Posted on 07/05/2012 2:02:47 PM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie
That was a good question, but I didn’t have an answer. I could only shrug. I grew up on Whataburgers so I could authoritatively rule them great but Five Guys better. Ditto for Sonic, despite its unstoppable cherry limeade. We all have our local haunts that can’t be topped. Around Austin, that’s Mighty Fine. Up in Baltimore, Burger Bros. is amazing and I cannot recommend them highly enough. Every town has its own best burger. But among the big chains that inspire fanatic loyalty, which is the best?
Overall Taste. Let me note for the record that both In-N-Out and Five Guys offer exceptionally great burgers and both deserve their cult status. Having tasted both, I understand the fierce loyalty that both inspire. In-N-Out is a fine homestyle burger that can be augmented with sauces and veggies and stacked a zillion ways to make it your burger. Five Guys can bring the heat or whatever taste suits you. In-N-Out is the cleaner burger and its wrap makes it the obvious choice if you’re eating on the go. But Five Guys brings a burger that is juicy to the extreme, so much so that you need half a dozen napkins at hand just to keep yourself clean as you bite through it. I prefer the juicier approach, so for me, the east coast approach is the way to go and Five Guys wins on taste. Its burger is simply juicer and tastier than In-N-Out.
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For those of you who remember, Burger Chef was the #2 chain behind McDonalds. Then it was unfortunately bought out by General Mills, which didn’t know how to run it, then spun off to Hardees, which killed it.
However, for those of you who really liked their Big Shef burger, I’ve tried this recipe and it works!:
Burger Chef Big Shef and Sauce
Ingredients:
Dill relish (not sweet relish)
Dehydrated onions
Salad dressing (Miracle Whip will do)
Louisiana Hot Sauce (very specific about brand)
Add the dehydrated onions to the dill relish. Let it
sit for a couple of hours for the onions to soak up the
juice from the relish. Then add that mix to the salad
dressing. Add a little hot sauce to bring out the flavor,
but not too much!
Insides of bun sections should be lightly sprayed with
coconut oil and toasted. Meat patties should be grilled.
Big Shef assembly (in order) - Bun heel, small slice of
American cheese,salted & peppered small meat patty,
bun center, second meat patty. Big Shef sauce, shredded
lettuce, Bun top.
Burgers, Big Kahuna, Tarantino style. Note: obligatory
Tiki style decorations and Tiki exotica music.
http://www.tikiroom.com/music/index.htm
2lbs hamburger
4 tbsp Hawaiian Teriyaki marinade
6 pineapple slices
6 slices of provolone
1 pkg large buns
Optional:
lettuce, purple onion, tomato,
sliced jalapeno, peperoncini or
banana pepper.
Big Kahuna Secret Sauce
equal parts ketchup and brown sugar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Simmer all ingredients until sugar is
melted and fully blended.
Marinate hamburger for at least 20min.
BBQ grill both burgers and pineapple slices
then melt cheese over burger before serving.
King’s Hawaiian hamburger buns can be hard to
find, but it is just as good on regular buns.
And be sure to serve plenty of frosty beverages.
I thought it was Big Chef???
Speaking of recipes, here’s Alton Brown’s Mini Man Burger recipe which is a winner and great on potato buns-
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/mini-man-burgers-recipe/index.html
My problem with some places is the stainless steel bucket with some kind of juice they keep burgers in to keep them warm then pop them on the grill for a little sizzle. Doesn’t work for me. Any place that takes less than 5 minutes does that.
Forgot about Hawaiian Teriyaki burgers. Yum! And if you want a Kiwi burger, throw a slice of beet on your normal hamburger. McDonald’s actually offered a Kiwi Burger when I lived there.
Best burger? Tin Roof BBQ in the Kingwood area of Houston and Riverside Patty's in downtown Baton Rouge. Tin Roof make a home style 3/4” think 1 lbs patty on a 9” bun with a choice of American, Cheddar, Pepperjack, etc. Riverside Patty's has a Swiss - mushroom burger that is truly great!
That’s what I remembered as well. However all the Internet references insist it was Shef. For example:
http://jsfburgerchef.homestead.com/BurgerChefMenu.html
The combination of oversize burgers and great custard served in what looks like a spotless operating room of stainless steel with employees dressed in all white attire is rather surreal the first time you visit.
Ever in Henderson, Texas, its Frank-n-Burger, hands down. Worth a detour!
Burger Chef was started here in Indianapolis.
There’s a lot of local nostalgia for the brand.
Some years back Hardees was selling the Big Shef as a promotion but it was short lived.
Not too long ago I did a whole bunch of Sous-Vide stew beef and it was a whole lot better than frying. I then used it in beef Stroganoff, Boeuf Bourguignon, and Hungarian Goulash and all three were much better than usual.
This makes me wonder about Sous-Vide hamburger patties, which I bet would be much tastier than either fried or grilled. Sous-Vide preserves all the beef flavor and aroma that is usually lost, so when you open the bag it just screams “Beef!” Then, with a quick pan sear or grill and you would, I imagine, get the tastiest burger ever.
The best part is that you get better results from the cheaper cuts. Chuck cooked that way is much more flavorful than prime rib.
Instead of getting a special cooker, I just used a candy thermometer to keep it at 135F for about an hour and a half, checking every 5-10 minutes to make sure it wasn’t too warm or too cool.
Checkers, Trenton, NJ. There doth endeth the lesson. God Bless America.
You may have a point there. I ate some buffalo or beefalo at “Ted’s Montana Grill” and it was pretty good.
That sounds really good.
“Five Guys blows (and is VERY expensive).”
Yep.
Ain't that the truth.....Born and raised in Connecticut but in Colorado the last twenty years.
Coors....eh.
FMCDH(BITS)
I want to go there, but they are in Waikiki which translates to, as you guessed, expensive.
Seriously, that Sous-Vide beef was so much better, that if I can find a less expensive S-V cooker, I might get it. No reason for it to be expensive, just able to keep the temperature of the water at 135F. Otherwise, just a candy thermometer and frequent temperature checks for an hour.
After hamburger, I’ll try it with pork and chicken. Vacuum sealers are really cheap now. And with the price of beef skyrocketing, getting better flavor with cheap cuts than expensive cuts makes it even better. Last time, I was able to buy the stew beef in bulk for a discount, which meant beef meals for three dinners in a row. But heck, I’m willing to suffer for art.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/03/how-to-sous-vide-steak.html
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