Corinth, MS July 7-9, 2011
Don't be scared by its unappetizing name: A slugburger is a deep-fried beef and soy-meal patty served on a bun - a beloved regional specialty. To see more information about the Slugburger Festival in Corinth, visit www.slugburgerfestival.com
Here's the "official" definition from the Slugburger Festival:
Locally, slugburgers have been overtly or covertly eaten for as long as most living Corinthians can remember. A slugburger is a burger made of a mixture of beef and some form of cheaper breading extender which is then deep-fat fried to a golden brown instead of grilled as common hamburger. In earlier days, cornmeal was commonly used as an extender in slugburgers and animal fat was used for frying. In modern times, soybean meal has become the ingredient of choice which adds some protein value to the creation and vegetable oil is commonly used for frying. The standard garnish for a slugburger is mustard, pickle and an ample dose of onions.
For many years, slugburgers were commonly sold locally for 5 cents or a nickel. A slang expression for a nickel was a slug and hence the most common explanation for the origin of the name slugburger. Another use of the term slug derives from coins which were substitutes and many have related to slugburgers which were substitutes for real hamburgers. Yet another meaning of the term slug in the meat packing trade is for a dressed forequarter of lamb or mutton which could have possibly been used at some point in time in a meat mixture as an additional extender to the more expensive beef. If you are particularly sensitive to fried food or if you over-indulge in slugburgers, you may feel as if someone slugged you in the stomach and some residents believe this is the origin of the term slugburger.
Finally, slugburgers should be served hot and eaten immediately. If they are not and particularly in the days when they were fried in lard, a cold slugburger could bear some visual resemblance to the garden pest and hence the name.
In other parts of the state or even in nearby towns, the burgers are simply known as "doughburgers." Now growing up in the 1950's and 60's everyone knew how to make a pound of hamburger stretch to feed a family of 6 or 8! Even my 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook says.....all you have to do to make ground meat go farther.....is to mix it with Wheaties, bread or cracker crumbs, cooked rice or oatmeal and add milk to moisten. Flour was probably the most frequently added ingredient. And my own personal favorite one......wet loaf bread! Take 3-4 slices of white bread, moisten with water, then squeeze all the water out that you can......mix into the hamburger....it really works)))
This Cheeseburger Christmas ornament from Old World Christmas......isn't really a slugburger or doughburger.....but you get the point))
