Hamburger Vs Steak Burger: What's The Difference?

When you order a hamburger at a restaurant, you'll receive just that: A hamburger. But what about when there's a steak burger listed on the menu instead? While the ingredients will more than likely look similar, there is a subtle difference between the two items – namely, the type of beef used. Steak burgers are typically marketed as being made from superior meat.

While not every cut of beef is a steak, one of the most notable exceptions is called the beef chuck. This large primal cut is located around the cow's shoulder region and is known for having extremely flavorful but very tough meat. Because it can be difficult to cook with whole, it is often ground up. In fact, it's the cut most often used for hamburgers. Steak burgers, on the other hand, tend to be made with more popular steak cuts, the most common choice being sirloin. Ribeyes and T-bones are also popular for this style of burger.

These steaks are all considered higher quality cuts than chuck, and you should expect them to be more expensive as a result. However, the extra cost of a steak burger versus a hamburger may or may not be worth it. The qualities of a good steak don't always translate to a burger.

There is no official definition of what a steak burger is or what cuts it must be made from. The term was essentially invented for marketing purposes to sound more glamorous and attractive than the pedestrian hamburger. It was pioneered by the restaurant chain Steak 'n Shake, which began advertising steak burgers upon launching in 1934. The founder of Steak 'n Shake, Gus Belt, would grind T-bone and sirloin steaks right in front of his customers to prove to them that the meat in his steak burgers really lived up to the name. At the end of the day, though, a nicely marbled beef chuck primal can pack more flavor than many steaks. The main advantage of steak is typically one of texture, but that doesn't matter much once you grind everything up.

Using premium steaks for burger meat could be considered a bit wasteful because the appeal of a good steak is typically its rich, tender texture. The reason people avoid chuck is its toughness and significant amount of connective tissue. But ground beef is tender either way, as long as you don't overcook it. This is exactly why Anthony Bourdain despised Kobe beef sliders; converting steak into burgers forfeits the cut's unique texture. This doesn't mean that you should avoid steak burgers outright though, because there's one particular preparation that can put them ahead of the pack.

Some steak burgers are made with dry-aged beef, and if you see one on a menu, it's definitely worth ordering. Dry-aging is a process used to develop flavor and texture in meat, most notably steaks. It involves storing beef in a climate-controlled chamber for weeks, or even months on end. During this time, enzymes in the beef start to break down the meat, tenderizing it. At the same time, a lot of the water naturally present in the meat evaporates. This makes the flavor of the beef much more concentrated, and the enzymes and bacteria activated by dry aging add a funky note of umami.

Another great place to try a steak burger is in your own home. If you have a meat grinder, you can personally select your favorite cuts of steak to convert into a burger, and because you control the sourcing, you can ensure the quality of the meat and control how finely it is ground. A coarser grind will bring more of the steak's texture into the picture as opposed to a very fine grind which can lead to a burger with a more homogeneous texture. Generally speaking, however, there is equal potential in both hamburgers and steak burgers, as long as the meat comes from a quality source. Besides, for what it's worth, calling them burgers is technically wrong, no matter what they're made of.