Do you need a Dirty Bones burger kit in your life? Yes, you do. Though you might not know how much until you get your hands on one and whip up a tasty, meaty treat at home.
Dirty Bones, in case you haven’t visited yet, is a New York-style burger joint serving indulgent stacked burgers and cocktails in the Westgate. If you want one of their signature dishes fresh from the grill without leaving home, a DIY kit could be the answer.
The ingredients for two Mac Daddy burgers and lamb fries arrived at my door in a small box full of promise last week. It also contained a pre-mixed cocktail, and so I put on the Dirty Bones Spotify playlist while I sipped an ‘Old Skool Fashioned’ on ice and read the instructions. The potent but very sweet bourbon-based drink tasted like apple, vanilla and cinnamon; the instructions were short and to the point.
The kit is well organized…
… and doesn’t require much cooking apart from grilling the burger meat. It’s mostly about reheating elements, each of which is clearly labelled in its own plastic pouch.
I was initially taken aback by the sea of plastic, though I could see it made organizational sense once I got started, and it didn’t take long to build my own Mac Daddy tower. The beef patties (two for each burger) were good quality mince and the bbq sauce for the pulled beef short rib was flavourful. The slices of American cheese were just what you’d expect, but the zesty mac & cheese was an inspired addition. My one criticism might be that while the beef rib contributed to the overall meatiness, its own bbq flavour was a little lost in the finished dish. Still, this was a deliciously juicy, messy burger barely held together inside a toasted brioche bun – the kind of guilty delight I wolfed down in moments.
The lamb fries were another great tasting over-the-top combination.
All I had to do was crisp the tender lamb in a pan, coat it with sweet miso glaze and serve it on the reheated skinny fries along with a drizzle of jalapeno dressing and some fresh chili. The only fail was that my timing didn’t meet restaurant standards of efficiency, i.e. I turned on the oven too late. My cocktail was long finished and the burgers were tucked into their buns a good 10 minutes before the fries were crisp enough, so we had to have them as a sweet and salty second course.
Despite my inability to read the instructions carefully enough it was totally worth it. Yes, the reheating used up several bowls and pans, the grease splatter was impressive, and the kit involved a bit more effort than ordering delivery. However, these loaded burgers tend to lose integrity and heat during the delivery process, so I’d rather do it myself. I enjoyed the DIY and appreciated my dinner all the more for getting a hint of what it takes to produce a professional quality burger meal. Best of all, I was able to channel cool restaurant vibes into my own kitchen.
Dirty Bones wants us all to #GetDirtyAtHome (hell, they even slip a branded condom into the package) and the overall experience is pretty fun. Try it and see!
Westgate Oxford Roof Terrace
Queen Street
Oxford
OX1 1PG
We were gifted a burger kit from Dirty Bones; all views remain our own.
Leave a Reply