Newcastle chef-butcher Michael Robinson knows a thing or two about cranking out excellent burgers. In a previous life, he flipped plenty for Plan B, Justin North's hole-in-the-wall cafe that neighboured his hatted Sydney restaurant Becasse.
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After 20 years of working in fine-dining kitchens stretching from Los Angeles to London to Sydney, Robinson sharpened up his knives for a new challenge. In 2016, he opened Hungerford Meat Co in Branxton, a Hunter Valley town of about 2000 people.
It's no ordinary butcher shop. Inside, carnivores drool over house-made charcuterie, snags and schnitzels, porchettas and pancettas, 60-day dry-aged lamb leg roasts, free-range belly bacon and the finest cuts of beef (think $300 a kilo pure-bred Wagyu scotch fillet). Robinson can also tell customers how best to cook their purchase.
As if his specialty butchery doesn't keep him busy enough, in May Robinson pulled up the window on a thrillingly simple and delicious concept. Burgers by HMC (another hole-in-the-wall operation) clings to the butchery's flank and slings burgers that just might be the best in Australia.
The minimalist chalkboard menu offers patrons a signature dry-aged cheeseburger, a hamburger or the HMC (double beef patty, double cheese, bacon, sauce, onion and pickles). Some adventurous customers have ordered a quad (the four-patty burger).
"There are rules to follow with a burger," says Robinson, who sells about 1000 a week.
"You have to make sure there's enough fat in the patty so it's nice and juicy, it has to be good-quality meat that you're mincing, and we add a little bit of salt - that's it."
He also likes to stick to classic burger combinations and not make them too fancy.
"I'm not a sauce guy," he says. "If I'm eating a steak I won't put sauce on it - I'm all about the natural flavour of the meat."
hungerfordmeatco.com.au
