Gone: A Little Piece of Sioux Falls' Food Culture

Yesterday was Friday the 13th and, despite all the superstition surrounding the day, I was having the Best. Day. Ever. It was unbelievable! I even jumped up-and-down, at one point and squealed (yes, squealed) with joy more than once. It was that awesome of a day.

And then I saw this little headline while cruising the local news online:

Food Falls Blog:  Hamburger Inn closes up shop tomorrow

What? {I quickly clicked on the link to read the blog-post-of-doom.}

What!?! And then I saw the photo confirming the closure. WAAAAHHHHHH!

For those of you who may be wondering why I'm mourning the closing of a little hamburger shop, let me explain. 

The Hamburger Inn is an iconic little hole-in-the-wall located in downtown Sioux Falls that has just a counter with maybe 10 stools to sit at (I never counted them). The walls are decorated with an eclectic collection of signs and clippings from all over the world. The grills and fryers are just on the other side of the counter and you literally watch the cook hand-form and fry your burger. {Excellent photos of the Hamburger Inn} It's been a part of Sioux Falls for well over 60 years and despite its reputation as a greasy spoon, it was a place you just HAD to go to at least once. What did you order once there? An Eggburger, of course! The Hamburger Inn had a pretty extensive menu (written on a white board that sat atop the refrigerator on the other side of the counter), but it was famous for the Eggburger - a fresh, made-to-order burger with a fried egg on top of it. The Cadillac of burgers was the Eggburger with Bacon.

But no more. 

The only glimmer of hope in the entire post was the reminder that the Hamburger Inn closed briefly about a year ago and then re-opened. Let's hope this closing will be temporary, too.

To honor the best little hamburger shop Sioux Falls will ever know, here's my version of the Eggburger with Bacon. I will never be able to duplicate the "eggs-traordinay" flavor of a Hamburger Inn burger, but it's still pretty tasty!

My Eggburger with Bacon

I like a burger without a lot of seasoning mixed into the beef prior to grilling, but you can add any seasoning or other flavoring you like. We also lightly toast our buns on the grill, but a plain bun is also fine.

1 lb. ground beef 

1 tsp. kosher salt

pepper

3 hamburger buns buttered

3 eggs, fried

3 strips of bacon, cooked (we like ours crispy)

3 slices of cheese (your choice - I used white American cheese)

lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions & whatever else you like on your burgers


Preheat your grill (or light the coals, if you're using a charcoal grill). You'll want it screaming hot when you put the burgers down.

Add the salt and pepper to the ground beef and mix it into the beef. I use my hands to make sure it's evenly mixed. Divide the seasoned ground beef into three balls and form into patties. Be sure to wash your hands after handling raw meat!

Put the burgers on the grill. I place mine on the upper rack of our gas grill over medium-high heat and cook each side for 5 - 6 minutes, depending on how you like your burgers done. You can use whatever method works best for you, including broiling or pan-frying, if you don't want to grill. In the last minute or two of grilling, place a slice of cheese on each burger and place the buns - buttered side down - on the grill, if you like toasted buns.

While the cheese melts and the buns toast, fry the eggs to your liking. I prefer over-easy with a soft yolk. It doesn't always work out that way, though!

To assemble:  place a cheese-covered burger on the bottom half of a bun, cut or break a slice of bacon in half and place it on top of the burger. Place the fried egg on top of the bacon and add any other condiments you like. Place the top half of the bun on the burger . . . 

. . . and ENJOY!!

This post is linked with love to the following: