In the past decade I've been temporarily stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi twice. The first time, being the sailor that I am, I searched out the nearest watering hole that was off base but still within walking distance from the barracks. That's how I found The Project Lounge bar. It's a great hole-in-the-wall local bar; no windows, very dimly lit, average patron age being 35-40+ (aside from the stray wandering airman or sailor). Beer was cold and cheap, the drinks were stout (if you tipped well), and they served food cooked on a grill behind the bar. Their two claims to fame on the menu were the Ribeye Steak Sandwich, and The Best Damn Burger On The Gulf Coast. The ribeye sandwich was ok...id order it again if I never tried the burger. But, the Best Damn Burger On The Gulf Coast was just that....THE BEST I'D EVER HAD!! I've had just about every type of burger you can think of, and their burger was indeed the best. I was kinda skeptical when I ordered it the first time and I was asked "How would you like it cooked?". I mean, who orders a medium rare burger at a hole-in-the-wall bar? So, first burger was medium...and delicious. Next time I ordered one medium rare. I had even gotten brave enough at one point to order one rare. Maybe the alcohol got the best of my judgement, but I did not regret it. I recommended to all my buddies there that they check out The Project Lounge. It was in a questionable neighborhood, so I don't blame some of my less adventurous buddies for not checking it out. But the ones that did agreed with me 100%....good spot and a GREAT burger.
I sat at the bar and watched the burgers get cooked several times. Each time, they basted the burgers with a watery dark brown solution that they kept stored in the walk-in cooler in gallon water jugs. I asked "What's in the jugs?". Same answer every time..."Dunno. The owner pre-makes it and brings it in. It's a secret."
So...I had to try to reverse engineer it.
I started out blind; all I had to go one was the flavor and the knowledge that it came from a dark brown liquid in water jugs. They basted the burgers three times; once immediately after putting it on the grill, once after flipping, and again after another flip. After a lot of trial and error and much elapsed time, I succeeded! It was perfect! My wife (not a burger fan) agreed...best burger she'd ever had. My friends all agreed. I did it!
And then I lost the final recipe. All I have to go on is the latest scribblings of when I got really close. It's the same general ingredients, but the measurements aren't fine tuned. Now, im back in the lab after a long hiatus that included a deployment, and I'm not going to be satisfied until I've got the recipe perfected and logged.
I figured maybe y'all would be interested in participating in the refinement of the "pretty close" recipe I've had to go back to. So, without any further adieu, here's the starting point:
1 Tblsp Soy Sauce
1 Tblsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1 Tsp Smoked Salt
3/4 Cup of the hoppiest IPA beer you can find
Combine everything into a saucepan, bring to a gentle boil and then simmer. Cool, and then transfer into a squirt bottle. I use the generic condiment squirters like the ketchup and mustard squirters you might see at a diner.
I'll say it again; this recipe is close but not there. I remember using at least a cup of that undrinkable IPA. I also used freshly ground chuck steak with added suet a la Meathead's suggestion. So, there you have it. Again, if you are the type to skip to the last paragraph, this is not a mix-in! It's a baste! Let me know what you think
I sat at the bar and watched the burgers get cooked several times. Each time, they basted the burgers with a watery dark brown solution that they kept stored in the walk-in cooler in gallon water jugs. I asked "What's in the jugs?". Same answer every time..."Dunno. The owner pre-makes it and brings it in. It's a secret."
So...I had to try to reverse engineer it.
I started out blind; all I had to go one was the flavor and the knowledge that it came from a dark brown liquid in water jugs. They basted the burgers three times; once immediately after putting it on the grill, once after flipping, and again after another flip. After a lot of trial and error and much elapsed time, I succeeded! It was perfect! My wife (not a burger fan) agreed...best burger she'd ever had. My friends all agreed. I did it!
And then I lost the final recipe. All I have to go on is the latest scribblings of when I got really close. It's the same general ingredients, but the measurements aren't fine tuned. Now, im back in the lab after a long hiatus that included a deployment, and I'm not going to be satisfied until I've got the recipe perfected and logged.
I figured maybe y'all would be interested in participating in the refinement of the "pretty close" recipe I've had to go back to. So, without any further adieu, here's the starting point:
1 Tblsp Soy Sauce
1 Tblsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1 Tsp Smoked Salt
3/4 Cup of the hoppiest IPA beer you can find
Combine everything into a saucepan, bring to a gentle boil and then simmer. Cool, and then transfer into a squirt bottle. I use the generic condiment squirters like the ketchup and mustard squirters you might see at a diner.
I'll say it again; this recipe is close but not there. I remember using at least a cup of that undrinkable IPA. I also used freshly ground chuck steak with added suet a la Meathead's suggestion. So, there you have it. Again, if you are the type to skip to the last paragraph, this is not a mix-in! It's a baste! Let me know what you think
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