We've been enjoying last years elk on grill emensely in hamberger form. Had the butcher add 15% beef fat to it. These rock. Got me thinking, what will be my go to burger when the freezer empties out?
Everyone has a favorite fast food burger, and while some hate them, we all need a burger on the run now and then. I guess my go to is Wendy's on the run. Not even close to homecooked, but it'll do. What's your go to franchise burger. when you are out and about?
Culvers. Had one yesterday. Not bad for a fast food joint. My Favorite, though comes off my Char-Broil Grill. One pound Ground Venison and 1/2 lb 15-20& Ground Chuck. Mix together with a little liquid smoke and use Montreal Steak seasoning instead of salt or pepper.
Hatari, Run up to Eastern Kentucky and shoot another Elk. Have the whole thing except the backstraps and loins made into burger meat. If you have a butcher do it, you know what to do.
Most of the greasy spoons around here beat chain burger joints. Most of the chains are okay if the right people are working-meaning they cook it according to their instructions and the thing hasn't been setting under the warmer too long. The ones right around here are more dependent on the above than the brand.
Gotta drive to Tulsa to get a Whataburger. They're the best chain.
I don't know if they're a national chain or not, but I really like Fuddrucker's.
I'm pretty sure they are a national chain. They're around the Kansas City area. I've never set foot in one because the name is a turn-off. About like a local chain, "Buzzard's Pizza".
I haven't had a chain burger in so long I couldn't respond to that part of the question. We are very fortunate here in that there are at least five places in town that have outstanding burgers. The boys tell me, however, that the ones they get right here at home beat all...I blend half and half 15% fat ground chuck and 10% fat ground round, secret blend of spices (garlic powder, onion powder, ground coriander and black pepper) and cook to medium rare over charcoal.
You must have a secret that I have never found. I am yet to have ground Whitetail come out tasty. I've tried a half dozen combos and finally gave up.
Jorge - if you feed me Krystal...this weekend and it's not 2 am after draining the MacCallan's,the groundhog under the barn isn't going to be the only endangered species!
Survived on those during flight training. Love them. We have elk burgers on the menu for Friday night (I think) with VP's recipe. You won't be disappointed.
You must have a secret that I have never found. I am yet to have ground Whitetail come out tasty. I've tried a half dozen combos and finally gave up.
Jorge - if you feed me Krystal...this weekend and it's not 2 am after draining the MacCallan's,the groundhog under the barn isn't going to be the only endangered species!
THe local processor makes ground bacon cheesburger deer. Pretty god stuff. Doesnt dry out too bad
For any venison burger I have the local meat store add bacon right into the grind. It's their own "ends and pieces" from the stuff they smoke in-house and they grind in 3# of bacon for every 10# of venison. Everybody likes them. They taste great and they don't dry out. Mostly we grill them but if it's a raging blizzard or torrential downpour, they can be fried in cast-iron without adding any grease or oil.
For a quickie, Culver's is only 5 blocks away, and 5-guys is good with a little more time-planning.
If you are ever going through Hamilton, MT, get a beast burger from Napps. I've had a lot of burgers from a lot of places. and Napps burgers are amazing.
You must have a secret that I have never found. I am yet to have ground Whitetail come out tasty. I've tried a half dozen combos and finally gave up.
Jorge - if you feed me Krystal...this weekend and it's not 2 am after draining the MacCallan's,the groundhog under the barn isn't going to be the only endangered species!
Do you grind it yourself? I have yet to have bad venison burger, but skip the beef fat for grinding, I use bacon.
We only have sonic, DQ and Whataburger. Of those I prefer the Whataburger.
But we usually go to other places for burgers that are not chain.. WB used to be really good 35 years ago, its not so great anymore but works if we have to stop along the way out of town also...
You must have a secret that I have never found. I am yet to have ground Whitetail come out tasty. I've tried a half dozen combos and finally gave up.
Jorge - if you feed me Krystal...this weekend and it's not 2 am after draining the MacCallan's,the groundhog under the barn isn't going to be the only endangered species!
Do you grind it yourself? I have yet to have bad venison burger, but skip the beef fat for grinding, I use bacon.
I've never had bad either. We just toss in a pork butt or picnics for pork and rock on...
Not a fan of deer burgers, even with extra fat or bacon added. I have made it into breakfast sausage that I like, cooked bigger like a burger, or better yet use it in chili, spaghetti, taco meat, etc. I leave a lot in chunks to make stew meat out of, and would rather have a good stew than a burger. miles
The best burgers - by far- in my experience, have been those which we ate one year from an August moose. The sweet, milky smell of the fat was enough make your mouth water and the burgers, ground together with a nice helping of fat and seared over a wood fire, were to die for.
Everyone has a favorite fast food burger, and while some hate them, we all need a burger on the run now and then. I guess my go to is Wendy's on the run. Not even close to homecooked, but it'll do. What's your go to franchise burger. when you are out and about?
The best burgers - by far- in my experience, have been those which we ate one year from an August moose. The sweet, milky smell of the fat was enough make your mouth water and the burgers, ground together with a nice helping of fat and seared over a wood fire, were to die for.
That is no fair at all! Moose, in my opinion, is some of the most flavorful meat anywhere. Really exceptional. Only eland comes close.
For a fast food burger a local place called Mr. Hotdog makes the best coney dogs and burgers around here. The "coney burger" is a double cheese burger with a layer of coney sauce between the patties. An obvious heart attach waiting to happen but a good treat once in awhile.
White Castle!........... I recall those from my childhood; my dad was a big fan of them (so was I). Are there any left? Bet I haven't seen one since the mid-60's.
For fast food chain restaurant hamburgers and/or food currently DQ, mostly because at the one we usually eat at their sandwiches and hot food is cooked when ordered, not precooked and left sitting under heat lamps.
A few local privately owned restaurants make some pretty decent hamburgers. My favorite so far has been what one place calls their "Steak burger". It's made with about a half pound patty of fresh ground beef the diameter of a saucer and around a 1/2 - 5/8 " thick after cooked, The hamburger patty itself is so big it still sticks out beyond the large bun it's served on. Your choice of a couple of brands of steak sauce and the usual lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, etc., dressing.
Yeah, I've never understood using beef fat in venison. By the time beef fat 'melts' the venison is overcooked. Pork 'melts' at a lower temp.
Bull. Then you're making them too hot, too quick. I'll be serving venison burgers off the grill this weekend for company coming for Memorial Day. They are mixed with 10% beef fat. Will be good and pink in the middle for those who know how to eat a good burger and don't want them well done, and will be juicy goodness.
Beef fat cooks in a deer burger the same it does for a beef burger, for me. I shoot for med-rare to medium with burgers. Seems I'm the odd man out. I prefer elk burgers to deer but nothing wrong with venison burgers. I'll take any home cooked burger to a fast food restaurant.
In-n-out has to be one of the greatest shams going in my opinion. Only difference I can find between In-n-out and Burger King is that BK has better shakes and fries. Fast food is always a last resort for me though.
White Castle!........... I recall those from my childhood; my dad was a big fan of them (so was I). Are there any left? Bet I haven't seen one since the mid-60's.
White Castle is still a family run company that will not franchise stores. They will not locate a store that is too far from the main company headquarters. There are stores in NJ, NYC, Ky. The closest one to me is in Louisville, KY. and it is just too far for me to drive......
Beef fat cooks in a deer burger the same it does for a beef burger, for me. I shoot for med-rare to medium with burgers. Seems I'm the odd man out. I prefer elk burgers to deer but nothing wrong with venison burgers. I'll take any home cooked burger to a fast food restaurant. .
Exactly. Fat begins to melt and make grease between 130-140 degrees. 130-135 temp in meat is considered medium rare. So you can have your medium burger with grease with either beef or pork fat. If you really want fat to liquefy, that's called rendering and it will need held at that temperature for hours.
I prefer my own charcoal grilled using ground round, season with sea salt and coarse black pepper, diced onion and teriyaki marinated. Toast the bun and add mustard & katsup, a slice of american on one side of the bun and pepper jack on the other.
White Castle!........... I recall those from my childhood; my dad was a big fan of them (so was I). Are there any left? Bet I haven't seen one since the mid-60's.
I tried some White Castle's little square burgers a few years ago after they built a new restaurant in a nearby town. May well be that my taste buds have changed and dulled over the years since eating and loving them when I was a kid but they were no where near as tasty as I remembered the old White Castle burgers being.
White Castle burgers are even being packaged frozen and sold in full line grocery stores, convenience stores and dollar stores for reheat and eat nowadays too. I tried them once too - once was enough.
Mushroom Swiss. The best I ever had was at some old bar and grill, just south of Casper, Wy, enroute to Muddy Gap. Ooh, and the massive fried onions, a definite plus.
All market hamburgers are pretty much generic, for me the deciding factor is the side orders... if the fry's and onion rings are pretty good then they'll get my business... like "The Hat" but they're a pretty small chain, there's a couple more, but don't very often go to any of the major chains.
When I'm not making my own I go to a little Mexican joint in the town where I live called Garcias, they make the best burger in SC Alaska IMO. Handmade and cooked to perfection with a roasted green chili and 2 slices of bacon on it.
When I visit Pueblo, Colorado there is a burger called a slopper that most all of the restaurants there offer. It is an open faced burger in a bowl covered with green or red chili. You pretty much have to eat it with a spoon.
Fresh ground 85/15 beef. Mix in liberal amounts of Montreal Steak Seasoning, couple dashes of Tapatio and a dash of Worchestershire. Cook to your liking.
Going back a way's, well a long way's, best burger I've probably ever bought was off the over size food wagons stationed around the old Hugh's Aircraft plant up in El Segundo when I was moving machinery for them.
Was what they would call a Texas Burger, an extra large onion roll sesame seed bun, two half pound patties, pepper-jack cheese, topped off with thick slices of pastrami... from there you could add what ever you liked, with me lettuce, tomato, onion and jalapeno peppers. They had great fry's also.
Place was so large that the trucks hardly ever moved, would be two or three trucks at one location and they had two or three locations around the plant. They'd stay 3 or 4 hours in the morning, go replenish and be back for 3 or 4 hours at lunch, plant never closed and was pretty much the same at night.
We only have sonic, DQ and Whataburger. Of those I prefer the Whataburger.
But we usually go to other places for burgers that are not chain.. WB used to be really good 35 years ago, its not so great anymore but works if we have to stop along the way out of town also...
For chain burgers, those are the three I go with in order of preference: Whataburger, DQ and Sonic. But I don't stop at a DQ unless it's in a small town. They seem to be better. Someone mentioned Fuddruckers which are pretty good, but not a drive thru though. If you're ever in Longview, Tyler or Marshall, TX, try Jucys Handburgers. Great burgers and complementary beans while you wait.
Whataburger's Mexi-Melt or most anything from a Carl's Jr./Hardee's are my favorites. Jack-In-The-Box also has good stuff. Just cannot get excited about McDonald's or Burger King anymore. Not bad, but just not particularly appealing. I will eat Wendy's, but only if real hungry and no other choice. In the Southeast, I used to really like Krystal, but for the last couple of years not so much. Not real sure if it is they that changed or my taste changed. Probably a bit of both.
For fast-food, I like Wendy's and Sonic. I can gag down Burger King if I have to, I guess.
My own burgers, half/half lean ground beef and Tennessee Pride hot sausage, grilled, makes those pretty tasteless and common, though. I use Lawry's Seasoning Salt and some black pepper on it. Put on some southwest style mustard from WallyWorld, and green-leaf lettuce and tomato.
Bout time to get the grill out and ready with all this talk, haven't BBQ'd in a long time. Absolutely nothing like a burger grilled over charcoals and hickory! Be Texas Burgers for me and Puppy Burgers for all the dogs, same thing just different names...
Mine. When I start cooking burgers, the neighbors grab plates and come running. (I got witnesses ) Between the size and the taste, no one walks away unhappy.
I like several fast-food burgers. When I'm in Texas, Whattaburger (the #6 Jalapeno burger Combo) is it, hands down. Here in Utah, Culver's is very good, as is a smaller chain The Habit (which beats Five Guys all to smithereens). Wendy's is fine, but nothing to write home about. My default go-to is Carls Jr, because there's one about every mile, and the burgers are char-grilled, not fried or steamed. At Carl's the Famous Star is their most basic, which I prefer. I don't want avocado, onion rings, 19 strips of bacon, three cheeses, and some gooey sauce on it. I want a BURGER.
I've never seen the appeal of Five guys or In-and-Out to be honest. They're okay, but nothing I drool in anticipation to get. Ditto for Freddy's, which I went to once. Once.
I've never had a Jack-in-the-Box, or a White Castle. I'd like to try a WC slider, but you have to be blitzed at 3 am to like them, I'm told.
Utter crap? Burger King, McDonald's, and (usually but with exceptions) Dairy Queen.
Edit to add: I'd kill for an Owl Bar green-chili burger. Damn near a bucket list burger.
White Castle!........... I recall those from my childhood; my dad was a big fan of them (so was I). Are there any left? Bet I haven't seen one since the mid-60's.
White Castle is still a family run company that will not franchise stores. They will not locate a store that is too far from the main company headquarters. There are stores in NJ, NYC, Ky. The closest one to me is in Louisville, KY. and it is just too far for me to drive......
Didn't know there were any White Castles anymore. Thanks for the update. I've seen the White Castle frozen stuff in the grocery store. My mother's 90 yrs. old and in assisted living and she has me pick her up some of them occasionally. If I'm in Kentucky and I see one it will be a mandatory stop to check 'em out. But you won't catch me anywhere near NYC or NJ so they can forget about my business.
...............................................................................is made from ground axis from my grill, there is no equal, don't care at all for chain grub, it's nutritionally trash.
White Castles are a novelty burger. That's why they call them "Slider's" They slide right through you. You can buy them frozen in some Grocery Chains. I used to go to Northern Illinois and find a White Castle, but they seem to have disappeared. The comments about Beef fat melting too late doesn't work for me. When I mix the Beef in with the Venison, I use only ground Chuck and no more than 15% fat. I don't like overcooked burgers, but I don't want it rare either. Slightly pink on the inside, but Medium on the outside. Did any one ever cook one rare on the outside and well-done on the inside?
I had an excellent one at a little hole-in-the-wall place in Custer, SD.
Interesting you mention Custer, SD. Many moons ago I had an outstanding Bison burger there in some diner. Don't remember the name and who knows if it's still there, BUT makes me wonder of it's the same place. Bison burger with onions and sweet pickle relish and catsup. I still recall it fondly after a long time!
Rocky, I think I hate you for posting that Owl Cafe video. It's only 10:00 am and I'm hungry for one of those!
White Castle!........... I recall those from my childhood; my dad was a big fan of them (so was I). Are there any left? Bet I haven't seen one since the mid-60's.
White Castle is still a family run company that will not franchise stores. They will not locate a store that is too far from the main company headquarters. There are stores in NJ, NYC, Ky. The closest one to me is in Louisville, KY. and it is just too far for me to drive......
Didn't know there were any White Castles anymore. Thanks for the update. I've seen the White Castle frozen stuff in the grocery store. My mother's 90 yrs. old and in assisted living and she has me pick her up some of them occasionally. If I'm in Kentucky and I see one it will be a mandatory stop to check 'em out. But you won't catch me anywhere near NYC or NJ so they can forget about my business.
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574 White Castle Locations in United States
Choose your state to find the nearest one or view the White Castle menu.
Illinois White Castle locations (90) Indiana White Castle locations (89) Kentucky White Castle locations (51) Michigan White Castle locations (53) Minnesota White Castle locations (32) Missouri White Castle locations (49) New Jersey White Castle locations (42) Nevada White Castle locations (1) New York White Castle locations (58) Ohio White Castle locations (92) Pennsylvania White Castle locations (1) Tennessee White Castle locations (14) Wisconsin White Castle locations (2)
Hatari: I have a small town (population 26) butcher add 10% by weight of "kidney suet" to my Antelope, Deer and Elk burger meat. I bring this meat to him AFTER "I" take the time to remove ALL white tissue from said meat. The results are VERY tasting and worth the effort and expense. When travelling (none in Montana!) I favor the In And Out Burger chain. Fun, fast, tasty, consistent and open late. When in Montana though we have to settle for the much more expensive and less tasty Five Guys chain. Hold into the wind VarmintGuy
From a chain, Kewpee is my hands down favorite. Give me a Kewpee double w/cheese, mustard, ketchup, onion & pickle, an order of fries & a small frosty & I'm a happy man.
If you don't know the Kewpee chain, goggle it. Been in the midwest for a long time & inspired Dave Thomas of Wendy's fame, Too bad Dave went for quantity rather than quality.
Another vote for Blake's Lotaburger, in New Mexico. Found in most towns/cities of any size....UNLESS you find yourself in San Antonio, New Mexico.....then park at The Owl and walk across the street to The Buckhorn. Hands down the best green chile burger there is.....don't forget the green chile cheesy fries to go with it!!! Andy3
I had an excellent one at a little hole-in-the-wall place in Custer, SD.
Interesting you mention Custer, SD. Many moons ago I had an outstanding Bison burger there in some diner. Don't remember the name and who knows if it's still there, BUT makes me wonder of it's the same place. Bison burger with onions and sweet pickle relish and catsup. I still recall it fondly after a long time!
Rocky, I think I hate you for posting that Owl Cafe video. It's only 10:00 am and I'm hungry for one of those!
If I remember correctly, this place served bison burger. It was advertised as the best burger joint in the region.
Had all but forgotten about Ray's. For a good while, Ray's was the only fast food chain joint in my home town when I was growing up. Used to go to the original Ray's Starlight in Mt Airy quite often as my grandparents lived near there.
My favorite burgers are of course homemade but here are my picks:
Fast Food: Cook Out...chain in NC and VA and Hardee's
Sam, that could be a hamburger steak. A side question Sam, what do you feed your cattle out with, for grain I mean, and do you get white fat, marbling?
White Castle!........... I recall those from my childhood; my dad was a big fan of them (so was I). Are there any left? Bet I haven't seen one since the mid-60's.
White Castle is still a family run company that will not franchise stores. They will not locate a store that is too far from the main company headquarters. There are stores in NJ, NYC, Ky. The closest one to me is in Louisville, KY. and it is just too far for me to drive......
Didn't know there were any White Castles anymore. Thanks for the update. I've seen the White Castle frozen stuff in the grocery store. My mother's 90 yrs. old and in assisted living and she has me pick her up some of them occasionally. If I'm in Kentucky and I see one it will be a mandatory stop to check 'em out. But you won't catch me anywhere near NYC or NJ so they can forget about my business.
St. Louis is still full of belly bombing White Castle sliders. Been around the Midwest since 1921 and they claim to be the oldest. Culver's is good, but Steak N' Shake is still the best. Been using nothing but prime steak since 1934. Best service also.
Well...due to reccomendations I read on this thread, the wife and I stopped in at a Five Guys for a burger this afternoon. I had noticed it some time ago, but had dismissed it as some sort of "gourmet cuisine" b.s. establishment judging by it's name and location, never intending on trying it. I was wrong. It was a simple, honest, great burger and really good fresh cut fries. They even served complimentary roasted peanuts. I have never seen that outside of a bar. The service was friendly and the place was well maintained. I would rate it right up there with my favorites, Whataburger and Carl's Jr./Hardee's.
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