTURE AND FLAVOUR. If youre cooking for large numbers of people then you might want to use the same blend of cuts as we do. But youll get fantastic results by just using freshly minced chuck steak, which comes from the animals forequarter. This is about 20% fat, which will keep the patty succulent and tender, as well as lending it a beefy, savoury taste. The fresher you can get your mince, the better. As a minimum, this means asking your butcher to grind the beef for you. Ideally, youll mince it at home the same day or, at most, the day before you want to cook it.

Avoid packets of mince from supermarket chiller cabinets. These are likely to be several days old; ground beef left for ages tends to set and clag together. You also wont know what parts of the beast have been used, and the meat may have been sealed with gases to keep it fresh. The hamburger is one of the quintessential beef dishes: dont skimp on the main ingredient. Barbecues and frying pans give you equally good - but different - results. When fat and juices drip onto hot charcoal, they sizzle, create smoke and help to season the meat.

A cast-iron pan, by contrast, delivers a better caramelised surface to a burger. Ultimately, which method you choose will depend on season and circumstance, but both will be delicious. Most shop-bought buns cant shake a stick at the ones you make at home. A proper hamburger bun is sturdy and doesnt collapse when it soaks up the juices. You dont exactly want a crust - remember the grim Ciabatta Days of the 1990s? - but you do need something that has a little bit of chew and isnt too cakey. Anything made with butter is good.

If you feel that life is too short to make your own, then source readymade burger buns that are reassuringly rich and buttery. We havent held back on the recipes in this chapter. We wanted to show you the incredible versatility of the hamburger - how different meats and flavours can create dramatically varying experiences. But, irrespective of the accompaniments and changes, each of these hamburgers - all those made with beef, at least - comes back to the unbeatable patty I hit upon in Byrons first kitchen. BEEF GRINDING THE MEAT Always grind the meat on the day you intend to use it. Ask your butcher for chuck steak, ground twice through a 46mm plate.