Poll: Burger Doneness Preference...

Burger Doneness Preference

An often debated and hotly contested matter of personal preference.  This is a point of contention for all burger lovers, each believing his or her own choice is the best.  Are you a blood raw burger kind of person?  A lover of the proverbial hockey puck burger?  Let us know with our first ever poll!

What's for Dinner?

I took some quick pics of a 1/2 pound double double I made for dinner the other night.  Burger porn. Mmmmmmmm.

I find simplicity in burgers produce the most rewarding results.  In this case two griddled, 1/4 pound patties of loosely packed, 80/20 ground chuck, seasoned with salt and pepper create a behemoth of a burger.  I added some Kraft Singles and dill pickles, and served it up on a homemade, toasted white bun.

The fries were just frozen crinkle cuts, straight from the freezer and baked in the oven.  Nothing special, but a nice compliment to the beefy monster anyway.

BFS Review: Culver's Butter Burgers ~ A Franchise With Local Heritage

"This story begins in the unforgettable spring of 1983.  Ms. Pacman struck a blow for women's rights and a young Joe Piscopo taught us how to laugh." ~ Marge Simpson

All right...Culver's story actually begins in the summer of 1984, but I am never able to resist the gratuitous usage of a Simpson's quote.

As far as the reviews are concerned on this site, I have always intended to stay away from the national mega-chains (Chili's, Applebees, McDonald's, BK, Hardees, etc...).  If one were to offer a regional item, maybe.  Otherwise there is enough out there about those places already.  Culver's, with its now 400+ locations, seems like the type of place that I should pass over, but I have motivations beyond size for this write up.  I currently live in Sauk City, the official hometown of Culver's.  I just couldn't pass that opportunity up.

What? That's not good for me? Really? Huh...

Men's Health Editor-in-chief and resident nutritional mother hen, David Zinczenko, brings us another of his insightful looks into the calories be damned approach to food service employed at our favorite eateries.  This time he is looking into the "The Worst Burgers in America."  This is certainly not the first journey down the road of total burger gluttony.  

To say Mr. Zinczenko, the co-author of the nationwide bestselling tome, "Eat This, Not That!" is only a little redundant is like saying that Lady Gaga is only a little annoying.  I'm still always up for taking a peek at his latest column though.  First, it gives me great ideas for dinner.  Second, I kind of enjoy that smug sense of superiority that oozes out of his keyboard as he types his factoids that only a mindless cooter wouldn't already realize.

Seriously, dude?  You mean a 1/2 pound burger, rolled in salt, covered with 4 slices of cheese, buried under 6 strips of bacon, stuffed with deep fried onion straws, slathered in mayo and served on a bun soaked in melted butter isn't the healthy choice on the menu?  Wow, I thought that slice of lettuce meant it was technically good* for me.  Thank the stars in heaven you were here with your timely wisdom, David!  What would humanity do without you?

Now, it's off to Uno Chicago Grill.  That Bring Home the Bacon Burger looks fan-frackin-tastic!

* - For the full effect you should do that finger quote thing when saying this.

Wendy's Gambles On New Burger in Vegas, Baby!

As reported in the Las Vegas Sun, fast food giant Wendy's will soon be rolling out a new burger line.  Dave's Hot 'N Juicy Cheeseburgers will be exclusive to Las Vegas, as the company tests the waters a bit.  The plan is to take the line national in June 2011.

To kick things off a new commercial will air exclusively in Vegas next week, and it will feature a person that we are all familiar with, but whom most of us have never seen.  The iconic Wendy's logo, as many of us know, is based on founder Dave Thomas' own daughter.  Wendy Thomas, owner of several Wendy's franchises, will star in her first commercial for the fast food chain that she has symbolized since 1969.

Watch the commercial after the jump...

What a burger should be...

I have heard it said that the measuring stick that you will hold all pizzas to is the first slice you recall eating as a child.  For me that would be the perfection that is Sammy's Pizza, a small Minnesota based chain that has graced Eau Claire with its presence for over 50 years.  This is a burger blog and this is a burger post, so I won't go on and on about the manna from heaven that is a Sammy's House Special.  Trust me, I could write countless posts on that one thing alone.  But I am certain that if that is true of pizza, it also true of all foods we love.  Fried chicken, hot dogs, fries, onion rings, and most definately burgers.

Growing up in Eau Claire was an interesting existence.  Far removed from the nearest big cities, this pin prick of a town (pop. 50,000 or so when I was a kid) drew folks into it from surrounding communities far and wide.  This created an atmosphere of commerce that drove the local economy, and warranted an amount of restaurants comparable to cities 2 or 3 times its size.  Of course there was an inordinate amount of fast food to be had, but with the modern day behemoth chains the likes of Applebee's, TGIFs, Olive Garden, et. al. still light years away, the scene was ruled by locally owned and operated treasures.  In Eau Claire, in the 70's and 80's, the Grand Poohbah that ruled all had to have been The Chicken Hut.

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.

Burgers on the Today Show...

David Zinczenko, the author behind “Cook This, Not That!” appeared this morning on the Today Show to demonstrate how to cook a healthier version of a swiss burger and some cheese fries.  He and Al Roker do a great demo on the proper technique for making smash burgers. 

I am a huge proponent for home cooked burgers, and I love going out for a caloric bomb every now and then.  I don't put too much stock in the whole "deny yourself what you love to eat", meme that Mr. Zinczenko preaches.  I have to say this looks particularily yummy but if I made it at home I wouldn't be able to bring myself to use the  low-fat swiss. Just sayin...

Watch the video after the jump.

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.

What am I doing here?

I love the hamburger in all of its glorious forms. Greasy, little sliders to over-sized monsters, and everything in between. My personal favorites are the simple cheeseburgers usually found in little mom & pop restaurants, but I am willing to give almost anything a try.  With that in mind I have decided to join the roughly eleventy trillion other people who are currently posting their thoughts on the state of the all things burger.