If you've ever traveled around the northern Mississippi and stopped at a diner, chances are you noticed slugburgers on the menu. No, they're not made with slimy slugs, either, so have no fear. Join me in making the original version of the Slugburger here!
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Nowadays the slugburger comes in many varieties, but this particular recipe goes back to the original recipe that is generally credited to John Weeks, who brought it to Corinth, Mississippi from Chicago well over 100 years ago. I'm thinking this is our John with his wife Laura and five daughters on the 1920 census, in Corinth, since he told the census man his occupation is Proprietor of a Lunch Room.
A really great side for these burgers would be Southern Fried Okra!
Slugburger origins
Apparently Weeks was the first to serve up the slugburger in 1917, but he called it the Weeksburger. And, they only cost a nickel. Back then, a "slug" was a round nickel-sized piece of metal that you could use to cheat a vending machine. Hence, the name Slugburger.
With wartime rations being what they were, folks had to stretch the budget and make their food go as far as possible. So John mixed his beef (not pork) with potato flour and potato flakes and deep fried them in lard.
Well, I'm not going so far as to fry them in lard, but I did follow his basic plan and used potato flakes as the extender. If you're going to try making them, I suggest using 80% lean ground beef, to keep the meat moist.
I stuck to keeping it simple, like John. I do like to season mine with a little salt and pepper, too, though I don't know if Weeks did that as well.
And the original preferred way to eat them was on a steamed bun with onion, pickles and mustard. No cheese.
The popularity of this burger has persisted. Today there's even the Slugburger Festival, and there're all kinds of recipes out there for slugburgers with lots of added ingredients and toppings. Some even make them from pork instead of beef. But if you want to try the original to see what it was like, this is the recipe you should shoot for.
How to make the original Slugburger - aka Weeksburger
Ingredients
- Ground beef, 75-80% lean
- Potato flakes and/or potato flour
- Salt and pepper
- Oil to deep fry the burgers
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the beef, potato flakes and potato flour and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Form into patties.
- Deep fry until cooked and crispy on the outside.
- Serve hot with the traditional fixings of bun, mustard, dill pickles and onion.
That's it!
Combine the ingredients thoroughly. Working it by hand is the most effective.
Form the mixture into patties. One pound of meat will make four nice-sized patties or three really big ones.
Deep fry in enough oil to cover the patties, until cooked through and a nice crust forms on the outside.
Drain briefly on paper towels and serve hot with the traditional toppings of a steamed bun (not toasted), mustard, dill pickles and onion.
More Southern Cooking
📖 Recipe
Slugburger - The Original Version
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef 75-80% lean
- 1 cup potato flakes or combination potato flour and potato flakes combined
- salt and pepper to taste
- cooking oil enough to cover the patties for frying
Instructions
- Begin heating oil on medium heat to 350℉
- Combine the ground beef, potato flakes and salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix thoroughly to evenly distribute the potato flakes into the beef.
- Form the mixture into 3 or 4 patties. They don't need to be perfect and they don't need to be super thick - remember, we're talking 1917 here.
- Once the oil reaches 350℉, carefully add the patties to the oil and fry for about 3 minutes on each side. You want to cook the meat through and form a light crust on the outside.
- Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels just a few minutes. Serve hot and to be authentic, serve on a steamed bun with the original fixings of mustard, dill pickle slices and onion.
Audrey Ann says
I have been looking for exactly this recipe, wanted to go totally authentic. Thank you for posting both the recipe and the history behind it. The burgers were delish and fun to make.
Libba Gray says
These were delicious thank you for the recipe as I never knew about nor would I ever have guessed on the potato flakes! Now I have a challenge for you bc no one, and I mean NO ONE, has ever cracked the recipe of Johnnie’s Drive-in Johnnie burgers in Tupelo MS. I’m 60 and have been eating them since I was a toddler and the place still gets packed for lunch & dinner to this day! Not sure if they are dough burgers or what but I do know only 1 thing about them they are poured out & fried. They are served mustard & pickle only and my standard order is 2 Johnnie burgers nothing else. Drive up and car hop comes and takes your order. Been around forever and the recipe is the best kept secret in the state of Mississippi. PLEASE get us that recipe!! I’d give you my first born but he’s all grown and about to make me a grandmother!! He has eaten Johnnie burgers his entire life as well. Very beloved place here in town!!
Becky Thames-Simmons says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Slugburger recipe, Libba. Thank you! Now you've thrown me a challenge, so I'm going to have to see if I can crack the recipe for Johnnie's burgers. It'll be fun!
Libba Gray says
I am thrilled you are taking up the challenge! I hoped you would and since you already knew about these slug burgers I hoped you’d be the one. I’ve never asked anyone to try bc the recipe truly is the best secret I have ever heard of even people that work there won’t tell you!! I don’t know what it is that they add to it. Somebody said oatmeal, but I don’t believe that I just can’t imagine that would taste as good as they do but I never would’ve guessed potato flag either so what do I know right? I took my fiancé years ago and I told him to get the Johnny burgers but he got them fully dressed and they were horrible. You have to just order Johnny burgers the way they come with the mustard and pickle only. Maybe you’ll get a chance to go by and check them out! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!! You’re welcome to email me if you have any questions that would be perfectly fine! Good luck!!
Libba Gray says
Just a quick note. There was a diner here that was actual train car back when I was a little girl and his and the name of it was Dudies and that is where I always thought slug burgers started. They still cook them once a year at Ballard Park and I forget what the reason is for some kind of festival. I’m sure. You nailed these burgers for sure!! Thanks again!
Holly says
My husband's family business has been making and selling slug patties/meat for many years. They use ground pork instead of ground beef. That seems to be the local preference. We live near Corinth, Mississippi.
Becky Thames-Simmons says
Yes! There are so many versions of it over the years since 106 years ago, aren't there? I can certainly understand using all pork or a combination of beef and pork - the pork would add more fat to the mixture, making it juicier.
Billy Garner says
I haven’t made this recipe but I grew up in Booneville MS just south of Corinth. There was a diner just on the edge of downtown and a Mr. Weeks was the owner and did all of the cooking. This was in the 1960’s. From a large plastic bag containing the “meat” using a spatula he would separate a burger portion, then flatten it into the patty, scoop it up transfer to the grease filled cook top, scrape it off the spatula using a large fork, fry it until crisp, scoop it out and place on a bun with pickles, onion and mustard. I think they cost a dime by then. I recall the meat mix being a pale pink. They were crisp and the dominate flavor was mustard.
Becky Thames-Simmons says
Billy, I think that's soooo cool, and thank you for sharing!