Good Cheeseburgers…

What’s the better burger outside your home grill? I had a decent animal style cheeseburger today at In-N-Out. Personally, Lotaburger green chile cheeseburger takes the cake but I’m not in NM.

 

I recognized that burger right away. I had Blake's and In-N-Out on the same trip at Thanksgiving (Phoenix and Santa Fe). Either one hits the spot for me.

 

Looking at the receipt I am jelly about seeing that tax rate. These idiots up here have us over 10%.

 

I had In-N-Out when I went to AZ and gotta say, it's meh imo. Johnny Rockets is better tbh.

 

Like most I prefer my own bbq burgers but there's a local place that makes a tasty burger.

 

In-n-out for fast food style burgers.

 

Doh! I’m “slumming” it and actually live in flyover country where our local sales tax is under six percent.

Culver’s anyone?

 

Had an In & Out when I was in San Diego Did not like it at all.

 

I know this is a preferential thread, but, a couple things-

1: someone always gotta bring up taxes. Y'all predictable
2: I won't stand for people slamming other people's choices
2a: except saying Johnny Rockets is better than anything

-continue the fight

 

We don't have some of the places mentioned so far up in Wisconsin. I remember going to Whataburger in Texas once and I thought it was pretty good.

In S/E Wisconsin, Kopps is pretty well known for huge, tasty burgers. Oscar's is another good Ice cream/burger joint. For fast food, probably Culver's or Hardee's is my top choice. Honestly, I really like a double quarter pounder from McD's as well.

I like all kinds of burgers; fast food, bar burgers, etc.

I also make good burgers, based on some simple basics I picked up watching cooking shows.

- Buns should be buttered and toasted

- burgers should only be flipped once

- once flipped, cheese and bun cap should be put on the meat to melt the cheese and steam the bun. The bun bottom can be put on top also, but I usually don't.

- I pretty much always use a thin slice of onion under the patty, or sometimes fried onions.

I don't get fancy with the meat. I just use good meat, and season with salt and pepper. Sometimes, I'll put a little steak seasoning on the patties as well.

Here's some glamor shots from burgers I made on an annual family fishing trip. They weren't anything special, but they were good!

 

Nice selections!

 

In my small corner of the state, theres a small chain of family owned diner thats existed for about 30-40 years before I was born, and it is called "Travis". They specialize in "travis burgers" which now, I realize are probably what most people would consider a "smashburger" or a large slider with grilled delicious onions, pickles, and mustard, but whatever meat they use, or whatever they do to carmelize/grill the onions, and then steam the bun, makes them INCREDIBLE. I have traveled a lot in my life and have tried nothing that can compare.

They sell the Travis 'original' burgers by the bag (5 in a bag). When I was a kid, once in a great while, my Mom would send me up to Travis a few blocks away to get a sack of Travis burgers for a rare treat. If you are ever in SE Michigan, its a must try.

https://g.co/kgs/uKUwsS

 

That looks tasty! I'll definitely check it out if I'm ever in the area.

 

Good cheeseburgers thread and only corporate burgers are mentioned? Ya'll are insulting good burgers! The best burgers don't come from franchised corporate chains, they come from local hole in the wall mom n pop shops. Unfortunately, many of my faves from my youth are now closed, but good burgers can still be found! Some of my more recent burgers worth checking out are:

Nu Grille in Fort Scott, KS is pretty good (not as good as Boone and Dauben was, but still good).

Alamo Springs Cafe in Fredericksburg TX is probably my fave at the moment.

Texas Traditions in Katy, TX is solid, but not what I'd call a "greasy spoon" diner burger.

Ed's place in Blackburn, MO.

The Hill in Bellville, TX.

Roadhouse in Bastrop, TX.

 

Ate at a Blake's on the Rez in New Mexico. Was "pretty good". I still go for Tommy's, preferably the Rampart & Beverly one!

 

Tommy's Menu

 

I’ll see you sir and raise you the burger at the Meers Store in the great state of Oklahoma.

 

Was hoping to try Tommy’s in Orange County but not in the cards on this trip.

 

^^Both of these are local chains, with only a few locations. I didn't realize that 3 locations made them corporate.

But, if you really want to get into hole in the wall places, there's Fred's in Burlington, Skippy's in Mequon, Deerfoot Bar and grill in Hayward, the Tamarack in Portage, and I could probably on all day.

 

Tommy's is technically a chain but all are family owned.

 

Gotta preface this with the fact that I’m pretty easy to please when it comes to burgers. You really have to mess up for me to dislike a burger. Plus, I visit only a few burger joints anyway. But I do remember 11 years ago being in Choteau Montana with my family on vacation. We got burgers at a place called John Henry’s. Those were amazing.

 

There is a local owned chicken place where I grew up which currently has 3 locations, and while basically the same each are slightly different depending on owner/management. Seems they ebb and flow as to which one is better for a period of time. But all are still better than any fast food chain chicken place.

I'm not sure exactly what # of locations starts to degrade the experience, but we tried Blake's in NM this summer. They were still somewhere in between - a unique experience, but not quite as much so as a single loc burger joint.

 

I definitely prefer locally-owned places over chains. Kopps has been around since I was a kid, so I don't see them growing into a corporate franchise anytime soon. Oscar's has been around as long as I can remember as well. What amazes me is that Oscar's is actually priced similarly to fast food joints, for what I consider a better product.

Another place I should mention is Solly's. They're a single location butterburger place that has also been around since I was a kid.

Whenever I travel, I like to find unique restaurants. In Wisconsin, we have supper clubs all over the place, and I try different ones pretty regularly. Some are better than others, but it's generally a relaxed atmosphere with good food and cocktails. They're not generally known for burgers, but Saturday prime rib is pretty standard, and usually Friday fish fries. If you're ever in Wisconsin and looking for something a little nicer than a burger joint, but not too formal, just look up supper clubs nearby. Have a Wisconsin style brandy old fashioned if you want a tasty cocktail.

 

Culver's has spread into Iowa, and like some other midwestern and west coast chains now has a pretty good presence in AZ. I like them pretty well, too.

 

They used to be popular in Iowa, but they're almost all gone. We used to go to one whenever I went back to visit family. All our favorites are gone.

 

WATCHING THREAD

 

Rush’s or Five Guys

 

If you stick with just one "favorite" burger place, you will, in time, get sick of it and not go back (in my experience with restaurants, not just burgers.

Tommy's - all time classic, one of a kind, and a real treat, once in a while. I first went to the original Tommy's in about 1964 and I'm sure I've probably been there a hundred times over the years. Haven''t been in quite a while and think I will this coming week.

In 'N Out - always very, very good and predictable and always hits the spot.

Five Guys - not many near me but good stuff.

Islands (local SoCal chain), nice variety of damn good burgers. Sit down, not fast food. Actually got a burger there to go yesterday (there is one a block from my office).

There are always more local joints with great burgers, mainly of the big, messy side, but depends where you are and what you've got.

I won't go near the big fast food chains (BK, McD, etc.) and haven't been in one for at least 7-8 years.

 

Here in So Cal In-n-Out is the king, you’ll find some detractors but overall In-n-Out will prevail. I personally don’t think they are the best, I like The Habit Charburgers better, that being whenever I’m in San Diego I always stop at Hodad’s to grab a Cheeseburger and Fries, they are the best.

 

The burgers flipped once is a myth.

Flipping them more often means you get a more evenly cooked burger.

Speaking of more evenly cooking things, I also believe in making sure the burgers don’t stay in the same positions on the grill. Back to front, side to middle…

I tend to favor Piggly Wiggly over Sendik’s these days because the Pig is more consistent with the actual fat content. That means fewer surprises when it comes to the temps - I’ve found that having too much fat increases the likelihood of unexpected flare ups.

Ultimately the goal is to be able to make sure that I hit the mark every time I grill.