Sizzle-Q from Little Griddle

A few months ago, I received a Sizzle-Q from the Little Griddle company in exchange for placing a link to their site on this blog. They didn't ask me to write any kind of product review, but after using the griddle, I knew that I had to let you all know about it.

As a "bbq guy," I've been gifted griddles in the past and, as many other cooks probably agree, I've found them to be pretty useless. The vast majority of the griddles on the market are flat, cast iron griddles made to go on the stovetop or the grill. They are very uneven in cooking and you never use one enough to get it properly seasoned like your trusty cast iron skillet. I won't even mention the ones with the slots that try to resemble grill marks. So, even though the Sizzle-Q had a different design and was made from stainless steel, I was still a little skeptical. But I decided to give it try on my outdoor gas grill.

Over the past several years, I have been cooking my proteins primarily in a cast iron skillet and my twenty-year-old DCS gas grill has been very neglected. The exterior of the grill is still very pristine, but it is time for some new grill grates. It seemed like perfect timing to just remove the grill grates and slap on the Sizzle-Q.

The Sizzle-Q fit perfectly on the grill and I used all three burners to get it going. I used just a little oil to season it up, then the burgers went right on. Just like a nice commercial griddle, it produced immaculate crust on both sides making for a perfect juicy burger (note: to make this perfect burger, use Bear Creek Farms beef). I was even able to use the Sizzle-Q to cook 36 burgers for a party over the weekend and it handled the task with ease as it can cook about twelve full-sized burgers at once. Whether cooking two burgers or twelve, the results were the same.

So what makes the Sizzle-Q so great? In my opinion it is all in the design. The griddle is lifted off the heating source and has a vent for air flow. This creates a much more even heating surface, which is especially important when working in volume, and it allows you to more easily control the overall temperature. Adding the little bit of oil to the surface allowed me to lift and flip the meat without the any of the common sticking issues that can cause problems when cooking in multiple batches and make cleanup difficult later. Overall, I was very impressed.

So, I'd say that if you are tired of trying to fool with your old griddle, or if you want to cook a burger on the grill - you already know you're not supposed to cook your burgers directly on the grill grates, right? - then it is time to get a Sizzle-Q.

You can find the Sizzle-Q and other Little Griddle products at Bass Pro Shops, your local specialty grill shop, or online at littlegriddle.com.

March Madness: Nashville Burger Tournament

There have been several comments over at the Bites blog discussing a 64 restaurant burger tournament. So BP and I, being fans of the burger and college basketball, will be bringing you a bracket style Nashville Burger Tournament. The 64 finalist (we don't have a play in game) will be announced on Selection Sunday March 14th. Then the first and second round will be held March 17-21. The Regionals will be held March 25-28. The Final Four will be on April 1-3 and the Finals will be held April 3-4. This will be a voting style tournament. So gear up and get ready to vote your favorite burger to victory.

We have all of the obvious choices, but if you have a diamond in the rough with a strong RPI. Then leave us a comment and they will be considered.

Restaurant Openings and Re-openings

March is quickly approaching, and for Nashville diners this means two things. First the re-opening of Martin's BBQ and secondly the opening of the highly anticipated new burger place Burger-Up.

We have been waiting for the re-opening of Martin's BBQ for quite sometime, and it looks like Tuesday March 2nd will be the day. This new location will feature an expanded dining area, bar, drive-thru, and most importantly a whole hog pit. To my knowledge Martin's will be the only place in Middle Tennessee cooking whole hog, and trust me you wont want to miss out on that middlin meat. With an expanded kitchen and staff, look for Pat Martin to offer up some new specials. To stay up to date on the happenings at Martin's, follow him on Twitter - @martinsbbq.


For those omnivores closer to the city, Burger Up is coming to 12th South sometime in mid March. This is the brainchild of Frothy Monkey owner Miranda Whitcomb who looks to bring a local flair to the traditional burger. We don't know what exactly is in store for us burger lovers, but we do know that the meat will come from the Triple L Ranch in Franklin. Ummm... how's a Triple L Ranch triple burger with Benton's bacon sound? As soon as we have a chance to hit it up we will report back.

Gabby's Triple Burger w/ Bacon and Cheese

This is not on the menu, but just ask for it and Doug will whip you up a triple.

Fifth Third or 5/3 or 1.66 lb. Burger

Spring is in the air. Today was sunny and 72 degrees. That also means that baseball is just around the corner. Spring Training is already underway, and stadiums across the land are preparing for opening day. Here in Nashville, our very own Nashville Sounds' Greer Stadium has been overhauled in the off-season to the tune of $2.5 million. Upgrades include a new paint job, new consession areas, and an actual LED screen. They are even teaming up with local brewery Yazoo to supply the beer for everyone's favorite night, Thirsty Thursday. While the new Greer Stadium is set to open on April 9th, the guy from Man Food is eagerly waiting for opening day at Fifth Third Ballpark. Home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, the 5/3 Ballpark is also the new home of the all new 5/3 or 1.66667 lb. burger that includes salsa, sour cream, and a chili Frito pie served on an eight inch sesame seed bun.

Now in the past, we have seen wild balk park creations and even some BBQ Addicts that explode for bacon, but this creation is equally over the top. Here are the stats:

Fifth Third Burger Nutritional Value

		DAILY VALUE
Calorie	4889	244%
Total Fat	299g	460%
Sat. Fat	199g	597%
Cholesterol	744mg	248%
Sodium	10,887mg	454%
Total Carbs	354g	118%
Protein	198g	105%

It is recommended for 1-4 people, but if an individual finishes it in one sitting he/she wins a nice 5/3 t-shirt. However, you could just skip the burger and sign up for a Fifth Third credit card to get the free shirt. It's really up to you.

Music Thursday: Luther Burger

Ummmm doughnuts.....
Ummmm burgers.....
Ummmm Luther Burgers.....

It seems that if you use a sweet glazed doughnut as a bun for your burger, then you have a Luther Burger. This was the brainchild of the late Luther Vandross. Was it the cause of his death? Was it the inspiration for his hit Never Too Much? We may never know. Whatever the case may be, most people won't remember Mr. Vandross for his silky smooth voice, but for this culinary invention that packs in several thousand calories per bite.

I would like to see the Super Size Me guy eat these things for 30 days.

Luther Vandross's Never Too Much

Buster's Place

I recently made the quick trip to Murfreesboro, and that meant a stop off at my favorite burger joint, Buster's Place. Buster's has been winning best burger awards in Murfreesboro for several years running and is truly an outstanding burger joint.

The outside is simple - just a rectangular brick building with a small sign. The "decor" is comprised of mismatched tablecloths, beer bottle chandeliers, mixed patriotic paraphernalia, and an assortment of vinyl banners and neon signs promoting various beers and/or past Nascar events (and then there is that lone print of the Mona Lisa in the corner). But while this low-end beer joint may have a murky design concept, its purpose is clear: they serve outstandingly fresh, made-to-order, hand-patted hamburgers. While you have your choice of all the standard toppings, the very minimal menu includes your choice of a hamburger or a cheeseburger with side options of french fries or onion rings.

There's nothing jazzy going on here - no gimmicks, no distinctly uncommon flavors or unusual spices, no exotic cheeses or gourmet substitutions - just well-seasoned, perfectly cooked, juicy burgers.



The burgers are served on the same soft beige hard plastic plates that were in your middle school lunchroom and the crinkle-cut french fries are the same ones served in that very lunchroom - warm, salty and mushy inside. I recommend the onion rings.





If you're in the 'Boro, this is an excellent (and not very pricey) place to stop for lunch - located at 1615 NW Broad Street.

Burger vs. Burger

As much as I love hamburgers (and I do love them a lot), I am more often than not disappointed by the hamburgers that I find in restaurants here in Nashville. Even some of the well-known places that win "best burger" year after year have left me thinking that I could do better at home with a charcoal grill or a cast iron skillet. Well, lately a couple of new players have appeared on the local burger scene, and I thought I'd let you know what I think.

Red Robin is a national chain, with locations from coast to coast. It originated as a local tavern in Seattle in the 1940s, but didn't begin expanding outside the Seattle area until the 80s. It's a full-service, sit-down restaurant, and it also has a full bar. Red Robin is relatively new to Middle Tennessee - they opened in Murfreesboro and Mt. Juliet a few months ago, and have just recently opened their first Nashville location in the new Nashville West shopping center on Charlotte Pike.

The menu at Red Robin is expansive. Their schtick is offering lots and lots of different burgers with every topping combination imaginable. There's the Bonzai Burger, marinated in teriyaki and topped with grilled pineapple and cheddar cheese. Or the Santa Fe Burger, topped with poblano peppers, guacamole, crispy tortilla strips and pepper jack cheese. Or the Five Alarm Burger, topped with pepper jack cheese, jalapeno peppers, salsa and chipotle mayonnaise. You get the picture. Of course there's also the option to "build your own" from the endless list of toppings and condiments. After visiting the restaurant a few times and trying a few of the readymade burgers, I settled on a modified version of the "Gourmet Cheeseburger," with American cheese, crispy onion straws, red relish and mayo.

Now that's a tasty burger. The only thing is, I think maybe why it's so tasty is because I've come upon a really incredible combination of toppings. And I think, when it comes down to it, that's the appeal of Red Robin - toppings. The burger patties themselves are not very flavorful. But with 101 variations to choose from, you're bound to find something that will make it flavorful. One other note - bottomless french fries. They do have unlimited french fries at Red Robin. Unfortunately, they are steak fries, which are not my preference. But they do have this incredible seasoning on the table for the fries that is pretty interesting.

Five Guys is different from Red Robin in almost every way. It began on the east coast (Washington DC area) in the 80s and began franchising in the eastern U.S. in 2003. It's a fast casual setup and there are peanuts on the floor. The menu is ridiculously simple - burgers, hot dogs, and fries - all cooked to order.

Fresh is really best word I can use to describe the food. The burgers are juicy and the flavor of the beef, seasoned perfectly, really shines through. This is the closest I have tasted to a homemade burger in a restaurant.

The burger-to-bun ratio is just right, and although I usually prefer a plain bun to one with sesame seeds, this bun is awesome, with just the right density and moistness. Although there are plenty of toppings to choose from, I usually get mine with just cheese and grilled onions - I think it complements the flavor of the beef just perfectly. Again, I should also mention the fries. These are some of the best fries I've ever had! They're cut fresh daily and twice fried with the skins left on. The seasoning is perfect. This is what french fries were meant to be.

If I have one beef with Five Guys, it might be the service. I have been to the Green Hills location a few times now, and have seen a noticable decline in courtesy and attentiveness of the employees there. Hopefully the management can nip this trend in the bud so it does not ruin what is an otherwise great restaurant.

Until next time...

Sliders

Homemade Sliders

One of my wife's favorite things is sliders, or as I call them Krystals. I won't get into how Krystal is better than White Castle, because frankly I don't have to. It is an understood fact that Krystal is better and I have argued the point until I was blue in the face countless times before. I digress.

To make your own sliders, start with roughly 1 lb. of ground chuck. I always use ground chuck for making burgers because you can't create a juicy burger without some fat. Next, make little balls of hamburger meat (slightly smaller than a golf ball). I happened to have my scale out when I was patting out these burgers, and each one weighted around 1.75 ounces. It is important to have consistent raw patty sizes so that you have even cook times. You don't want one burger that is way over cooked and one that is raw inside. Once you have your raw meat, don't stop there, press out each patty into a 2-inch square and place the squares on a sheet of parchment paper. Season the patties lightly with salt and pepper.

You can cook your sliders on either a stove top griddle or on a grill. Either way, you'll want to cook the burgers at a high temperature. Sliders are actually one of the only foods that I cook without taking an internal temperature. Cook the burgers just 2 minutes on each side on a hot grill and they'll turn out great.

This is also one of the only foods that I cook on my gas grill anymore. I must admit before I became an egghead, I was pretty loyal to my gas grill. I have a nice DCS stainless steel grill piped into my natural gas line - but it keeps its cover on most of the times these days. I always thought that it was such a pain and a big mess to fire up the Weber kettle whenever I wanted to grill something, but with the Egg, the lump charcoal creates less ash (and it can be put out and reused).

Back to the sliders...to finish off the perfect slider, use Hawaiian Rolls (lightly toasted with butter) for buns, then add your favorite condiments.

Trip to Maryland - Part 3 Wag's

On my last night in Frederick I was really in the mood for a good burger. This led me to Wag's. Wag's has been rated the best burger in Frederick for 12-15 years running, depending on your source. Wag's is located in the downstairs of a building on Market Street. The walkway down to Wag's is very Cheers-esque.

I ventured down the steps and bellied up to the bar where I ordered the cheeseburger and fries. The burger was pretty darn good and the fries were hand cut and cooked to perfection.

I don't know if it is a Maryland thing, but I thought it to be rather odd that the bartender brought over some malt vinegar along with the ketchup. Do yankees put vinegar on their fries?
If I am ever in Frederick again, I think I would probably go back to Wag's, but I would not say it is as good as Rotier's or Brown's in Nashville and I have yet to find a better burger than Buster's Place in Murfreesboro (blog on Buster's coming soon).