What Beef Is Best for Burgers?

People overthink burger beef. The truth is that a £40 wagyu patty often makes a worse burger than well-chosen everyday beef, because what a burger needs and what a steak needs are different things. Here's what actually matters.

1. Fat ratio — the single biggest factor

Fat is flavour and fat is juiciness. Aim for around 20% fat — the classic 80/20 ratio. Go leaner (90/10) and the patty turns dry and crumbly; go much fattier and it shrinks and gets greasy. Eighty-twenty is the sweet spot almost every great burger lives at.

2. Freshness and the grind

Freshly ground beef beats beef that's been sitting pre-ground for days — it's juicier and tastes cleaner. The grind matters too: a coarse-ish grind keeps the patty tender, while over-handling packs it dense and tough. The golden rule is to handle the beef as little as possible.

3. The cut

• Chuck — the workhorse. Great beefy flavour, naturally around 80/20. Most good burgers start here.
• Brisket — rich and fatty, adds depth in a blend.
• Short rib — luxurious, beefy, used in premium blends.
• Sirloin — leaner, more "steak" flavour, often blended in for balance.

The best patties are often a blend — chuck for the base, something richer for depth.

Why Australian beef

BB52 uses Australian beef because it's consistent, clean-tasting and reliable across a busy multi-location kitchen — exactly what you want when you're cooking the same great burger from Uluwatu to Ubud. Combined with the right fat content and our house-made buns, that's what gives our patties their juice.