A very rare burger at Smoke
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had some of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten at Smoke. They’ve been offering burgers as a $5 special on Monday nights, but that deal ends with the month of May. I think they have burgers on the lunch menu. I’m not sure whether they’re normally available at dinner. They might be available only in the bar area. Get them whenever and wherever you can.
Nothing but the finest for these burgers. USDA Prime. Ten years ago you couldn’t find USDA Prime anywhere in Tulsa. Beef raised in a little ranch in western Oklahoma. I think they use the best cuts too, New York strip, just like their steaks. Buns fresh from Farrell Family Bread, and if you haven’t heard of them you should. They’re one of the finest artisan bakers around. Lettuce and tomato from the Farmer’s Market. Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and pickles made in the restaurant.
The Monday burgers are normally about 6 ounces but last night I got them to make me a larger one. I ordered it very rare. You can see it in the photo above. I don’t know how they got the cheese to melt so well. On a very rare burger, even Ron Baber had problems with that. I think this deserves another shot. Look how thick and juicy this baby is.
Usually burgers made with high grade meat aren’t worth the hype. They don’t have enough fat and they are just too dry. That’s not true of this one. (And before a lot of my friends complain, I’ve heard this is true of the Brady Burger too. I’ve never ordered a Brady Burger, for each time I go there I’ve been seduced by Grant Vespasian’s other offerings.) Though I’ve heard from friends that Smoke has overcooked their burgers, they did a perfect job on mine each time I was there. I ordered very rare and that’s exactly what I got.
Just the way I like it. The outside fully cooked, even charred, the inside more or less raw but cooked enough so the fat starts to melt, yielding that rich and primal flavor. This could be the poster boy for rareburger.com. But if this is too primal for you, gentle reader, be aware that Smoke makes great desserts (and the dessert menu is huge photos on an iPad 2), so let me leave you with something sweet.
Brian S., and 
Cathie are discussing.
Cathie 10:12 am on May 24, 2011 Permalink |
We had the burgers last night too – they were really yummy but we didn’t get to try the mayo or pickles – none on our burgers and they weren’t given as options.
Ours just had lettuce, tomato, and a little mustard. We ordered ours medium well and they definitely weren’t overcooked. They were cooked through while still incredibly juicy. Just a note – since the pics show fries – fries aren’t included. We weren’t told that until after our burgers came so we were about halfway through them (eating slowly) before we had fries. For $2 it was a sizeable order though and enough to share. Very crispy. Just make sure you order them when you order the burgers. The ketchup is definitely homemade and maybe not what you’d expect – it wasn’t as sweet as normal ketchup and my son’s immediate reaction was “It’s like tomato sauce!” but he ate almost all of it so it got his approval.
Brian S. 11:13 am on June 6, 2011 Permalink |
The deal continues!! $5 burgers Monday nights (starting at 4 PM) through June.
The Brady Burger | Tulsa Food Talk 9:56 am on July 30, 2011 Permalink |
[...] But there are two places in Tulsa that made me change my mind. First off, of course, is Smoke. I’ve sung the praises of their burger before.And then there’s the Brady Burger. I never got around to trying it until last night. Each [...]