A few month’s ago we tried the Ed’s Easy Diner Smokey Joe DIY kit and it was a decent cheeseburger but we were left a little hungry. We noticed they are now putting out a Cheese and Bacon version so thought we would give it a try.
The Bun: 15/20
A pretty good brioche style bun that taste just like they look. They came in paper bags and I was concerned they had dried out a little as they felt stodgy to the touch, but once we cooked fried in butter they really softened. We thought these were a tad better than the last time out but we used more butter and fried for a little longer so that could be the reason. Perhaps just a little too big for the patty, but no weird seeds or flavours at least.
The Toppings: 8/10
As I wrote last time: onions, pickles and bacon, what’s not to like? Pretty classic flavours. The bacon was quite thin this time whereas with the previous kit they were thicker slices, but this time it arrived 75% pre-cooked and so that accounts for part of the size difference. It really sped up the cooking process at least so we will call it a draw. Pickles were pretty good, maybe a touch sweet, and this kit also comes with a whole onion. Same complaint as before though…two half slices of bacon per burger just isn’t quite enough despite the lovely smoky flavour.
The Condiments: 7/10
The kit comes with a classic burger sauce that looks and smells like Thousand Islands, but has a nice little spicy kick. This is a case of “addition by subtraction” as we preferred the burger sauce on its own to the previous combo with BBQ sauce on top. We do think that adding a little mustard to the top bun improves it overall.
The Cheese: 18/20
Two nice slices of a decent American cheese that melted perfectly. Made for an excellent meat to cheese ratio and we thought balances off the spiciness of the burger sauce and the saltiness of the bacon very, very well. Like with the onions, pickles and bacon there may be nothing too creative here, but the classics work for a reason. My son was actually complaining that he can’t buy this sort of cheese in grocery stores as he misses the grilled cheese sandwiches of his youth in North America.
The Patty: 13/20
The kit comes with pre-formed patties and at 140g or 5 oz we thought they would be a decent size. But be warned, these give off a lot of fat. I was using a griddle and it started to overflow. So they shrank more than expected, and after the last time with Ed’s, we were expecting a lot of shrinkage. The trade-off for all that splattering is that the flavour is really good, a textbook American style diner patty and I like those. Everyone who tried loved the flavour and texture of the beef, as it was juicy and flavourful with not gamey aftertaste at all. We just needed a little more. Two slightly smaller patties might be ideal.
The Taste: 15/20
A very good class bacon cheeseburger. The beef, cheese, bacon, onion and burger sauce complemented each other very well and were in good harmony. However, it could have used a slightly smaller bun, or slightly bigger patties to get the bread ratio balanced out as well. As stated above, a little mustard helped make the flavours really pop as well. You should read our review of Eds Smokey Joe if you like the sound of this
Our Verdict: 76/100
A well prepared kit, with easy instructions and good ingredients. Pre-made patties and precooked bacon make it easy, although the floor took a week to get all the splattered grease off…be careful there. We all liked these better than the Smoky Joe and thought they had a slight “home made” sort of taste that speaks to the simplicity and quality of the ingredients. If you would like to check out Eds Diner then you can view their website here
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The Bun
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The Toppings
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The Condiments
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The Patty
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The Taste
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Our Verdict
