Vintage Ground Beef Burger Dishes That Should Stay In The Past

Everyone would agree that juicy beef burgers are possibly the epitome of hearty American food. Though five different people claim to have invented the classic hamburger, the actual meat patty came to the United States in the 1800s through German immigrants who had been making something similar for quite some time, called a Hamburg steak. After these steaks were introduced to people of all cultures across the country, they quickly found fans. Hamburg steaks were eventually served inside buns, resulting in the staple American hamburger we know today.

The varieties of burgers available these days are pretty much endless. People have been experimenting with burger recipes for a really long time, having tried different cooking methods, ingredients, and more. While some of these dishes from yesteryear were pretty great and are still around, a few of them were definitely strange and most people wouldn't find them very appetizing now. Weird ingredients, outdated cooking techniques, and changing preferences were factors that may have led to these burger dishes falling out of favor, and honestly, it's best that they stay in the past. If you're curious about what these vintage ground beef burger dishes were like, join us as we take a look at a few that we're glad aren't around anymore. 

The name of this vintage dish might have given you the idea that it was a strange combination of burgers and hot dogs, but that isn't really the case. Burger dogs were nothing but burger patties shaped into rectangles and served inside hot dog buns instead of regular burger buns. Interestingly, the creators of this dish came up with it when they only had ground beef and hot dog buns on hand. Burger dogs did seem to catch on, as after their debut in 1950, a recipe also appeared in a cookbook later in 1958. 

The original version that was first made at a food stall in San Francisco simply involved shaping the meat, cooking it, placing it in a hot dog bun, and topping it with condiments. But the recipe printed in the cookbook later on called for wrapping the meat with bacon as well, which is actually also a fun hack you need to try when making regular hot dogs. If you think about it, there's nothing inherently wrong with burger dogs in terms of flavor and appearance. But at the same time, there isn't much that's innovative about it, either. The same time and effort you'd put into making a burger dog could be used to make regular burgers. So, unless you're in a situation similar to the inventors Bill Parrish (also called 'Burger Bill') and his wife Billie, and have to make do with ground beef and hot dog buns, it's possibly best to just cook up good old regular burgers.

Those who love the flavor of smoked oysters would agree that there's nothing quite like them. The best part about them is that you can buy canned ones, or even perfectly smoke them on a gas grill quite easily at home. But a few decades ago, someone took their love for these oysters too far and decided to stuff them in beef burgers. A recipe for smoked oyster stuffed burgers appeared in a cookbook called "McCall's Barbecue Cookbook" in 1966. This isn't surprising considering how much people loved experimenting with food in the mid 20th century.

The ground beef was seasoned with salt, pepper, and MSG, and an egg was added to the mix to help with binding. The recipe suggested shaping the meat into burger patties and stuffing the center with smoked oysters and strips of lemon peel. Once the burgers were packed with the oyster filling, they were supposed to be grilled and served, usually without a bun. This recipe actually wasn't too popular even back in the day and was possibly only made by folks who were curious about how it tasted. It's safe to say that the combination of beef and oysters isn't the best, and so, this strange burger dish surely doesn't need a revival today. Instead, it's best to just stick to serving the two dishes separately, as they should be.

Though the name of this vintage ground beef burger dish may suggest it was really fancy, it was actually quite simple. It isn't clear why the dish got its moniker, but it's likely that Hunt's wanted an eye-catching name when they released a recipe for it in an advertisement for their tomato sauce, supposedly in 1955. The only slightly unique factor about Fancy Pants hamburgers was that the patties were supposed to be served as-is.

Otherwise, the recipe was pretty basic as it suggested seasoning the beef, shaping it into hamburger patties, and filling the center with slices of cheese. The patties were seared, topped with Hunt's tomato sauce, and then cooked with the sauce for a while. It may seem like there's nothing too wrong with this vintage burger dish, but there's a reason why it has fallen out of favor.

If you think about it, most people love it when the meat in their burgers has a perfectly crispy sear. Simmering the patties in tomato sauce for a long time would turn them soggy, essentially ruining that crispy exterior. Not to mention that the tomato sauce may also mask the flavor of the beef and make it taste overly acidic. If you really like the idea of tomato sauce with burgers, you can instead top the beef patty with a dollop before placing it in a bun. This is one of the best ways to upgrade your burger without changing its flavor excessively and preventing the patty from getting mushy.

While there's an actual Chinese burger that stars a truly unexpected meat, this one isn't it. This vintage burger was instead a Chinese-American fusion recipe made with some truly strange ingredients. It was created in 1968 by a chef named Jacques Jaffry. But it isn't clear where the first recipe was published.

Now, coming to what you're here for: what exactly made this vintage burger so weird that it's better left in the past? To be fair, the recipe started off quite well as it suggested mixing ground beef with salt, ginger, and soy sauce, all of which would enhance the flavor of the meat quite well. Then comes the strange bit, which is the filling, of course. It was made with bean sprouts, water chestnuts, onions, and soy sauce.

This combination is outright odd as bean sprouts and water chestnuts have a slightly sweet flavor. Mixing them with pungent ingredients like soy sauce and onions surely wouldn't have created the best flavor combination. Plus, the recipe mentioned stuffing the burger patty with heaps of this mix, so it's likely that the flavor of the beef itself was masked. Sure, you can argue that the ingredients taste fantastic individually. But it's rather questionable if they would have tasted decent in a hearty all-American burger. The recipe also suggested brushing the patties with even more soy sauce when broiling them, which, let's just say, could have led to an umami flavor overload. Considering all these aspects, it's obvious that most people wouldn't appreciate an old-school Chinese burger today.

Perhaps one of the strangest entries on this list, burger layer cake did exist back in the day. An advertisement by Lea & Perrins for their Original Worcestershire Sauce featured a recipe for this creation in the '70s. That said, some may confuse it with a similar dish called beef cakes that has been a part of British cuisine since centuries. While burger layer cake may have been loosely inspired by the British classic, it was made quite differently.

Burger layer cake was exactly what you might imagine it to be. The recipe started off with making a thick "batter" with ingredients like ground beef, eggs, catsup, bread crumbs, salt, and of course, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce. It was then transferred to molds and baked, exactly like a cake. Plus, unlike regular cakes that have layers of sweet frosting, this burger cake was layered and topped with sauteed veggies instead.

As you may have already guessed, burger layer cake didn't catch on with most folks, probably because they preferred making regular burgers rather than turning them into a cake. The recipe was definitely quite a creative take on burgers, but maybe not in the best way. Also, burger layer cake was a part of a series of time saving recipes that could be made in 30 minutes. But honestly, you could instead just make a regular burger in an even shorter span. So, unless you're curious enough to try making it once, it's for sure a creation that should stay in the past.

Potato burgers may not sound too weird from the get-go, but once you get to know how they were made, it's very unlikely that you would find them appealing. This vintage dish started off with a hearty beef patty like any regular burger. The next step is where it gets strange, as the original recipe suggested stuffing potatoes sauteed with onions, black pepper, salt, and parsley inside the patty. Plus, just like Fancy Pants hamburgers, these burgers were topped with Hunt's Tomato Sauce and simmered after the initial searing.

As you may have guessed, this burger recipe was also a creation by Hunt's, released in an advertisement in 1959. Potato burgers had pretty obvious flaws such as the patties being served as-is unlike a regular burger, them losing their crispy sear, and likely tasting overly acidic due to the tomato sauce. In addition, stuffing the beef burgers with the starchy root vegetable was definitely overkill as the potatoes could have turned overly mushy and ruined the flavor and texture of the meat after the patties were cooked.

Given that most people wouldn't want to compromise a meaty burger's flavor, it's good that this recipe isn't around anymore. To enjoy burgers and potatoes together, it's best to just stick to serving them with a side of regular French fries or truffle French fries if you want something fancy. If you'd really like to try a dish that uses ground beef and potatoes together, you should consider making meat and potato patties as grated potatoes are mixed with the meat instead of being stuffed inside.