What makes the most memorable burger?

2nd best answer!

 

Bacon is just a given, just like you wouldn't attempt to eat a burger without a bun, you wouldn't eat it without bacon either.

 

Good answer!

 

Not sure exactly what does it for me, but I can tell you the three best burgers I've ever had, and what it MIGHT have been.

My go-to great burger is called "The Wally Burger", at a diner (legit, but slightly hipster diner), called Prince Albert's Diner. It is really straightforward, but delicious. Old-school bun, diced onion, sliced tomato, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, and a big glob of peanut butter. It's reliable, familiar, and different enough that the flavour is etched into my memory.

Second best was a simple bacon cheeseburger that I had in Chicago, just off the beaten path of Michigan Ave. It was big, juicy, salty, and they cooked it to a beautiful medium rare.

All-time best is a big ol' burger from a place called "The Bungalow", in town. They let you choose your toppings, which include things like guacamole, sriracha mayo, double smoked bacon, pineapple, fried mushrooms, chorizo...it's basically heaven on a bun (Sorry Johnsonville brauts).

 

Proper ratio of ingredients. Not too much of any one thing, beef, bun, garnish, etc. Proper cook, med. rare to med.

Most important is that the server doesn't give me any grief if I ask for it a certain way.

If you are going to charge me $10+ for a burger it better be GOOD and they way I ask for it to be. It will be memorable to me either way for sure!

 

Chili and sharp cheddar with a brioche bun

 

Good quality bread, well seasoned house ground meat, and a draft beer. Anything else is optional.

 

The PBnJ burger at a local tap house chipolte peanut butter and bacon jam is probably one of my all time favs

 

Years ago there was a French restaurant in NYC called the French Shack. On occasion they would prepare a hamburger that was delicious but was served without a bun. From what I recall the chef would brown the meat patty and chopped onions in butter. He would remove the burger add some sliced mushrooms and then add some wine to the mixture. It was delicious.

 

I like to take a medium sized onion, slice it into slivers about 2 inches long, saute in olive oil until on the verge of burning. Then I mix them into a pound of raw burger and let it set for an hour or two. I then form the burgers and then fry in well seasoned cast iron skillet at high heat while not allowing anhy liquid to collect in the pan. Going for a bit of char here. Salt and fresh ground pepper are the only seasonings. Don't like to disturb them while cooking any more than needed as with that much onion in there, they will be fragile until they get set. Normally I use my own recipe mustard with beef, but these stand alone with no condiments. I have a local locker that we get our burger from and there is a noticeable difference between it and grocery store burger. I went to using slivered onion as it sort of acts like the re-bar in a sidewalk. Hey, I'm a simple man.

 

It is an unwritten law in Australia that a burger MUST have beetroot on it.

 

Yep! But sadly, a lot of places are no longer offering beetroot.

But then, one more reason to stay home and make a higher quality burger at home.

 

There is a restaurant up here called Grilled which is a chain restaurant.Not sure if you have them in SA but they make some nice burgers.

 

Not the best burger but a good burger- lunch with my buddy on his birthday at a local diner.

 

Gotta be the company. I have memories of White Castle but none of the 12 dollar burgers I was overcharged for. Oh yeah I do have a memory of blindly ordering a mr burger and it coming out brown but definitely mr. I didn't complain but didn't finish...

 

Thanks, unfortunately none of them in SA.
There is a little placed called Burger It in North Adelaide, pretty nice burgers and a short walk from the Cathedral Gardens, which is the best place (IMO) to sit and eat.


I think that the atmosphere is almost, if not more, important than the food.

 

Fresh ground hanger steak, seasoned with salt and white pepper(brings out more of the 'beefiness'). 8 ounce patties. I prefer mine seared over grilled. Preferably with brown butter. Flipped every 60 seconds. You get a perfect crust, and perfect doneness. For condiments: beer infused/grilled onions fine diced with some decent pickles, black garlic and miso mayo, pickled mustard seed, fresh diced onions, tomato, Bibb lettuce, freedom cheese, brown butter grilled bun.
But if I'm hungover? Ground beef patty with ketchup and mustard and onions and wherever that can be obtained in very close proximity.

 

Freshly ground beef, 1/4 lb is big enough for me, bit of salt and pepper, flipped, add a couple of slices of old cheddar and served on a buttered and grilled bun with mustard, pickles, and sauerkraut. Don't flip my burger a dozen times and don't press down on it ever. It would make me crankier than I already am.

 

what takes a burger over the top for me is if it's freshly ground cuts of steak. my favorite combo is t-bone and short rib mixed together, seared on cast iron with a little bit of butter, crispy sunny side egg with a quality fresh baked bun (the bread is equally important as the patty). the condiments are not necessary but i like horseradish cream, dijon mustard, sour pickles (crinkle cut preferred) and shaved red onion with lots of green leaf lettuce.

if i use cheap preground chuck, i add a packet of french onion soup mix as the seasoning and some worcestershire with ground ginger, it gives a pseudo steak-like taste.

 

I love using Montreal seasoning for burgers. And i also prefer a minimum of toppings/ingredients/condiments. If too much crap is stacked on top of the burger then it becomes difficult to eat. This might sound strange to some but im also very insistent of the hot side/cold side principle when making a burger. One side between the burger and the bun should have your hot toppings/sauces/cheese/bacon/or whatever and the other side between burger and bun should have the cold stuff mayo/lettuce/pickes/tomatoes/whatever else.