Texas' Top Hamburgers: See If You Agree With This List

Who doesn't love a good burger? A toasted and buttered bun, crisp from the grill. The right mixture of meats. The perfect ratio of condiments. And the proper additions (pickles, eggs, kimchi, nothing?). It's one of America's favorite foods, and there's probably millions of different versions in this great land.

This week I took a look at Kevin Alexander's list of 100 best burgers, as judged by him and published by Thrillist. Alexander was sent around the nation (3o cities) and consumed 330 hamburgers during his reporting trip. He ate a wide varsity of burgers, and put some thought into his rankings. (I've eaten a number of his selections, and largely agree with his take on them.)

How did Texas treat Alexander's tastebuds and stomach? Well, to start at the top, The Ozersky, a burger named after the late Josh Ozersky and created by John Tesar at Knife, a Dallas restaurant, comes in at number 6 on the list, the highest-ranked burger in Texas. It's a simple burger, and simplicity done well is never a bad thing when it comes to food. Here's Alexander on The Ozersky:

And yet there are no bells and whistles on The Ozersky. It's just pure 44 Farms beef, thick, salty, with a pure, clean meaty aftertaste. The thinly sliced red onions and bread & butter pickles give just the proper amount of balance to honor the man behind the name, and the man behind the grill. Plus, you can stay in the hotel Knife is housed in and order it over and over again for room service.

Next in Texas, we travel to Seabrook, south of Houston, and another simple burger (who needs those eggs and the house-made pickled onions grown in the cook's backyard?): It's the cheeseburger with American cheese and grilled onions at Tookie's Hamburgers & More. Tried and true, authentic, nothing fancy here. Writes Alexander of the number 21 burger on his list:

Even if you don't like eating burgers amongst motorcycle enthusiasts, Jimmy Buffett enthusiasts, and families who've just spent time at the beach with way too little sunscreen, this burger joint 40 minutes southeast of Houston is worth a drive.

You knew that Austin had to be included here, and, at number 31, it's the Plancha Burger at Launderette. I'll let Alexander describe it:

The plancha, which is essentially "metal plate" in Spanish, but also basically just means a flat-top, griddled our burger perfectly. The crust was apparent, and had a salty edge, but gave way to a really juicy patty. The challah was soft and chewy but not soggy. The combination of American cheese, special sauce, and pickles seemed to forge a taste Voltron, and it quickly defeated my bad mood. So yes, it was the best burger I had in a sea of really very delicious burgers.

OK, Houston, calm down, it's your turn now. You have to settle for 36 on Alexander's Burger List, but it's a good one, the cheeseburger with grilled onions at Hubcap Grill. I've had this one, and my only qualm was under-seasoned meat. Again, Alexander:

I'm still sort of obsessed with the bun at Hubcap, which was chewy, delicious and almost tasted like Portuguese bread. And I am very much obsessed with the patty, which had just a hint of some sort of soy umami flavor that made the entire experience somewhat revelatory.

Back to Dallas for number 56, for the Do It Murph Style, made at the Off-Site Kitchen. It's got jalapeñ0-bacon relish, dill pickles, and, according to Alexander, a "perfectly charred patty."

And now we return to Austin, and a brasserie, which boasts the number 61 burger on Alexander's roster. It's The Royale With Cheese, and it's made at Justine's Brasserie, a French-influenced, sexy spot on East 5th Street. It's hand-ground Angus with Gruyère (one of my favorite cheeses), mayonnaise made in-house, butter lettuce, and tomato, all on a ciabatta bun. Tarantino would, I believe, love it.

Sixty-four goes to another Dallas-based creation, the cheeseburger at Remedy, which Alexander describes thusly: "The Remedy Cheeseburger is the best parts of the Big Mac, upgraded, without a second patty or a catchy song. And that should be enough for you." (Note: Remedy is now shuttered.)

We remain in Dallas for numbers 72 and 73; the former the bacon cheeseburger at Neighborhood Services, the latter The No. 5 Special at Keller's Drive-In. The bacon cheeseburger, as writes Alexander, should not be overlooked: "The meat from Southeast Family Farms in Alabama is funky and perfectly seared, and the caramelized onions taste like they directly from some French onion soup appetizer. It is intense and delightful all at once, much like my experience of going back to Dallas."

The No. 5 Special stands out, according to Alexander, because of its poppyseed bun. It's a double-patty with cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, and a "special dressing" (aren't they all?). Here's Alexander: "It is every bit the diner burger you’d think it was, but the details make it perfect. The double patties basically conjoin thanks to the cheese and the special sauce, creating a laudatory creaminess that blends nicely with the grilled meat, and the cool crunch from the shredded lettuce and tomato. The bun is perfectly griddled and refuses to succumb to the wet mess heaped atop it. Also, in a sort of strange twist, it has poppy seeds on it, which my photographer insisted is very common in Dallas."

Finally, the final Texas burger on the list: It comes from Houston, and it's made at Stanton's City Bites, a place that's been slinging beef since 1961. It's the cheeseburger, and it's 1/2 pound of beef and mayo, pickles, and onions. Nothing fancy, just the basics ... Houston doesn't put on airs.

My go-to burger? It's not available at a restaurant (but could be), and you can make it at home, as I do. It was James Beard's favorite way to make a hamburger, and I love it. It's simple, delicious, and has not one ounce of pretension. I've made this at least several hundred times since first coming across the recipe in James Beard's American Cookery, and it's the only one I need. I sometimes add a few touches of my own (a piece of seared foie gras, some pickles), but this one is a classic. Here's the recipe, courtesy the James Beard Foundation (and I urge you to get ahold of American Cookery, because it, too, is a classic). (MY note: Feel free to add a pat of butter to the middle of each patty before cooking them; Beard did, and it's the way to go. Toast your buttered buns on a grill or on a griddle, and serve with the condiments of your choice. I'm a mayo and mustard man.)

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground chuck or round with a minimum of fat
• 3 tablespoons grated onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons heavy cream
• 3 teaspoons oil
• 3 tablespoons butter

Method:

Pat the meat into a rather flat cake. Grate the onion directly into the center. Add the salt and pepper and carefully spoon the heavy cream into it. Blend well with the hands and form into one large cake or 4 smaller cakes. If you want the meat rare, make the cakes about 1 1/2 inches thick.

Heat the oil and butter in a heavy skillet. When quite hot, add the meat and cook to your favorite state of doneness, 5 to 6 minutes per side for a rare burger. Turn once or twice during the cooking process. Add salt and pepper to taste.

If you make one large cake, use two very wide spatulas to handle the difficult job of turning it. Serve at once, along with sauteéd potatoes and a tomato and onion salad.

Oh, in case you are curious, Alexander's number one burger is "Nick's" Cheeseburger with grilled onions, made at Stanich's in Portland, Oregon.

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— Main image: The Ozersky at Knife Dallas (flickr/dhslit)