The Burger Wars are becoming the biggest food
fight since that cafeteria scene from the movie
"Animal House". The two burger giants, McDonald's
and Burger King, have each been cloning the other's
top products in the bloody battle for the big burger buck.
Burger King stepped up first with the Big King -
Burger King's version of the McDonald's Big Mac.
Yes, it had two all beef patties, special sauce,
lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun;
although everything was arranged a bit differently,
and there's no middle bun in there. Then McDonald's
rolled out the Big N' Tasty, which bore a striking
resemblance to Burger King's Whopper, with fresh lettuce,
tomato, and onion on top of a huge beef patty.
Who's winning this fight by leveraging the popularity
of the other company's product? Nobody, really.
McDonald's chose to alter its Big N' Tasty recipe
by making it smaller n' cheaper, then changed the name
to Big Xtra!, while Burger King bailed out on the Big King
altogether. But this food fight is far from over.
More recently Burger King tweaked its french fry formula
in an unsuccessful attempt to steal away fans from McDonald's
winning fried spuds recipe. And McDonald's has added more
breakfast sandwiches to compete with Burger King's wider
wake-up selection. So the war continues. And the battlefield
is splattered with ketchup.
Spread
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons French dressing
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
dash salt
dash pepper
4 sesame seed hamburger buns
1 1/3 cups chopped lettuce
8 slices American cheese
1 to 2 slices white onion, separated
8 dill pickle slices
1. Prepare the spread by combining the ingredients in a small
bowl. Set this aside until you are ready to use it.
2. Preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to high heat.
3. Divide the ground beef into 8 even portions (3 ounces each).
Roll each portion into a ball, then press each ball flat to
form a patty about the same diameter as the bun.
4. Grill the beef patties for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until
done. Lightly salt and pepper each side of the patties.
5. As the meat cooks, brown the faces of the buns in a hot skillet,
toaster oven, or face down on the grill. Watch the buns closely so
that they do not burn.
6. Build each burger by first spreading a tablespoon of the spread
on the face of the top bun. Arrange about 1/3 cup of lettuce evenly
over the spread.
7. On the bottom bun stack a patty, then a slice of American cheese,
another patty, and another slice of cheese.
8. On the top slice of cheese arrange 2-3 separated onion slices
(rings), then 2 pickle slices.
9. Turn the top part of the burger over onto the bottom and serve.
You may also want to zap the sandwiches in the microwave,
individually, for 15 to 20 seconds each.
Serves 4.
fight since that cafeteria scene from the movie
"Animal House". The two burger giants, McDonald's
and Burger King, have each been cloning the other's
top products in the bloody battle for the big burger buck.
Burger King stepped up first with the Big King -
Burger King's version of the McDonald's Big Mac.
Yes, it had two all beef patties, special sauce,
lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun;
although everything was arranged a bit differently,
and there's no middle bun in there. Then McDonald's
rolled out the Big N' Tasty, which bore a striking
resemblance to Burger King's Whopper, with fresh lettuce,
tomato, and onion on top of a huge beef patty.
Who's winning this fight by leveraging the popularity
of the other company's product? Nobody, really.
McDonald's chose to alter its Big N' Tasty recipe
by making it smaller n' cheaper, then changed the name
to Big Xtra!, while Burger King bailed out on the Big King
altogether. But this food fight is far from over.
More recently Burger King tweaked its french fry formula
in an unsuccessful attempt to steal away fans from McDonald's
winning fried spuds recipe. And McDonald's has added more
breakfast sandwiches to compete with Burger King's wider
wake-up selection. So the war continues. And the battlefield
is splattered with ketchup.
Spread
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons French dressing
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
dash salt
dash pepper
4 sesame seed hamburger buns
1 1/3 cups chopped lettuce
8 slices American cheese
1 to 2 slices white onion, separated
8 dill pickle slices
1. Prepare the spread by combining the ingredients in a small
bowl. Set this aside until you are ready to use it.
2. Preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to high heat.
3. Divide the ground beef into 8 even portions (3 ounces each).
Roll each portion into a ball, then press each ball flat to
form a patty about the same diameter as the bun.
4. Grill the beef patties for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until
done. Lightly salt and pepper each side of the patties.
5. As the meat cooks, brown the faces of the buns in a hot skillet,
toaster oven, or face down on the grill. Watch the buns closely so
that they do not burn.
6. Build each burger by first spreading a tablespoon of the spread
on the face of the top bun. Arrange about 1/3 cup of lettuce evenly
over the spread.
7. On the bottom bun stack a patty, then a slice of American cheese,
another patty, and another slice of cheese.
8. On the top slice of cheese arrange 2-3 separated onion slices
(rings), then 2 pickle slices.
9. Turn the top part of the burger over onto the bottom and serve.
You may also want to zap the sandwiches in the microwave,
individually, for 15 to 20 seconds each.
Serves 4.
