Talk:Steak burger

Figuratively "grilled", I hope.

"Burger King's attorneys 'grilled' Steak 'n Shake's CEO in court". Hopefully counsel didn't literally grill the witness. Terry Thorgaard (talk) 16:13, 22 October 2014 (UTC)

I'm sure Morissey would have something to say on the subject. Chaheel Riens (talk) 16:31, 22 October 2014 (UTC)

What is the definition?

Steakburger appears to be a marketing term for a high-end hamburger, which is just a shortening of "Hamburg(er) steak" in the first place. So what, exactly, is a steakburger? Pretty much any cut of beef can be cut as a steak, whether it's sirloin or chuck (shoulder) or even the shank. Does it matter whether it is first sliced into a steak before then being passed through a grinder? If a butcher bones out a chuck and puts it through the grinder without first slicing it into steaks, does that mean it can't be used to make a steakburger? (Practically, the meat needs to be cut into strips or cubes before going into the grinder anyway.) So you've got to wonder whether there is any definition at all. Do you really believe that if you visit Burger King's industrial butcher that you'll find stacks of nicely cut steaks waiting to be chopped? Or is that just puffery for "good-quality ground meat"? --Macrakis (talk) 17:35, 19 May 2018 (UTC)

All the sources in the article seem to make it clear that a steakburger is made out of meat that is indeed of a higher quality than you would find in a "regular" burger. In fact, the article doesn't make any claim that a steakburger is a steak between two bits of bread. Can you find any sources taht contradict the general context of the article and state that a hamburger is a steakburger is a hamburger?

I confess I'm not actually sure what changes you are either suggesting or hinting towards.

The only thing that is clear (to me) is that a steakburger is of higher quality than a regular burger - and this is supported by multiple claims, whereas there is nothing to say (or support) any claim that they're the same product.

I don't think it's that big a deal either. Chaheel Riens (talk) 18:26, 19 May 2018 (UTC)

Yes, there are multiple claims in the sources that a steakburger is made of higher quality meat. But it isn't even clear what "higher quality meat" means for a hamburger. Does that mean more fat? less fat? Certain cuts? Some vendors claim to use sirloin, which is strange, because most food writers don't consider that to be the best meat to use for hamburgers.

The article about the Casa del Caballo (dated 2014) claims that their steakburger ($13) is made of "10 ounces of prime sirloin", which is dubious, since they'd be losing money if they used 10oz of USDA Prime beef; and it would be a waste, since the marbling (the main attribute of Prime beef) is irrelevant if the meat is ground. Things are clearer at the Steak 'n Shake web site, which advertises "prime steakburgers" made of "100% USDA certified choice beef, using a blend of brisket and chuck" [1]. That is, (a) when they say "prime", they mean "choice" (!!!); (b) when they say "steak", they mean brisket and chuck, neither of which is commonly used for steak; (c) they do not specify that it is made of "steak", whatever that would mean. I agree with them that brisket and chuck are more suitable for hamburgers than other cuts, but that doesn't make them "steak".

The only thing that is clear about "steakburger" is that it can mean whatever the restaurant wants it to mean.

Here's a source (a blog, not a WP:RS, I agree) that makes it clear that hamburger and steakburger at Arby's are exactly the same thing. [2]

Re the steak sandwich definition, there is a line about the Australian situation, though the source isn't relevant; it talks about a "steak sandwich", not a "steakburger". But apparently a steakburger in Australia is the same thing as a steak sandwich.

https://www.hogsbreath.com.au/5-tips-making-great-steak-burger/

Enough for now. The more I read, the clearer it becomes that steakburger should be merged with hamburger; it is just a fancy name, with no objective difference. --Macrakis (talk) 23:46, 19 May 2018 (UTC)

I just popped over to wikiepdia to take a look a this after seeing a "steak-burger" advertised at nearby DC restaurant. When I asked the kitchen staff they indicated their defintion was solely 9 oz of ground meat instead of their typical 7 oz hamburger. Same exact meat just a "steak sized portion" 9whatever that means). So I agree with you. This should simply be consolidated into wikipedia "hamburger" article as a marketing term with no specific meaning.

In the US at least, "steak" refers to cutting orientation -- cutting across the grain of the FINAL product. "Steak" does not refer whatsoever to ANY Us government quality grading system (marbling) or higher or lower market priced actual sections of the animal. I can take a round and cut it into 'steaks" by cutting it against the muscle grain. There is ZERO final difference if I cube up the round and put it in the meat grinder, vs if I cut it into "steaks" first and toss them in. Same with if I were to cut chuck into "steaks" or sirloin into steaks vs cubes before grinding. Explainador (talk) 21:23, 20 May 2018 (UTC)

Thanks, I think we strongly agree.

I still haven't been able to find a clear definition of a steakburger that distinguishes it from a hamburger.

It seems as though it is a marketing term for a large (8oz or more), thick hamburger, as opposed to a thin fast-food hamburger (1.6oz = regular McDonalds patty; 4oz = McDonalds quarter-pounder). Supposedly made from "better" meat, though it's not clear what that means. It's also not clear what it means that it's made from "steak". Perhaps that's supposed to mean that it only contains skeletal muscle (no heart or tongue) and not butcher's scraps. But again, that's not clear.

There does not seem to be any generally accepted or legal definition. As far as I can tell, McDonalds could decide to call its quarter pounder (or even its 1.6oz patty!) a "steakburger" and though customers might be outraged, there would be no legal consequences.

As for reliable sources, we have for example an existing cited article grouping Steak 'n Shake's Steakburgers with other "fast-food burgers", while not listing any of the deluxe "cheffy" burgers as "steakburgers" (though there is a caption describing David Burke's burger as a "prime steak burger", apparently because it comes from a descendant of a bull named Prime (!!!)).

Ed Levine, Serious Eats, p. 82

Looks pretty clear that "steakburger" is just one marketing name among others (deluxe burger, etc.) for what is claimed to be a high-end burger. --Macrakis (talk) 22:28, 20 May 2018 (UTC)

Hey, I absolutely love Steak and Shake's steakburgers. But I know what they are--they are hamburgers. Support merging hamburger and steakburger. (Why is there no formal merger proposal already?) Unschool 05:00, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

Notes

Since no one here seems to have a clear definition of "steakburger", I've assembled some background info at Talk:Steak burger/Notes. Please feel free to add to it. --Macrakis (talk) 17:00, 21 May 2018 (UTC)

Merger with hamburger

I've proposed that this article be merged with hamburger -- discuss at Talk:Hamburger#Merge from steak burger. --Macrakis (talk) 16:01, 26 June 2018 (UTC)