What to expect in 2017 and the TSB app

Happy new year burger lovers.

You probably noticed that the content on TSB.com has been sporadic in 2016. I’ve been working on a new project with Burgiatrist Emeritus Scott (more on that to come.) Chad’s constantly working on other writing projects. He’s the only one of us that actually makes any money writing. Don is busy being a professor and with other design projects. Carolyn has a new baby.

Unfortunately, writing about delicious burgers in the triangle has taken a back seat to everything else.

Take heart, though, TSB will continue. We are still discovering new burger places, and we’re going back to old places to make sure they live up to TSB’s exacting standards. We’ll put up podcasts as subjects come to us. Just subscribe or follow us on Twitter to stay up to date.

The one casualty of 2016 is the TSB app. It was simply too expensive and too much work to maintain. I looked at what it offered compared to the mobile version of the site, and it wasn’t much more. Basically, I was paying for the ability to search a map of our reviews. I have found a few options to add that to the mobile site. Look for that in the next month or so.

That’s about all for now. We recently went to do a re-review of Chad’s favorite Salem Street Pub with a special guest. We also have a podcast to post soon. Thanks for your support over the years. We look forward to providing you with burger information and entertainment for years to come.

Michael

Frankenburger!

$380,000 Test Tube Burger Makes its Debut

Dutch scientist Mark Post with samples of cultured meat grown in a laboratory at the University of Maastricht. © Francois Lenoir / Reuters/REUTERS

Could a burger made from artificial meat be the next generation of prime beef patties? The world’s first 5-ounce test-tube burger, made of meat grown in a laboratory, will be served up in London this week, according to a report by The Independent….

First, the stem cells are stripped from the cow’s muscle and then incubated until they multiply to create a sticky tissue. The muscle cells are then grown under tension and stretched. Finally, the lab-grown meat and animal fat are minced and turned into burgers.

Special report: ‘In vitro’ beef – it’s the meat of the future This is the original article from the UK’s The Independent

New York Daily News article here

Metro UK article here

This is definitely a “Look at Me!” burger, but we’re not sure we’d be willing to review it until we see whether the first batch of tasters grow additional limbs.

“Burger Land” Premieres Tonight

In the premiere episode, George visits classic burger joints in Los Angeles: the Apple Pan, Pie ‘n Burger, Marty’s, Charlie’s, and Irv’s. Check out some clips from the episode below.

New episodes of Burger Land will air on Monday nights. The first two episodes on April 15 and April 22 will air at 10 p.m.; starting April 29, new episodes will air at 9 p.m. If you need to catch a rerun, check Travel Channel’s schedule.

Burgatory from Pittsburgh is the new Burger Brackets Champion

Burgatory

BurgerBusiness.com, the burger industry insider trade magazine, hosts a March Madness-style burger championship throwdown. This year’s winner is Burgatory, a two-restaurant chain from Pittsburgh. Burgatory defeated a host of industry stalwarts to win. Who knew that icons like In-n-Out and Five Guys would go down so early or that Bad Daddy’s would make it so far? More than 16,000 votes were cast.

Burgatory skillfully used its more than 10,500 Facebook likes and more than 3,800 Twitter followers to get out the word. The Pittsburgh Penguins tweeted their fans and urged them to vote for the burger joint that operates a highly successful burger-and-shakes stand in their home arena.

Did the best burger win? Or did the best social media strategy win? You be the judge.

2013-Final-Bracket-Spreadsheet-1024x716

Click for larger version

LA Icon Tam’s Burgers Regulated Out of Existence

While The Straight Beef tries to put politics and other worldly concerns aside to concentrate on the purer, more Platonic aspects of burgiatry, we can’t help but mourn when local fussbudgets shut down a perfectly good burger joint just because it’s in a bad neighborhood. Tam’s has been an LA icon for more than 30 years. During the 1992 LA riots, Tam’s was an oasis of calm, a place where neighbors could grab a burger, talk, and escape the craziness of the streets. Now it’s being regulated out of existence. Click link for story.

http://youtu.be/B7YhWNqIU1g

Steak & Shake’s new AllNighter Menu features 7×7 Steakburger

Looking to take on Denny’s, McDonald’s and every other kid on the late-night block, Steak ’n Shake has launched an audacious new AllNighter Menu available between midnight and 6 a.m. while also making its full breakfast menu available now from midnight to 11 a.m. (at participating locations, of course). The attention grabber on the AllNighter Menu is the 7×7 Steakburger, a $7.77 tower of seven Steakburger patties alternating with seven slices of American cheese. Full article at BurgerBusiness.com

We’re guessing that the target audience includes “drunk and self-destructive.”

Notes from the Burger Underground

Classic Drive-In Cooking

Cheeseburger2

Sometimes you can’t get out to a restaurant when the burger craving hits. The Straight Beef feels your pain. Here, then, is your guide to making classic drive-in and diner style burgers, hot dogs, fresh cut french fries, onion rings, and milkshakes at home, courtesy of Holly Moore. Just click  the link to get started.

Drive-In Cooking: Quintessential American Fare

Holly Moore is a chef, restaurateur, food writer and lover of all things fried and greasy. More formally, he’s the former owner of Holly Moore’s restaurant in Philadelphia, former food and restaurant columnist for Philadelphia’s City Paper and did stints in product development for McDonalds and Burger King. He was one of the developers of the Big Mac. These days he does a little television and is the host and reviewer at HollyEats.com. Long before Guy Fieri’s ridiculous hair and over-the-top presentation, Holly was reviewing diners, drive-ins and dives with the passion of someone who has loved — and worked in — just that sort of place for a very long time. HollyEats is a road map to great food just a little off the beaten path.

In 2003, the food website eGullet started offering online classes in its eGullet Culinary Institute (eGCI) series. I wrote the knife maintenance & sharpening workshop and Holly provided this hands-on lesson in how to prepare classic drive-in fare, lessons learned beginning with the Sip’n’Sup Drive-In, “back when cars had fins.”

Scroll all the way down the tutorial for a link to a Q&A where Holly answers questions about technique, ingredients, et al.

Just another way The Straight Beef maintains and passes on the sacred burgiatric wisdom.

Skillet Burger with Bacon Jam

Skillet, Seattle’s acclaimed diner and food truck empire run by chef Josh Henderson, is known for its extravagant burger. Not extravagant in terms of high-dollar ingredients, but extravagant in the sense of “lacking restraint” with high intensity flavors and perfect execution. The bacon jam is the real scene stealer here, and you can make it at home with relative ease.

Skillet burger recipe with link to bacon jam recipe. Seriously, try this at home.

Skillet burger. Recipe courtesy of Leite’s Culinaria & Josh Henderson. Photo by Sarah Jurado.

Behold the Power of Burgers

In-N-Out president Lynsi Torres is the youngest female billionaire. That’s what serving a great burger can do for you.

[Photograph: Robyn Lee]

Here’s the Bloomberg profile of Lynsi Torres that ran earlier this week.

Famous for its Double-Double cheeseburgers, fresh ingredients and discreet biblical citations on its cups and food wrappers, In-N-Out has almost 280 units in five states. The closely held company had sales of about $625 million in 2012, after applying a five-year compound annual growth rate of 4.6 percent to industry trade magazine Nation’s Restaurant News’s 2011 sales estimate of $596 million.

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