Al’s Diner, the Famous Prongburger (BBQ Burgers in the Slow Cooker)
This recipe comes to you from Jodie, Texas, 1958. Times were simpler back then, unless you were trying to prevent the Kennedy assassination. Either way, burgers were cheap and at Al’s Diner you could have ordered the famous Pronghorn burger, which came with mesquite fries and a double malt shake, and I guarantee you wouldn’t have to worry about seeing the calorie count listed next to it on the menu (although nobody would have suggested you rethink that pack a day you were smoking in the teachers’ lounge, so there’s that). The 10 cent root beer float is actually from the Kennebec Fruit up in Lisbon Falls, Maine, but double malt shakes are awfully hard to make for a big group, so I had to take a little bit of artistic justice here.
You’re probably starting to think I’m off my rocker. While you may not be entirely incorrect, there is some cohesion in all of this. I hosted my book club last week, and themed our dinner after the book we read, the Stephen King novel 11/22/63. You guessed it – it was set in Jodie, Texas and Lisbon Falls, Maine starting in 1958, where our protagonist Jake/George is trying to prevent the Kennedy assassination while enjoying the occasional Pronghorn burger and knocking boots with a school librarian who smokes a pack a day.
When I was initially thinking about the menu, I knew I wanted to theme it after the book. However, the idea of individually cooking ten burgers and keeping them warm while not making my house smokier than a 1958 teachers lounge seemed impossible. I’d never tried burgers in a crock pot and was initially a bit skeptical, but these BBQ burgers sounded like exactly what I was looking to make, so I decided to give it a go. I must say, I was incredibly pleased. The burgers not only held together, but were tender and had a wonderful texture, a bit more dense like a meatloaf. I highly recommend this recipe for your next get together, circa 1958 or 2016!
BBQ Burgers in the Slow Cooker
Adapted from Not Your Mothers Cookbooks
- 2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey (I used the latter)
- 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded, stemmed, and finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 (18-ounce) bottle your favorite BBQ sauce
- Hamburger buns and your choice of sliced cheese, lettuce, tomato or bacon to serve!
- Place the ground meat in a large mixing bowl. Add the pepper, onion, bread crumbs, and eggs. Use your hands to mix the meat well, careful not to compact the meat by over-handling. (You can do this the night before and refrigerate overnight, as I did; otherwise, I recommend refrigerating for about 30 minutes).
- Shape into 10 burgers. Gently arrange the burgers in the crock, layering the burgers, and pouring sauce over them.
- Cover and cook on LOW heat for 4 to 6 hours, until burgers are firm and register an internal temperature of 160º on an instant-read thermometer.
- Serve on buns with desired toppings.
Makes 10 good sized burgers
