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I enjoy so many burgers in various configurations, but my hands-down favorite burger is the ATW burger from Melvin's in Elizabethtown, North Carolina. I've posted about this one before, but this time I made it on a griddle.
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All-the-Way means the burger comes with coleslaw, chili, diced onions, and yellow mustard. |
Melvin's Hamburgers & Hotdogs - Elizabethtown NC
When I was a wee lad and would visit my grandparents' farm, one of the highlights of my trip would be the day we went to town to get a sack of burgers from "the pool hall" (Melvin's is located where the pool hall used to be).
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The line would always be out the back door, but it moved quickly, even for a hungry 9-year-old. This is a typical lunchtime. Credit: TripAdvisor |
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The line moves so fast because the menu is limited. Photo Credit: ZMenu |
- chili
- creamy coleslaw,
- diced onions, and
- yellow mustard.
Here is how I made my pretend Melvin's at home.
The Burger Patty
I know that back in the late '70s or early '80s, the local grocery store (Red & White?) custom ground the beef for Melvin's, and rumor has it that they ground bread with the meat. That makes sense if you consider the French technique of using a panade with ground meats.
If I'm grinding my meat, I will grind in a slice of bread for every pound. If not, I get the freshest ground chuck that I can buy, which I did for these burgers.
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I weigh the ground chuck into 6-ounce portions, which is bigger than a Melvin's. |
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Then I use a Ballistic Burger Smasher (out of stock for a while now) to form the patties. |
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My grill set up is a large Big Green Egg outfitted with an Adjustable Rig (Ceramic Grill Store). I put an old griddle plate from another grill across the support bars, and it's a perfect fit. I preheat the grill to 450-500°f and then put the cast iron griddle plate in there 5 minutes before cooking. |
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Perfect burger to bun ratio going on there. |
Now it is time for the toppings.
Chili
I use the chili sauce recipe from my first book, The Kamado Smoker and Grill Cookbook. Meathead also has an excellent recipe on AmazingRibs.com.
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Whatever you use, you want a finely ground or smooth chili, not a chunky chili loaded with beans. |
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I used about 2-3 tablespoons of coleslaw and the same amount of chili. |
Coleslaw
For an All-The Way burger, you want a creamy, southern-style slaw. I just whipped one up on the spot. I didn't measure, but it was close to this.
Coleslaw
Ingredients
- 1 bag slaw mix
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup Duke's mayonnaise
- 1-ounce rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 tablespoon horseradish
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
- Mix everything but the slaw mix together and pour over the slaw mix.
- Toss to coat. Best if you let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Onions and Mustard
No dijon here; you want to use plain yellow mustard. Don't be shy either; use more mustard than you think you need. I would guess about one tablespoon.
Melvin's uses a moderate amount of diced onion, while Cookout uses an entire cross-section slice of onion, so you get a mouthful of onion with every bite. I prefer Melvin's method. But when I want a drive-through burger, we're usually headed to Cookout!
The Results
This burger was the best. The creamy, crispy slaw offsets the spicy chili and onion. The mustard is also a prominent flavor. The best is when all of those flavors get mixed together, and you get that full-on taste; it is mouthwateringly mesmerizing! It's a bit of an "elbow dripper," so have plenty of napkins!
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