With all of the ‘open/closed/open again’ lockdown decisions made to attempt to limit the spread of the Coronavirus, entrepreneurial Burgerologists have been looking for ways to get thier awesome product out there, which doesn’t involve a chap on a bicycle. Last weekend we tried the Almost Famous Homie burger kit…. This is how we got on…..
Having looked at the issues with burger home delivery, it is not surprising to see that the real burger lovers can be left a little disappointed with what is delivered to your door. No matter how clever the packaging, how quick the delivery or the thought that has gone in to the burger construct, invariably the main event will turn up slightly soggy. Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to combat the steam that hot food invariably produces when its contained in a box…… One solution is the Home Kit… and we thoroughly approve!
Having yet again been sent a delicious image from the ‘gram (see above) plans were made, menus selected and dosh handed over (electronically, obviously). Our very first foray into the home brew kit was going to be coming from the guys over at Almost Famous. The guys over there know their shit, creating some of the best looking burgers out there, and with catchy sounding ingredients such as ‘wonder dust’ and ‘bitch juice’ they exhibit a joyful approach to the serious and dark art of Burgerology that I like. I imagine that asking a server for ‘extra bitch juice’ in any other establishment could be construed as an invitation to tamper with your meal in varied and nefarious ways.
The Almost Famous Homie site is separate from the main restaurant one (although linked to from the menu drop down) and is typically only available when the kits are being offered. This means that if you want one, you need to be quick off the mark and keep checking back. Getting hold of the kit you want feels akin to scoring tickets to your favored band. Excitement abounds, and you find yourself counting down the days to when that special delivery drops…… typically order to dispatch will take a couple of days, and delivery will be a day or 2 after that. Kits are offered on a limited basis, so when it’s gone, it’s gone – don’t hang about if you see something that takes your fancy!
I had chosen a festive themed ‘Miracle on 2020 Street’ Christmas burger (candy canes and all). This towering inferno is a master of layered deliciousness. A sausage patty is placed on a toasted and burger buttered bun, before a sausage patty is topped by a Famous beef patty with cheese (obvs) then that is topped with crispy bacon and xmas crack (an incredible blend of crispy pork products, fried onions and magic fairy dust) before the whole lot is lidded with additional sauce and another toasted bun.
This little lot is then given a little top-hat of a BBQ pork slider, with peppered mayo and pickles that is as cute as it is delicious. Think burger with a side of burger, and you’ve got it!
Finally, the day of delivery came, and my box of goodies arrived safe and sound. The packaging wasn’t lying either – hopes and dreams are most certainly contained within. Opening the beast and laying out the ingredients you can appreciate the effort that goes in to a well crafted burger. I think that sometimes its easy to forget the skill and dedication that does in to creating these seemingly innocuous of food items. The burger is gloriously flexible in the way that it can deliver a satisfying meal stripped back to it’s most basic ‘meat in a bun’ ala most BBQ situations, or can be transformed in to something that makes you groan in delight with every bite. This was the latter, well and truly a masterpiece of deconstructed perfection.
Now, if you see all of these bits and bobs and wonder how on earth it all goes together, and how on earth does it all fit in a bun – then you’re in good company. The ingredients all come handily labelled (cheese, obvs) so even a novice would be able to understand what was going in to their construct.
The instructional booklet that comes in the kit is well written, and even comes with a Spotify playlist to cook to, recreating a little bit of the Almost Famous vibe. It’s also honest in it’s appraisal of the skill that you’ll need to pull this off. In their own words, this kit isn’t ‘un-fuckable’ and it is very easy to mess up your timings. As with most things that require instructions, its very tempting to ignore them and go your own way, and that’s entirely fine. You do you – but for me, I wanted as close to the Famous experience as I could get it, so I heeded the masters instructions.
Read through the booklet (just this will make your mouth water!) and make sure you have all of your ingredients laid out, that you know what you need to do with them and approximately when. I’m not kidding when I say that the actual cooking time of this gear is very short, you don’t have a lot of time to pause and read the nest step, so know your stuff before you start!
As the cooking goes by very quickly, and frankly there is so much going on I didn’t have time to think about it, I neglected to shoot any pictures of me cooking – which was probably a good thing. Incredibly, even though this was a super well laid out plan and the instructions were super clear I still managed to make the kitchen look like a bomb had gone off in it, and incredibly only one pan was used! The results however were anything but the chaos that the kitchen suggested was born there.
The burger was utterly divine. The meat was juicy and moist, the sauce was fantastic. As a little bonus, the guys include an additional 2 slider buns and enough BBQ pork for you to have a little pre burger, burger snackaroo. A good job it was too, as there is ample temptation to dip in to the BBQ pork.
As a little Brucie-bonus, the thoughtful chaps at Famous understand that its a rare thing that you eat a burger without chips (or fries for my US friends) and have put a little something in there for you.
Amongst the ingredients is a little packet of ‘wonder dust’ which is used to season the pork patty. They include enough to allow you to also season bog standard oven chips too, with simple instructions on how to use it – and it’s utterly transformative. You will NEVER want to cook chips at home without this stuff again. Simply sprinkle on before you stick them in, and them add a little more on the way out to the plate, squirt some of the included bacon mayo on them and voila!
Overall, I can say hand on heart that this is an incredible experience. \the box prices vary from kit to kit, but you definitely get what you pay for. This particular kit was very well thought out, great instructions and the result was worth every penny.
Check out http://www.almostfamousburgers.com to see what they are up to, and check out the ‘Famous at Home’ section if you want to give them a go. I highly recommend it!
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