Copycat Krystal Burgers

Name: Copycat Krystal Burgers
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 lb. ground chuck or round; Salt and pepper; 3 tbsp salted butter; 1 cup white onions, finely diced; Mild cheddar or American cheese slices; Pickle slices; Mustard; 1 package square slider buns, or dinner rolls

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These familiar looking little burgers are just as delicious as you remember, and just as greasy. No need in running to buy a bag when you get a craving – you can make a batch of Copycat Krystal Burgers right at home and save your gas.

Does the name “Krystal” ring a bell? I’ve known the name and the little burgers in a box since I can remember. Especially during my teenage years. Late, late teenage years.

If you grew up in the South, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

If you didn’t, you really missed out. Now, if you’re in another part of the country, (and some of these places are indeed in the south) you might know these as White Castle burgers or sliders.

These things are like crack in a little greasy box.

So, if you’ve gone your whole life without experiencing Krystal burgers, I’m about to get you up to speed.

If you’re familiar, these little itty bitty burgers were a very welcome sight for you about 2 am after a few too many Miller Genuine Drafts.

Or it could have been some sort of booze concoction in a fish bowl made by your teenage friends, that made you violently vomit while your friends held your hair.

After all the fun, someone would inevitably say ‘Let’s go to Krystal!’. And, of course, you would end up ordering more than you could ever eat in one lifetime.

Why are Krystal burgers so adored?

These little things are served up in cardboard boxes, the sides are a bit on the greasy side. Well, ok, they were damn greasy, but it was part of the allure.

The buns are generously dotted with tiny little onions, that are absolutely necessary. There’s always some cheese sticking out of the top on at least one corner, and sometimes a glimpse of a pickle.

The cheese is half ass melted, and there’s a squeeze of regular mustard in the middle.

The perfect amount.

These little burgers were definitely a staple, and as nasty as anybody wants to say they are – because they do – they’re absolutely, absurdly, fantastically delicious.

Greasy little tiny onions and all.

I’ve found the secret – it’s NO seasoning. Like, seriously, nothing except salt and pepper. I tried splashing some Worcestershire on a batch of them and it ruined the entire Krystal taste. Y’all, I’m not even exaggerating. Read again:

The burger has to be unseasoned.

Unseasoned AF.

I suppose that makes sense?? Maybe. It doesn’t even matter, that’s part of the science behind it.

So, here’s the method. You start by spreading ground beef out very thin using a rolling pin in between wax paper. Salt and pepper it, slice it into squares and throw it in the freezer. It’s so much easier than I thought it would be.

I used my counter top grill, and it worked perfectly.

Another quirky little thing about this is adding the diced onions on the raw side of the burger and then flipping it over and adding the bun on top for a minute.

It absolutely works!

Just don’t waste any time, now because it’s a method that is flowing and you want the bun to hit just right, the cheese to halfway kinda sorta melt, and to get that greasiness on the bottom just the way they’re served.

However, I still cannot get the unseasoned thing out of my mind. I guess it doesn’t matter when all of the elements are in place. This is a a very, very close Krystal burger recipe. Close enough that the nostalgia came back immediately with one bite.

All of these come together to give us that nostalgic taste-

The plain ass ground beef
Greasy little soft bun (greasy from the beef)
Little, kinda caramelized, tiny onions
American processed cheese slice, melted about ¼ of the way
One squirt of mustard
One, sometimes two, pickles that are highly, highly essential

Again, no matter WHAT, DO NOT forget the pickle.

Here’s your printable –

Yield: 12