The Macho Nacho Burger

I am a huge fan of the Nacho Burger at Buffalo Wild Wings, so today I decided my own Nacho Burger that was so good, I had to call it the Macho Nacho Burger!

Slather some Famous Daves Devils Spit BBQ Sauce on your party while grilling, or any other BBQ sauce of your choice.

Melt some pepper jack cheese on top.

Put a few spoonfuls of nacho cheese on top of your burger.

Add tortilla strips, jalapeños, and lettuce. Maybe a little onion and tomato as well!

Top it off with some BBQ sauce, not too much and BOOM! There you have it!

Culvers 3 Cheese Butter Burger with Cheese Curds

Since the Phoenix Metro West Side is slow coming when it comes to some of these places this was my first trip to Culver's and I sure wasn't disappointed!

I had the 3 Cheese Butter Burger with a side of cheese curds and buddy it was just what The Fungus Ordered!

American, Swiss & Cheddar cheeses add that gooey and tart flavor to the already powerful punch these butter based buns and burgers offer. The crispy exterior of the meat is enhanced by, holy shit, actual seasoning on the meat! You get that delicious crisp bite and then push forward into a juicy, buttery, foodgasm of beef and cheese! The bun, delicious and subtle, not doughy and overpowering like many fast food breads is almost as fun to eat.

The fried curd is a must here, salty and fried to golden brown perfection the cheese curds are nothing like Uncle Silvio's mozzarella sticks, but the authentic Wisconsin cheese and care that's taken to keep these curds fried and not over fried is worth the eventual triple bypass!

The real winner here was my family who all managed to eat a filling dinner (5 of us!) for just over $30.00.

Seasons Eatings!

Related: Is Culvers Better than Smashburger?
Five Guys and Culvers

Is Culver's Better than Smashburger? Are Burgers from Either Place Any Good?

I was just reading our Phoenix Smashburger Review, and I was curious about what other people had to say. I don't have a Smashburger in my area. I think the best fast food burger I've had was at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Five Guys is a little more expensive than most places, but the food is really good and the portions are huge. I like how they dump a bunch of fries in the bag after filling the container to overflowing. Plus, I have cut back on eating out. I try to avoid fast food in general, but if I do I go for quality. The same goes for my steaks- I would rather have a really good expensive steak every once in awhile than have low quality beef on a regular basis.

I was looking into Smashburger a little more when I came across this Phoenix New Times article comparing Smashburger to Culver's. Really? I DO have Culvers burgers in my area, but I have never ordered there. The reason? The food doesn't look too great in their ads/mailers. I figure if the food doesn't even look like much in a picture I'm probably not going to be delighted in person. Their marketing materials make Culver's look like a sort of Dairy Queen or maybe Sonic type joint. Those places have their roles in the fast food market, but I don't exactly think of gourmet burgers.

In fact, in the New Times article the Culver's burger looks underwhelming. The patty looks somewhat like a Steak 'n Shake patty. I know Roger Ebert loves the place, and he seems like a nice guy, but Steak 'n Shake has lousy burgers and decent shakes. The Culver's picture also shows cheese that is not even close to being melted. Good burgers are big and juicy. They use quality meat and fresh toppings. The cheese on burgers should be gooey or at least somewhat melted. It should not resemble anything from a school cafeteria or hospital.

The bad news for Smashburger? The Smashburger Lost to the completely unappetizing Culver's burger, at least according to the Phoenix New Times reviewer. Though, the fact that his article is ostensibly about gourmet burgers and the "new burger kings", yet the best he could come up with was Culver's vs. Smashburger, makes one question his credentials.

So, Smashburger seems to get some bad reviews. Is their burger really lousy? Is Culver's any good? Or are they just good in comparison to Smashburger? Should I try out one the dozens of Culver's coupons I get in the mail or stick to my $11 Five Guys meal?

In-N-Out Burger is Coming to Texas

Ever since our review on Five Guys Burgers and Fries, a great debate has gone on as to which is better between Five Guys and In-N-Out Burger.  I tried Five Guys awhile back myself and it was great, but there were no In and Out Burgers in the area to compare to.  That will all change in mid 2011 when In-N-Out will open a rumored six locations in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  Five locations are confirmed, those being in Allen, Garland, Ft. Worth, Dallas, and Frisco, with the six location being a mystery, but speculation seems to be that the home of the Rangers and Cowboys (Arlington) makes the most sense.  So for anyone in Texas that has been longing to take part in the burger battle between 2 of the most highly rated chains in the country, it will be on in 2011.

Source: NBCDFW.com

Random Villain Recipe: The Boss Burger

Time to unleash The Boss. This is my own creation. And now I share it with the world. I was going to make this into a video but who knows when I'm gonna end up making one of these bad boys again so I figured I would post the how to, and then do a video later. Here we go.

Grill up your burger, nothing special but add your favorite bbq sauce while you grill it up.

Throw the bun on the grill just long enough to get it a little on the toasty side.

After that, move to the kitchen, all the magic happens in there. Not on the grill itself.

Add the cheese of your choice, for this burger I stick with cheddar, but pepper jack is also good to use. You can also throw this on when grilling to get it melted some onto the burger.

Throw on some bacon. A few strips, don't get to crazy.

Pour some BBQ sauce on top. Yes, I know you did it to your burger while you grilled it, but add some more on top of the bacon.

And now, the key part. This is where you "BOSS IT" as my nephew and I say. What is this magic ingredient? Very simple.....

That's right. Tostitos Bean and Cheese dip. Heat it up for about a minute. Get about two table spoons and just pour some of this stuff on top. Now your burger is gonna get a little on the messy side, but if you wanna sit around and eat nice and neat pretty food, this isn't for you. This is for people who just love some tasty burgers.

After that, sprinkle some jalapenos on top of the dip.

Add some lettuce if you'd like. And BOOM. YOU GOT YOURSELF A BOSS BURGER.

Restaurant Review: Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Obviously we like a good goddamn burger here at Hungry Jerks... this has to be like the 5th burger post since we started... but I was sitting here listening to some a-hole on E! talk about In-and-Out burger being the best burger on the planet and it pissed me off. Clearly, this dude has no idea what makes a tasty burger. I promise you it's not frying the patty in mustard (the "secret" of an IaO burger.)

I wanna give you a rundown of some 5 Guys Facts, courtesy their website. Five Guys is a tasty burger establishment, while at the same time being as heart-health conscious as possible. They make sure there is absolutely 0% trans fat in their meals. Their delicious french fries are cooked in peanut oil to this purpose. They use only the freshest vegetables, and have used over 34 millions pounds of potatoes since they went in to business in 2008. That's a lot of fries!

Now don't get me wrong about the healthy food here..., a bacon cheeseburger from Five Guys still packs a walloping 62g of fat. Not to mention over 900 of your daily calories. Who cares though? It's delicious! You know what else is delicious? FREE TOPPINGS. That's right, at every Five Guys the toppings are free! All burgers are made my hand in each restaurant and their breads are baked fresh at local bakeries. If you've ever been to a Five Guys you know that while you're waiting on your made to order burger, they have an endless supply of peanuts for you to gnash on and then discard on the floor. I always love a restaurant that lets me throw my peanut shells on the floor. It's so liberating!

Like most big guys, I love a good cheeseburger, and for me it's gotta be Five Guys... otherwise I'd just cheating myself. I don't know what it is, but I think it's the combination of fresh toppings, fresh bread, handmade and then grilled burgers, crisp apple smoked bacon... what more could you ask for on a burger? What about you readers? Is Five Guys the bees knees for you too, or is there somewhere else you like? How do you feel about In and Out burgers? Also, I'd probably be writing a different article if there was a local Backyard Burger, but until then, I'm sticking with Five Guys.