Hurriburgers with Cheese
These loose meat sandwiches from an old drive-in called the Bear's Den in Shelbyville, Indiana. The restaurant no longer exists. This is the closest I've come to unique taste of this local legend.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Ground beef (at least 80/20)
- 2 1/2 cups Oatmeal
- 3 cups Water
- 2 1/2 tbsp Onion salt (NOT powder)
- 2 1/2 tbsp Accent (MSG = monosodium glutamate)
- 3-4 tbsp Kitchen Bouquet
- Freshly baked rye buns from Linne's Bakery
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, place the ground beef, oats, water, Accent, and onion salt. Don't brown the ground beef first. Turn burner to high and begin browning meat, mixing well and breaking up the meat. Once all the meat is browned, use a hand mixer to further break up the meat so there are no clumps. Or use a Mix 'N Chop from Pampered Chef from the outset. Turn heat to low and simmer for 2-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Skim off fat as it settles on top.
- Stir in the Kitchen Bouquet and simmer 10 minutes longer. If the meat mixture tastes perfect and has the right consistency at this point, serve as is. If it's too wet, just take a little more time to cook it down.
- Make up several sandwiches and cover with parchement or waxed paper for a few minutes to steam the buns and melt the cheese.
Notes
Using quick oats shortens the cook time, but old-fashioned rolled oats make for a better stickiness. Cooking longer tastes better.
Use an electric hand mixer to break up the meat and incorporate the ingredients AFTER the meat has browned in the mixture or use a Mix 'N Chop from Pampered Chef to break it up as it's cooking.
The buns originally came from Linne's Bakery in Shelbyville, Indiana. If you live in the area, definitely buy them there. They are part of the great overall taste of the Hurriburger.
Best served with big, fat crinkly french fries, and a side of cole slaw (made with mayonnaise dressing).
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