Breakfast Cheeseburgers, ready for their taste test
When I was in college they would serve burgers in our (pretty awful) dining hall on Saturday at lunchtime. I would make up several extras and squirrel them away in my dorm room (my roommate loved this) and enjoy throughout the week. More recently, I have documented that Texas Schoolburgers suffer no loss in quality when served the next day. So what if we set up a deliberate test to have cheeseburgers for breakfast and see what develops?
A very important caveat: this will NOT work with burgers that have “sauce” on them (aka thousand island dressing) like those served at the White House. These mayo-based dressings might well turn into a salmonella factory left for hours at room temperature or inadequately chilled. Rather, I am talking about the classic Texas burger with mustard, pickles and a generous amount of onion as well as lettuce and tomato. The vinegar in the mustard and pickles seeps into the bun and deepens the experience. The onion (raw) increases its funkiness and flavor appeal. The processed cheese, immutable as a diamond, reflects the glow of the other ingredients. What’s not to like?
The other night I had a rental car in San Francisco, a rare thing, and picked up some In-N-Out burgers made to my custom formula before I was ready to eat them. In-N-Out uses whole leaf lettuce, and this tends to cool down the burger as the hours pass. The burger was definitely not as good as it would have been enjoyed hot off the griddle. But I’d picked up a third burger to try as cheeseburger for breakfast. Here’s what happened the next morning, after I divided the cold sandwich into thirds.
Breakfast Cheeseburger #1
Breakfast Cheeseburger #1: I removed the leaf lettuce with the thought that the cool lettuce is part of the appeal at In-N-Out. Microwaved 30 seconds on high, then restored the lettuce. Result: without the density of the lettuce, this burger started cooking vs heating which was not what I wanted. Got some nice pan juices running onto the plate. Cheese, which is barely soft when it comes from the burger place, started to melt. Tasty, but too much a departure from a fresh burger.
Breakfast Cheeseburger #2
Breakfast Cheeseburger #2: shredded the lettuce like they do at Burger House in Dallas, which makes the best burger I have encountered, then microwaved 30 seconds on high (with the lettuce in the sandwich). Result: delicious, as good as eating fresh the night before.
Breakfast Cheeseburger #3
Breakfast Cheeseburger #3: did nothing but take the final third of the cold burger and popped it in my mouth. Result: delicious. The burger and cheese had the mouthfeel of a cold meat loaf in a sandwich, and the cold vegetables set it off beautifully with crunch and tartness. Tied with #2 for my favorite.
The bottom line: Cheeseburgers for breakfast are a thing!
Sure why not?
This is a breakfast for dinner role reversal. I like it.
And breakfast pizza you’d like too, I bet?
Yes…yes, I would.