New Seattle Company is Burgerrific
From an office in West Seattle, Dave and Rebecca Makuen are igniting a hamburger revolution. In the midst of an economic upheaval, while so many local companies are cutting back, scaling back plans, or just plain vanishing, the Makuens have started a brave new business called BuiltBurger.
Burger lovers with extra spend-power will be happy they did. First of all, get your mind off the staid old burger standard. BuiltBurgers are infused with flavors and made with all natural products. And when we say infused, we mean *drool* infused.
The company’s Thrill BBQ Pork burger is made with grilled pork, and includes actual bits of pulled pork that's slow roasted in a custom sauce. The Brilliant Prosciutto starts with all natural beef and features bits of prosciutto, onions reduced in balsamic, roasted red peppers and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Eight more flavors are delightfully eccentric and undeniably delicious.
"I’m a grilling aficionado and I have a passion for premium products," Dave said in an interview. "I felt there was a space in the frozen foods category for great tasting burgers, and I believe great products will find their customers regardless of the economy."
We tested samples of BuiltBurger provided at a weekend beach party, and the Thrill was the favorite, with the Supurb Trio, a blend of three different cuts of beef, a close second. The women in the group wouldn’t eat the Heavenly Lamb burger out of pro-lamb sympathies. Too bad, it was magnificent. All ten flavors drew raves, even from the teens and pre-teens at the party.
Dave recommends not using added cheese or condiments and it’s a good recommendation. The burgers all have excellent flavors with deep, bold accents bubbling up with each bite. At the party, we didn’t even season them beyond a touch of pepper, and we topped them with a slice of crisp lettuce, onion, and tomato.
Because the burgers feature all natural products, they don’t need as much cook time on the grill. Figure three to five minutes a side and rotate them at the one and a half minute mark.
Each burger is handmade in Ballard and quick frozen for fast delivery. Online orders are usually filled in 24 to 48 hours. The burgers arrive frozen in a cooler pack with dry ice and can remain in freezer for between 30 and 45 days and still retain their flavor. The directions say they should be thawed in the refrigerator for 24 hours (over this weekend they were ready in 12). "Cook them on a medium heat on the grill, but crank up the heat to high before you put the burgers on and then turn it down," Dave advises.
BuiltBurger is a premium product: a six-pack will set you back $49.50, a ten-burger sample pack is $82.00. Dave says the most popular is the 24-pack which is on special at $131.50. Shipping is currently free in Washington. They have already filled orders from 25 states and are available in the 48 lower states. Those are tall prices, but these burgers are the real deal. This weekend, one burger apiece filled each of our guests up.
Seattle used to be a great burger town with the likes of Daly’s and the Turbulent Turtle. A lot of the old burger shacks are gone. But Dave and Rebecca’s BuiltBurger are taking the sting out of the loss, and taking it up a notch. No way those guys in the shacks were serving up the Heavenly Lamb.
