Stuff to eat. Mostly around St. Louis.
Bolyard's Burger Battle: III
Another Bolyard's Burger Battle has come to pass, and we've got another one just ahead of us. On Saturday, May 14th, Jeff Friesen (Sugarfire) will compete against Alex Cupp (upcoming restaurant The Stellar Hog). Here are five reasons you need to go, using last month's battle of Michael Petres (Porano Pasta) against Michael Miller (Kitchen Kulture).
1. Meet the Chefs
Chefs are cool. They're like rock stars—they stay up later than you, they're covered in tattoos, they do a job you think you'd love (but in truth you couldn't handle), and the men tend to have beards. Usually, they're tucked away in kitchens, working their asses off to make sure you have an enjoyable evening. Now's your chance to say hi and tell them you love their food. If you really want to get in good with them, bring some Busch beer.
2.Tallow Be Thy Name
Tallow makes everything taste better. But why wouldn't it? It is rendered beef fat, after all. Bolyard's doesn't let anything go to waste. A toasted, buttery bun is always delicious, but when it's crisped up in tallow, it goes beyond that. And don't forget about Chris Bolyard's tallow fries, which may be the greatest fries known to man. This is how McDonald's used to do it.
3.Cooking Becomes a Spectator Sport
Every burger battle ticket comes with beer—the option changes for each event—which means you can dive into a nice, cool brewski while watching your favorite chefs sweat, swear, and attempt to cook something like 80 burger patties each. It's more exciting than going to a Cardinal's game. 4. Celebrate the Cow
The obvious star of the battle is the burger. Each adorable patty is made using Bolyard's top-notch beef, then creatively topped by the dueling chefs. Petres topped his "Smoky Mountain Magic" burger with a scoop of pimento cheese, a golden chow chow, psychedelic mushrooms and hickory smoked bacon. Miller's "Gaucho" burger came with a smoked chili and onion remoulade, Mahon cheese, spicy greens, and a ramp & cucumber chimichurri. Bold flavors from both chefs.
By the end of the battle, you've had two burgers and enough tallow to keep you warm through winter. You feel all beefed out. There's only one solution to that: go to the Ices Plain & Fancy booth and get yourself some ice cream! Yes, friends, it truly is a culinary wonderland celebrating all things cow-related. 5. Pick a Winner
Once the dust has settled, fill out a card and vote. You get to decide who goes home with the Golden Pig Skull! I know, the power is invigorating. Treat it like a real election—you can vote with your heart, vote based on which chef's restaurant you like more, or even try to solicit a bribe. It's just like real life!
Chef Miller won by 11 votes at this last battle. Make sure to congratulate him at the next Tower Grove Farmers Market (and do NOT miss out on the Kitchen Kulture breakfast sandwich).
You can buy tickets to the Burger Battle on the Bolyard's site here, or you can get them at the door if you're too lazy to get your wallet. I'll be there, camera in hand. Come say hi!
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.