Triple-infused with butter, these Butter Burgers leave your favorite burger joint’s butter burger in the dust.
Every burger joint today, it seems, has a version of a butter burger. But are they as buttery as a mom could make them? Well, heavens, no.
In fact, deep research has revealed to me that some restaurants that serve this type of burger only butter the top bun of their burger to create this butter effect. As my grandmother would say, “Well, bless my stars. That’s not a butter burger at all.”
But with this recipe, you can take that butter flavor and triple it because you (and only you) can make the triple-infused butter burger. And boy, is it worth it, cause see, you won’t be just a-buttering one side of anything. You’re going to both fry the burger in butter and toast butter-soaked buns in a frying pan. So, butter burgers3!
Everyone will thank you for these when they can speak again (they’ll be too busy chewing and nodding in silent affirmation until then).
The butter burger: the delicious brainchild of a teenager
The history of the butter burger is simply too charming and fascinating not to share.
Fast-food delis and restaurants, like Culver’s, have really popularized the butter burger in recent years. However, the butter burger was actually invented way back in 1885, when a very enterprising 15-year-old young man named Charlie Nagreen got the idea to make some money at the local town fair. He used his family’s recipe for delicious butter-fried meatballs.
You can picture this dinner conversation: Charlie’s mom serves a platter of buttery meatballs to the family, and as they’re just eating away, young Charlie says, “These buttery meatballs are so good, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to sell these at the fair next week, Mom, and make a million dollars!”
And the butter burger was born.
And it must have been quite the success. Charlie got so excited about selling these burgers that he even invented a little ditty to promote them. Think of it as today’s “Bud da bup ba bahh …” kind of thing McDonald’s does, but just as weird:
“Hamburger, hamburger, hamburger hot, with an onion in the middle and a pickle on top, makes your lips go flippity flop, come on over, try an order, fried in butter, listen to it sputter.”
The town of Seymour now has a huge statue of “Hamburger Charlie” to welcome people to their town. And Charlie was right about butter burgers, by the way, they do make your lips go “flippity flop” with their lip-smacking flavor.
How do I store leftovers?
These butter burgers are best eaten and enjoyed on the day of preparation. They will stay fresh for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, sealed tightly in plastic wrap. I recommend wrapping burgers separately from the buns to keep everything from getting soggy, with all the butter involved here. To reheat from refrigerated, reassemble burgers and heat in the microwave on a microwave-safe plate, under plastic wrap, to steam them to deliciousness. You can also freeze these butter burgers, sans bun, in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Serving suggestions
There is a long list of sides that taste fantastic with these butter burgers. First, try a crispy, crunchy, acidic salad like this Peach, Pecan, and Goat Cheese Salad. And for these burgers, only the most decadent of sides will do … like these fluffy, Twice-Stuffed Baked Potatoes. Next, this Oven-Baked Cheesy Asparagus is another great option. For dessert? How about this Dreamy Two-Layer Coconut Cake?
Butter Burgers Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef 85% lean
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons salted butter softened
- 4 slices American cheese
- 4 brioche hamburger buns
- Preferred toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, and onions
Instructions
- Season the ground beef with salt and black pepper. Divide into 4 equal portions and gently form each into a patty.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add the patties and cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until the desired doneness is reached.
- Place a slice of cheese on each patty during the last minute of cooking to melt.
- Spread the remaining butter on the inside of each hamburger bun. Toast the buns, buttered side down, in a separate skillet over medium heat until golden.
- Place each cooked patty with melted cheese on the bottom half of a toasted bun. Add any preferred toppings, then cover with the top half of the bun and serve hot.
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