Stuff to eat. Mostly around St. Louis.
Bolyard Burger Battle: Poletti vs. McMillen
There are a lot of reasons to hate the onset of winter—the bitter cold, people who can't drive when there's bad weather, shoveling snow—but none of those make me as angry as not being able to go to any more Bolyard's Burger Battles until spring. The first battle pitted Brasserie's Nick Blue against Annie Gunn's Andrew Jennrich; the camaraderie and friendship between these two chefs sickened me. I wanted to see trash-talking and sabotaging. I thought that maybe putting Sidney Street Cafe's Justin McMillen against Pastaria's Josh Poletti would do the trick. As you can see from the picture below, it did not:
bolyard's burger battle chefs poletti mcmillen
Disgusting. These two were even more complimentary and friendly than the last two! I wanted Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon, but alas, we can't always get what we want.
Unlike the previous battle, we got to see two different patties this time around. For McMillen's "Maw and Paw Burger," he had Chris Bolyard grind braunschweiger into the meat, then topped it with a pickled mustard seed and onion slaw, white cheddar, and a pretzel aioli (we'll come back to this). Poletti, a man who embraces fatty foods like few chefs I know, had his "Mississippi Burger" ground with bone marrow, which was finished off with sweet churned pickles, white BBQ sauce, onion rings, and American cheese.
Preparation (click the photos to open a gallery and see them larger): pickle slicing, patty making, butter melting, Busch drinkin'. And the winner's prize: The Golden Pig Skull!
Once the final preparations were complete, everyone moved outside and began setting up the burger and fry cooking stations. Bolyard himself took the reigns of the thick cut French fries, frying them in the sweet, sweet beef tallow that all battle attendees have come to know and love. Even if you're not a burger eater, coming to one of these battles and just drinking beer and eating Bolyard's fries would be a delicious experience.
Bolyard took it upon himself to once again light the enormous grill, and within minutes, it was as hot as the sun. I was sweating because of it and I wasn't even close to it!
The rest of the Bolyard's team finished up the final touches, like setting up the check-in table and grilling the buns, and then the madness began.
Once the horde of people arrived, it was go time. Like a well-oiled machine, burgers were quickly handed off from chef to the team plating up each burgers on the beautiful Refection buns. After the burgers were completed, Bolyard came through with fistfuls of searing hot fries. What a badass.
The Burgers:
Both burgers were excellent, in my opinion—though I won't tell which one I voted for. McMillen's patty was my favorite of the two, thanks to the braunschweiger giving it a slightly livery taste. I know that probably doesn't sound very appealing, but I think it makes for a unique burger eating experience, especially when paired with the pickled mustard seeds and onions. And let's not forget about the pretzel aioli. My god, that was a tasty sauce. I told him that it needs to be used at Sidney Street ASAP. I could dip fries in that all day. I was worried that his heavily German influenced burger would be too fancy for the battle, but it was a huge hit.
Unfortunately for McMillen, it wasn't as big of a hit as Poletti's—though the votes were close. His take on a more classic cheeseburger won the people over. Before the battle even began, I was snacking on those sweet, thick cut pickles with the white BBQ sauce (you may recall that I fell in love with it a year ago) in the back of the Bolyard's shop—once they were both on the burger, along with gooey American cheese and crunchy onion rings, it was pretty much game over. Gluttony and excess won out.
I can't wait for next spring's battles (but my body can).
Bolyard's Burger Throwdown
The skies were more than ominous on August 22nd—there was no denying a storm was coming. I left my house at 5:15 PM, and by 5:17, the skies erupted. Manchester Road became more river than road in spots. My confidence that the Bolyard's Burger Throwdown would be starting at 6 PM was low, even if their Facebook page stated it was happening rain or shine. As I rolled up to Bolyard's, the skies cleared and the rain stopped. The burger gods were watching down upon us.
The battle that was about to take place was sure to be epic. Nick Blue, chef of Brasserie, prepared to battle Andrew Jennrich, butcher extraordinaire at Annie Gunn's.
Blue went with a Bibimbap Burger: a Bolyard's patty topped with pickled vegetables, a fried quail egg, and a piquant gochujang mayo. Jennrich gave his patty a spicy rub, then covered it with heirloom tomatoes, shaved lettuce, bread & butter pickles, remoulade dressing, and a hefty piece of andouille to create his Po Boy Burger.
The winner of the battle would be decided by the people. Each diner would get a ballot when they checked in (along with drink coupons to get Perennial Artisan Ale!). After the burgers were served, the people would decide who should win the Golden Pig Skull and who would have their hand lopped off by the master butcher himself (okay, that part isn't true). The pressure both Blue and Jennrich felt could only be described as immense.
I couldn't wait to get their meat into my mouth.
Let's check out the play-by-play.
The final plating. Two hefty sliders, plus Bolyard's mind-blowing beef tallow fries. Before even discussing the burger, I must explain how good these fries were. Think of the tastiest fries you've ever had. Now make them taste even better. It was sort of like the movie Inglourious Basterds: I went in excited to see Brad Pitt and Melanie Laurent and left talking about Christoph Waltz. So what I'm saying is these french fries were as good as Christoph Waltz, and he won the Oscar that year.
I won't say which way I voted, but both burgers pleased my palate. Even though they were inspired by completely different parts of the world, both had similar elements. They each had some heat (creole seasoning/gochujang mayo), a creamy element (remoulade/quail egg), and a vegetable crunch (pickles & lettuce/pickled vegetables). I would happily eat both burgers again.
In the end, Nick Blue took home the Golden Pig Skull. Will we see a Jennrich v. Blue rematch one day? I think, perhaps, this is the start to a great trilogy.
Be on the look out for more Bolyard's Burger Throwdowns in the near future. Who do you want to see battle it out next?
Bolyard's Meat & Provisions
After suffering through three years of eating Australian, Malaysian, and Chinese beef and pork in Singapore (there's no room for animals to roam there - some houses in Frontenac are bigger than the whole island), I had all but given up eating meat. The pork lacked flavor and the beef's taste was abysmal. I needed American beef! American pork! The good stuff. When I washed ashore in the US, I slowly began adding it back into my diet. Then I turned it up to 11. All of a sudden my freezer and fridge were full of sausages, burgers, cured meats, smoked meats, raw meats, cooked meats, dried meats! Why the sudden change? Two reasons: Truffles Butchery and Bolyard's Meat & Provisions.
If you don't already know, Bolyard's is owned by Chris (formerly of Sidney Street Cafe) and Abbie Bolyard, though I believe the brains of the operation may actually be Betty, their adorable, chorizo munching daughter. They offer lamb, pork, beef, and chicken, all sourced from small Midwestern farms. When you walk in, you'll see a big board with the cuts available, plus a display case with all their creations. The creations range from the known (hot dogs, hamburgers, meatballs), to the more unfamiliar (tasso, lamb merguez, country pate), to the OMG is that?? (beef heart pastrami, blood bologna, confit chicken hearts).
Inside Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Shelves at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Butcher Area at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Chris Bolyard at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Pork at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Watching Chris prepare a pork shoulder for smoking was awe-inspiring. His finesse with his knives was so smooth and precise - I went home and attempted to prepare my own pork shoulder at Chris Boylard speed and now have 2 less fingers. As he finished up the shoulder, a truck pulled up with two huge freezers in the back. Chris smirked and beckoned me outside.
If those guys weren't all wearing butcher's aprons and Bolyard's shirts, neighbors might get the wrong idea about what goes on inside Bolyard's. It's not every day you see a bunch of meat hook wielding gents carrying a massive plastic wrapped body. I would have offered to help them carry in the humongous cow quarters, but, you know, I was busy photographing.
Cow Delivery at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Steer Quarter at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
The Walk In at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Butchering at at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Pork at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Omnivurger at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Burger at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
As part of the James Beard Better Burger Project, Bolyard's has been making "omnivurgers", a beef and mushroom hamburger patty that is just off the chain. I don't even really like mushrooms and I've got 12 or so of these in my freezer. Just look at that bad boy cooked and ready to be devoured.
The other thing that Bolyard's is doing right are their weekly sandwiches. Seriously. As part of my research for this post, I have eaten said sandwiches. Let's see what I've consumed the last few weeks:
Roast Beef Sandwich at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Spicy Roast Beef Sandwich at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Route 66: Roast beef, porchetta di testa, arugula, pickled red onion, chipotle aioli, all on a Companion Peacemaker roll. SO F***ING GOOD.
The meatball sub: housemade meatballs (get them, freeze them, break them out whenever you're feeling low), housemade sauce, shredded cheese. REALLY F***ING GOOD.
Meatball Sub at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
My favorite so far has been the special this week, the [symple_highlight color="blue"]Seoul Mate[/symple_highlight]: ham, roast beef, Korean barbecue aioli, kimchi, sunflower sprouts, crunchy Ramen noodles. Just let that sink in. How smart is it to smash up ramen noodles and use them as a topping? 5/5, EXTREMELY F***ING GOOD.
Sandwich Prep at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Korean Sandwich at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Korean Beef Sandwich at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Seoul Mate Sandwich at Boylard's Meat and Provisions
Walking into a place like Bolyard's is, in a lot of ways, what things were like in days past, I imagine. Before the era of Schnucks, Dierbergs, and the faceless butcher. Chris and his team know what I like and what my family likes. They remember the things I ordered before. You want something custom ordered or prepared differently? Just ask.
If you haven't visited Bolyard's, this week is the perfect opportunity to do so. You want to impress your friends on the 4th, right? That all starts with having great meat. You can try your luck by just showing up, or you can call and order ahead. My recommendation: Omnivurgers and Berzerkers, a beef, bacon, horseradish, and cheddar sausage. Bring a military ID and get 20% off. And, if you're reading this today (Thursday), they're doing their Thursday night smoke out. Call to inquire about what's available (I do know they're doing a rabbit porcheta stuffed with bratwurst!).
Seriously. Go. This is what I've got in my fridge and freezer right now from Bolyard's: Omnivurgers, lamb merguez, berzerkers, hot dogs, bratwurst, buffalo turkey sausages, meatballs, pickled red onions, bread and butter pickles, beef tallow. I'm ready for the 4th.