This Culver's Burger Trick Makes A Big Difference, And You Can Easily Copy It At Home

Culver's cheese curds and frozen custard are certainly iconic, yet neither can outshine ButterBurgers as the chain's main draw. Part of what makes these burgers so popular is their thin, never-frozen beef patties that are famously seared to order. If you want to recreate those nice, flat, evenly-browned patties, use a trick from Culver's early days: Portion the beef with an ice cream scoop and squash it flat.

ButterBurgers were originally made by scooping up the meat with an ice cream scoop for even portions (the ground beef now arrives in pre-portioned blocks), then pressing each ball of beef down onto the hot grill in the style of classic smash burgers. To copy this process, simply prepare your burger mixture, preheat an oiled griddle or cast iron skillet over high heat, then quickly scoop portions of the beef onto the surface and press them down with a metal spatula. Cook for two minutes max before flipping the patties and searing the other side.

This process makes a huge difference for two reasons. Firstly, squashing the beef flat increases its surface area and gives that surface full contact with the heat, creating flavorful browning all over. Secondly, an ice cream scoop takes the guesswork out of forming and cooking patties. They'll all be exactly the right size for smashing and will cook at the same speed, reaching the perfect doneness at the same time — convenient for both fast food and at-home cooks. Scooping the beef also ensures you don't pack it too tightly with your hands, which would create dense burgers.

With the help of an ice cream scoop, you're already halfway to recreating Culver's ButterBurger lineup. A few other tricks will take you to the finish line. Culver's burgers are called ButterBurgers not because the patties themselves are buttered — it's the buns that get slathered with the delicious dairy product. A smear of butter on your toasted buns will up the flavor, richness, and authenticity factor. Bonus points if you use butter from Culver's home state of Wisconsin.

To really go the extra mile, tweak your burger meat mixture to more closely resemble the chain's. For plenty of fat and flavor, Culver's uses three cuts of meat for its burgers: chuck, sirloin, and beef short plate. The latter cut comes from the cow's belly and can be a little harder to find in stores. Your best bet is to ask local butchers, who may be willing to put in a special order for you, or to simply buy beef plate online from specialty meat sellers.

The great thing about homemade Culver's-style burgers is that you can dress them up as you please. Changing up the cheese, adding extra toppings like mushrooms and bacon, or swapping the basic bun for sourdough are just a few Culver's burger ordering hacks that you can imitate in your own kitchen. You could even pile homemade fried cheese curds on top to recreate the CurderBurger, a cult favorite Culver's item that only returns for a limited time about once a year or so.