How the Slugburger Grew to become Mississippi’s Quirkiest Burger

Stroll into Borroum’s Drug Retailer in Corinth, Mississippi, and also you’ll discover all the trimmings of a bygone-era pharmacy: swivel stools, a soda fountain, and a menu of lunch-counter classics like cheeseburgers and milkshakes. Look a bit of nearer and one dish may catch your eye with its curious title: the slugburger. Popularized throughout the Nice Despair, this deep-fried burger has grow to be a degree of delight at Borroum’s and all through Mississippi. 

Simply down the street, the annual Slugburger Pageant has drawn hungry crowds each July since 1988. Over in Tupelo, Johnnie’s Drive-In — dwelling to an “Elvis Sales space,” the place it’s rumored The King sat — doles out its personal variation referred to as a doughburger, utilizing a time-honored recipe and a facet of nostalgia. 

However what precisely is a slugburger — and the way did this quirky creation come to be? 

What’s a slugburger?

At first look, the slugburger may appear to be your typical fast-food sandwich — patty, bun, pickles, mustard, onions. However one chunk reveals one thing completely different: a crisp-edged patty with a young, nearly hash brown–like inside. Historically, that patty was dropped into scorching oil and deep-fried, giving it an additional crunch, although loads of dwelling and restaurant cooks make a pan-fried model nowadays. Both means, it’s by no means simply beef or pork, however a mix of meat and no matter extender the cook dinner has readily available.

“The slugburger was created as a less expensive various to the usual hamburger,” says Billy Kramer, founding father of NFA Burger in Atlanta. “By incorporating fillers comparable to flour and breadcrumbs, a household was in a position to make their greenback — or on this case, nickel — go additional.”

That nickel, by the best way, is one native rationalization for the title. “A person named John Weeks introduced the thought right here after shifting from Chicago,” explains Angela Avent, Principal Road director of The Alliance in Corinth. In 1917, he peddled his burgers from a cell cart on bicycle wheels, a proto meals truck. “Initially, it was referred to as the ‘Weeksburger,’ however locals began calling it the ‘slugburger’—‘slug’ being slang for a nickel, which is what it price on the time.” One other city legend says that the title referred to a metallic “slug”— a faux nickel used to cheat merchandising machines.

It was the Nice Despair that helped solidify the slugburger’s place in Mississippi culinary tradition. “Households wanted to stretch meat so far as potential,” says Avent. “So fillers had been added to the traditional hamburger recipe. It was sensible, resourceful, and reasonably priced. Out of that necessity got here a convention that by no means actually left.”

Whereas the precise filler ratios are carefully guarded by the Weeks household and the cafés that hold the custom alive, most agree it begins with floor meat — typically beef or pork — combined with extenders like soybean meal, potato flakes, or breadcrumbs. “The extenders had been initially used to make the meat go additional, however additionally they give the patty its lighter texture as soon as fried,” Avent explains. “As a substitute of being dense like a hamburger, it’s crispier and has a unique type of chunk.”

The fillings are the characteristic 

Chef Toni Marie Elkhouri of Cedar’s Cafe in Melbourne, Florida, is one in all many trendy cooks impressed by the resourcefulness within the slugburger’s DNA. “This dish exhibits the resilience of the South,” she says. “It’s merely carried out — often pickles, mustard, and onions — as a result of these had been essentially the most reasonably priced choices. No luxuries of cheese or produce. I truly suppose mixing burgers immediately is a nod to that historical past. As a substitute of utilizing grits or breadcrumbs, I mix in mushrooms.”

Kramer takes a barely extra decadent strategy at NFA Burger. “I attempted cornmeal and matzo meal, however in the end settled on Ritz crackers. Buttery, salty, and crunchy — an ideal filler for a slugburger.” His model is flash-fried in beef tallow and seasoned with a customized nine-spice mix. “I’ll honor the unique thought, however the actuality is that there are extra choices immediately than there have been 100 years in the past. Why not have a bit of enjoyable?”

Wherever you attempt it, don’t count on a thick, juicy grilled burger. “I’d describe it as a burger with a hash brown texture,” says Avent. “It’s not juicy — it’s lighter, crunchier, and the toppings actually need to work with the feel. That’s why you see mustard, onion, and pickles. And there aren’t many guidelines, however one that everybody agrees on: A slugburger should be eaten contemporary.”

The identical goes when making one at dwelling, says Kramer. “Begin with high-fat beef — 75/25 works nicely. Combine together with your filler, chill the patties, and deep-fry them in scorching oil till crispy on the skin. Serve on a bun. That’s it. The seasoning and filler do the heavy lifting.” 

If deep-frying feels intimidating, pan-frying works too. A scorching skillet with a slick of oil will crisp the skin whereas retaining the within tender. The end result received’t be fairly as shatteringly crunchy as the standard model, nevertheless it’s a sooner, less-messy methodology that also delivers loads of slugburger character.

Nonetheless holding on within the South

Right now, slugburgers are a bit of bit nostalgic, a bit of bit kitschy, and a complete lot beloved — particularly in northeast Mississippi, northwest Alabama, and southern Tennessee. 

The custom is prospering because of occasions like Corinth’s Slugburger Pageant, which has been going robust for practically 40 years. “It brings folks along with music, carnival rides, and, in fact, loads of slugburgers,” says Avent. “For the group, it’s an opportunity to showcase a chunk of our id. For guests, it’s typically their first style of this Southern custom.”

And but, exterior of the area, the slugburger hasn’t fairly damaged into the nationwide burger lexicon. “Regional meals is basically overromanticized,” says Kramer. “Should you grew up in Corinth, you like the concept nobody else can execute the burger with the identical zeal. But it surely takes immense credibility to carry a regional burger onto the nationwide scene.”

Nonetheless, there’s one thing deeply interesting concerning the slugburger: its story, its crunch, its unusual and great title. “The slugburger has lasted as a result of it’s not simply meals — it’s meals with a narrative and a historical past,” says Avent. “Individuals join with that. And when you’ve had one, you don’t neglect it.”