Ancient Grease

Yesterday on MSN City Guides there was a Top 10 List of America's Best Burgers. Dyers in Memphis on Beale Street made that list. Here's what the article had to say:

"Dyer's Burgers, Memphis, Tenn., specializes in the universal means of culinary improvement: deep frying. Smack in the heart of Beale Street’s touristy, blues-addled mayhem is this near century-old burger restaurant, where patties of ground beef are pounded flat with a hammer and dropped in a monstrous grease-filled skillet. The owners claim that while their grease-rendered beef fat is topped off and strained daily, it hasn't actually been changed since 1912. The ancient tallow results in a crunchy exterior with a juicy center and store policy mandates bread selection: "Always on a Genuine Wonder Bread bun."

Two guys who have written books about hamburgers helped compile this list, Josh Ozersky, author of "The Hamburger" and George Motz, author of "Hamburger America".

Here's the complete list:

Joe's Cable Car Restaurant, San Francisco

White Manna, Hackensack, NJ

Billy Goat Tavern & Grill, Chicago

The White Spot, Charlottesville, Va.

The Apple Pan, L.A.

P.J. Clarke's , NY

Dyer's Hamburgers, Memphis, TN

Sid's Diner, El Reno, OK

Eastside Big Tom, Olympia, WA

Bobcat Bite Restaurant, Sante Fe, NM