BFS Review: Late Night at The Great Dane

 

I am not one to go on a lot of late night burger runs but when an opportunity to visit one of Madison's top burger and suds joints presents itself, it is hard to say no.  The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co, now with 4 locations (3 in Madison, 1 in Wausau), has quickly become a Madison institution since opening its doors in 1994.  A unique menu and high quality ingredients have earned the brewpub a solid reputation for fantastic food, especially burgers. 

A friend had invited me to stop by after work for an election night victory party.  The Great Dane keeps the kitchen open until midnight.  Considering I would be at work until after 11:00, that was all I needed to convince me that an after hours burger excursion was in order.  This is a burger blog, not a political blog, so I won't go into any of my thoughts on the election results here.  I walked through the door at 11:37, and happily placed my order at the bar.  The candidate my friend was supporting ended up losing his election, which created a distinctly somber and reserved atmosphere.  I tried to come across as somewhat less than ecstatic that I was about the eat a great burger and drink a fine local brew.  I blended into the crowd and awaited my late night treat.

Beef - It's What's For Dinner...

Saturday was burger night in my house.  I decided to try something a little different than just the standard griddled fare that I usually cook up.  So, I took some tips from a recipe for an Animal Style, In-n-Out burger off their secret menu.

Using a post from A Hamburger Today, as inspiration I set about my task.  I didn't stay true to the recipe (I am not at the "grind your own" stage just yet), but I did hit on some of the keys to this style. 

I started the griddle heating, while I sliced a yellow onion and set about turning it into the onion jam using the technique in the recipe.  Using about 2 1/2 ounces of 80/20 chuck for each burger, I hand pattied the beef into thin disks.  After applying salt and pepper, I placed the patties on the lightly oiled griddle and applied yellow mustard to the raw side.