Hey Slinger,
I just heard from one of my Premium Members who wanted to know how to do hamburgers on his hot dog cart.
As always, the first thing you need to do is to check with your health department to see if your local codes allow it.
You may need to upgrade some of your equipment to comply with the stiffer regulations that go along with handling meats other than hot dogs.
There are generally two ways to serve hamburgers from a cart.
1) You can cook raw hamburger meat at the cart on a grill or flat top griddle, or 2) you can use pre-cooked burgers and keep them hot in your steamer.
One of the big advantages of cooking on a grill or flat top is the smell. Just as with peppers and onions and especially bacon, the smell of food on a grill is a big customer draw. Of course, the drawback is the increased complexity of your set up and the fact that you will probably get bumped up into a more strict food code category.
Also, grilling to order takes a lot of time. Unless you have steady lines 15 people deep, you can’t get away with throwing 10 burgers at a time on the grill. You’ll waste a lot of meat that way.
On the other hand, pre-cooked burgers are so fast to serve from a steamer and your cart is already set up for it. In fact, if you don’t want to pre-cook them yourself at your commissary, Sams and the restaurant supply stores sell a pre-cooked frozen hamburger patty that works nicely. The fact that they are frozen is a plus when it comes to transporting and cold storage on the cart.
The disadvantage here is that you don’t get that fresh-grilled taste (or the customer drawing smell), and customer appeal is not quite as good.
How about you slinger? Do you serve hamburgers on your hot dog cart? If so let us know how you do it, including any tips and tricks, in the comments below. Also let us know if it has increased you daily sales.
In other words, do you think it is worth the extra effort of stocking, storing, and cooking yet another food product?
Thanks!
-Steve
Good question Steve, I do hamburgers from the cart and I’ve used both frozen patties and the precooked burgers. Being on a military installation time is short for the troops during lunch hour so it was better for me to use the precooked patty. I’ve tried steaming them but I found that if they are kept in the steamer for too long that they become shriveled and hard, kinda rubbery. Now I just pull them out of the chest and “cook” to order. I still get that sizzle as if they were fresh and the soldiers love them! I have a Coleman stove and I use a Sizzle-Q flat top griddle on it and it is awesome!
Agreed. The sizzle Q is a great product. Thanks bro.
The frozen ones can be tossed on the grill for a short while. Also keep onions cooking.And if you can’t cook bacon, you can drip bacon grease on yer grill for smell, then sell the pre-cooked stuff.
Great tip about the bacon grease Grampy. Thanks!
I tried the sams precooked burgers at a few events (they are a really good product) cost was the same as my dogs which worked out nice. I made a pan of au jus and heated the burgers that way. By the end of the event the burgers had begun to fall apart. Although I did “sell em all” . I figure if your a hot dog cart stay that way. More products, more hassle. No one has asked mr for burgers since, I take that as a sign.
“sell em all’
jerry
from illinois where our governors make our license plates
But, realistically, why bother? Yer a Dog Slinger. Make the best Dogs, let those who can use fresh meat serve burgers. Plus, to do burgers right you need tomato, lettuce, mushrooms, avocado, cheese, and more to do them right.
It all depends on price to me. My burgers are $6 all beef devault burgers. It also depends on the time of day. I sold more burgers at night time when people are drunk. Its funny sometimes during the day I sell maybe 6 burgers and sometimes no burgers. I also have a griddle and my health department does not care what I cook. I used to cook all my burgers on the spot for a long time but now I learned to cook two ahead of time preferably half way through and put them to the side if nobody buys I zip lock the burgers. I eat them myself 5 days later. They still taste good enough to sell for $6. The thing with burgers is some people either have to be drunk or sitting down to eat. My burgers are pricy compared to hotdog $3 or sausage $4 in that case It helps to have it and the only way I would take it off the menu would be to add another item I think would sell better like maybe tacos.
We sell Ballpark dogs and hamburgers. The hamburgers are pre cooked. There might not be a” Fresh” cooked smell with precooked but you make them look delicious with loading them up! Cook them on the grill and keep them warm in a steamer pan. You can make them about as fast as a dog. I have a health dept. approved refrigerator right with me so storage is no problem for anything.
BallPark makes a really good precooked burger.They come in reg, onion, and cheddar. I don’t recommend the cheddar because it breaks up too much. They now have a turkey burger that I have yet to try. Cost is about $1.00 per burger if you buy them at Sam’s.
Hi Steve,
I’m one who uses SAMs club frozen cooked burgers and as far as the smell goes, it may not be a lot, but customers say they CAN smell them. Also, they are charcoal grilled and 100% Angus beef. They hold the flavor in the steamer all day, stay juicy and all you need is a couple of customers to try them and the whole town will soon know. They make a great cheeseburger and can be served up just as fast as a hot dog. That scores big with contractors on a short lunch break!
Nice!
Steve I do precooked burgers on my cart, that’s all the HD will let me serve, I have a pan with beef stock that I simmer the burgers in then I finish them on the grill or griddle. If I’m doing a big event I have a blackstone 24 x 36 griddle that stands alone or for on the street I use the 13 x 20 griddle built into the cart. Like every thing depending where your set up as to how good they move. big draw back is having yet another bun to stock. I have hot dog buns and sausage buns so a third bun is some times more trouble than their worth.
I am a big fan of the Blackstone. Nice unit. Good point about the bun.
Yes steve, I did hamburgers from my cart acouple of times. Use a 1/4 pan fill it with water and put boullion cubes in it or a beef base. Put the pre cooked burgers like you said from Sams, in standing on end. you’ll have 8 to 10 in there. Take the front one out and serve. Then put a new one in the back. they are so juicy cooked that way, good beef flavor too.
I love it!
you can use a BURG’R TEND’R. using your same hot dog pan.check out their website http://www.burgrtendr.com
a burger steamer A steamer is about 7or 8 hundred bucks but they will stay moist an fresh for a few hours.
The Burg’r Tend’r is 600 buck for a 24 tray it’s 329 for a 10 tray
HELLO FOLKS: this might work
HOWDY FOLKS: i knew a lady that wanted to sell roast beef sandwiches on her cart but was not allowed to prepare them on her cart–SOOOOO she went to arby’s and purchased the roast beef sandwiches took them out of their wrappers and rewrapped them in plain aluminum foil[sandwich size wrappers] put them in the steam section on her cart and warmed them up and sold hot roast beef sandwiches–i think you can sell food from a cart that is made in an approved restaurant without having to meet the health dept rules–don’t hold me to that rule but i think i am right any way good luck to all you slingers–if some of you wanted to do breakfast sandwiches why couldn’t you go to mc dees and talk to the manager say order ever how many you thought you would sell that morning and buy them and rewrap them and sell them on your cart–just a thought–GOOD LUCK –Ray.
Interesting angle. I wonder about the profit margin though. Might be hard to arbitrage fast food.
hey Steve!
Best of both worlds, use the steamer to hold them, and “finish” them on a small flat top, especially if you are melting a little cheese on them!! I use the same thing for breakfast sammiches as well. Sausage patties are WAY easy to keep in a steamer and “finish” on the grilltop!
Just a thought!
E
Great idea!
Read Joe’s comment on buns. Why not have someone come up with a hot dog bun shaped burger. That way you only need to stock one type of bun.
“sell em all’
jerry
from illinois where our governors make our license plates
Never had a complaint yet about the Johnsonville brat patties you can purchase from Walmart Very thick and tasty burger, well over 3 bucks a patty no complain Try them and see!
Gordon’s has 3 hoagie shaped fully cooked burgers starting at $.81 each. Available only by the 64 count case special order. Anybody ever tried them? It would be great to be able to use hoagie buns, but somehow it just doesn’t seem like a burger.
Been doing burgers as long as I have had my cart. I use my 24″ flat top. I sell 1/3 burgers that come frozen from Sam’s. No waste!! My customers love them. Yes I also carry sliced tomatoes, onions and lettuce. Grilled onions available as I have them for my Italian sausages anyway. Burger, bun, cheese slice, veggies cost me $1.50 and I sell them for $6. Nice margin. I also carry GFS 1/3 lb Turkey Burgers and Flamed Grilled Veggie Burgers.
You’re making me hungry! Great margins on your burgers.
Kinda off topic but still on.. If you need to get approved from the hd to sell burgers what about a deep fryer? I just got a cart and didnt realize that its different when you add such items. Havent gotten it inspected yet as i am still coming up with menu items. I have a cms 325 stand with a grill attached and wanted to put a deep fryer on as well. For fries chicken and cat fish. Does that change the game for me?
Hi Ty,
You will have to ask your inspector. The rules vary wildly from place to place and the only person you should listen to is your own inspector. Otherwise you will receive a lot of well meaning but potentially incorrect information.
I’ve been doing a smash burger which is a big no no but people love them. I dress them with a special sauce , onions pickles and cheese and they fly of the cart. I’m really looking into doing something with a precooked patty. This is really good info.
I love smash burgers. Glad you are finding success with them!
I know the topic is on burgers, but can you brown raw hamburger meat for your own chili on a Hotdog stand?
Usually not on the cart, but yes in a commissary.