Honest’s – Tribute Burger DIY

I need to start by stating I am a fan of Honest Burger.  For a few years I worked around the corner from the one near Oxford Circus and had it in regular rotation with Five Guys and Meat Liquor. So at the start of lockdown #2, I was pretty excited to see them offering a Tribute Burger DIY kit and so jumped at the chance to try it at home.

The Bun: 16/20

A really good bun, one of the modern brioche style.  Simple but elegant, a lovely golden brown.  We did get a couple who were very poorly cut, including one actually sliced through the bottom so it took a little surgery to make work, but aside from that they were very well packed so that none of them were squished on delivery.   Only instruction was to lightly toast, and perhaps could have improved with a little butter.  A good size, and very fresh. Honest Burger scored pretty well in the first category.

The Toppings: 6/10

In my house, there is usually a fight to get the most pickles for each person’s burger.  I signed my pickle rights away when I got married, and again when I had a daughter. The burger ladies had no interest in these “pickled cucumbers” and immediately went to the fridge and pulled out a jar of Polish style pickles to cut up and add.  They found these a little sweet and bland.  The bacon was good, but needed probably a little more than 1 slice per burger.  The kit comes with an entire red onion that adds a decent flavour.  Aside from that, we added a little shredded lettuce as per the instructions.  OK, but nothing memorable from Honest Burger.

The Condiments: 9/10

I think they almost had this perfect.  The kit came with a full small bottle of French’s mustard, which is the standard I grew up with in America.  It also came with a small container of their own burger sauce, which was the classic mix of ketchup, mayo and relish into something that would make a pretty good thousand islands dressing.  The combo covers the range of condiments I would put on myself, although I did add a touch more mayo and ketchup to my bonus burger the next day and thought it improved things just a tad.

The Cheese: 17/20

Really good American cheese.  Melted wonderfully on the patty, and offered up a very good balance of flavour and creaminess.  The slices could have been a little thicker.

The Patty: 18/20

Absolutely excellent.   Made from chopped British chuck and rib cap.  Patties come pre-formed which I like, and they were packed well so no squished or stuck together burgers here.  A little different than other DIY kits in that the patties are cooked over medium heat for a longer time and without butter or oil.  They didn’t shrink too much and had enough fat that they didn’t stick.  Juicy without making a mess.   Really great flavour, perhaps could have been just a tad bigger to get the bun/patty balance perfect, but next time (and there will definitely be a next time) I will try cooking at a slightly higher heat and press a little more to see how the balance changes.  Might be a 20/20 in the meat if the cook gets his act together. Honest Burger hit the nail on the head with the meat quality. You should check out some more of our high flyers in this category in our hit list

The Taste: 18/20

Obviously, a higher score as it’s got almost everything you want.  Good bun.  Great beef.  Great cheese.  Good bacon.  Ok vegetables. Great condiments.  When my wife swapped out the pickles she declared it her favourite burger, although I should concede she is a big fan of mustard. Kudos to Honest Burger for pleasing the boss!

Our Verdict: 84/100

A really fantastic experience.  The medium heat cooking made a lot less mess than other DIY kits we have used.  The packaging was great and the DIY kits came with clear instructions, a tote bag, and a splash of rosemary salt for your fries, which taste fantastic.  Those add-ons earned them a bonus point! I had cooked a big batch of burgers that evening, that included other options and when I went back for seconds all of the tribute burgers were gone.