Actually, this isn't really about a burger joint. You can't get the Bubba Burgers I'm going to tell you about at a restaurant. And don't confuse these with the Bubba's Burgers from Hawaii.
These Bubba Burgers are found in the frozen food section at a number of grocery stores across the Midwest. You buy them, take 'em home, and cook them there. Click here to get a list of stores that carry Bubba Burgers.
The story behind Bubba Burgers is pretty simple. Walter "Bubba" Eaves came up with an idea to create the best burger possible. He invented a process that allows the burger patty to be frozen and then cooked without thawing the meat. Bubba Burgers began small and were distributed through the Publix chain of grocery stores in the Southeast. In 2000, "Bubba" brought in new partners to help with a nationwide distribution of the burgers.
Other than just plain burger patties, Bubba Burgers also make flavored burgers such as Sweet Onion, Jalapeno, and Reduced Fat. But the ones I bought were the Original, and since then I've found out that they also make an Black Angus Certified Beef Bubba Burger. It kind of makes me wonder what the hell the Original Bubba Burger is made of.
I've been hearing the ads for Bubba Burgers on Chicago area sports talk radio stations. I thought, "Huh! Well, I'll have to find some while I'm here in Chicago."
I did find some at a Dominick's store in the far northern suburbs of Chicago (I always take a cooler with me when I go to Chicago). They weren't cheap - six 1/3 pound patties (pre-cooked) were $7.99. Holy crap! Bubba was pretty proud of these burgers! They'd better be good. I kinda got to wondering what the price of the Black Angus Certified burgers would be.
The weekend after I got back from Chicago, my wife wanted me to cook some burgers on the grill for lunch. I thought, "What a perfect opportunity to give them a try."
In the meantime, a good friend stopped over and was on his way up to the bar to get a burger for lunch. I said, "Hey, let me throw a burger on for you."
The way to cook Bubba Burgers, according to the package, is to put the patties on the grill over the open flame (or on a hot frying pan). When the top of the burger begins to to pool up with juices, turn it over and cook it for another minute for medium, another two minutes for medium-well and another three minutes for well. So, I tried it that way.
Along with grill toasted garlic/onion buns, we had the Bubba Burgers. They were - OK. Nothing special. I probably cooked 'em a little too long as mine was not too juicy. Now, my wife downright hated 'em. She said she was burping the taste of the burger up all afternoon long. My buddy thought they were just "OK", as well. So much for that round of Bubba Burgers.
More recently, I was home and my wife was out at a study group for the evening, so I decided to cook up a couple of Bubba Burgers for dinner. This time, I didn't throw them directly over the fire, opting for the indirect method of cooking that I've come to enjoy on a Weber grill.
I let the burger patties cook for about 10 minutes indirectly at 350 degrees, then I put them over the fire for a couple of minutes. I pulled them off, turned 'em over and let 'em sit off to the side of the heat for about five more minutes. Then I let them sit over the fire for another two minutes before pulling them off.
This time they were a little more juicy and tender. They were definitely done, but they weren't as overdone as the last time.
The bottom line - Bubba Burgers are great for a bachelor who has been out all night long and wants a late night snack. I just wonder how many guys have passed out making a Bubba Burger after getting home from the bars after 2 a.m. But they're too expensive. You can get a better burger by buying a pound of 90% lean ground beef from the meat case and making hand-pattied burgers yourself.
I probably won't be going out of my way to purchase Bubba Burgers again...
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