Dyer's Burgers - Memphis, TN

Posted By Michael Stern on September 29, 2007 10:58 PM

We’re not necessarily saying that a hamburger from Dyer’s is the best on earth; we’re not even saying that it is, objectively speaking, excellent. However, if you consider yourself a hamburger person, you must eat one. And once you’ve done that, you will likely want to eat many more.

If we equivocate, it’s because this hamburger is made and cooked in a wicked, wicked way, a way guaranteed to get the nutrition police sirens wailing. A round of raw ground beef is held on the cutting board under a spatula and the spatula is whacked a few times with a heavy hammer, flattening the meat into a semi-compressed patty at least four inches wide. Now, the really good part: the patty is submerged into a deep, black skillet full of bubbling-hot grease, grease that the management boasts has not been changed since Dyer’s opened in 1912! It’s the grease that gives a Dyer’s burger a consummately juicy interior while it develops a crusty outside and a unique, shall we say, intriguing flavor.

Our waitress explained that the grease is carefully strained every night after closing hour (usually about 4am; this is Beale Street, after all); and besides, the really old grease is always burning off, so the supply that supposedly never changes is, in fact, always changing. Whatever. The fact is that this is one heck of an interesting hamburger. We are especially smitten by the many ways in which it is served: as a double or triple, or as a double or triple “combo” (with layers of cheese), and with really good hand-cut French fries on the side. The menu boasts that each hamburger is served “Always on a Genuine Wonder Bread bun.”

If hamburgers are not your passion, allow us to suggest another Dyer’s specialty: the Big Rag Baloney sandwich. That’s a half-inch thick slab of baloney that is fried to a crisp in the same skillet, and in the same vintage oil as the burgers.

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Posted By chris giese on October 30, 2011 10:08 AM

Good burger, nothing fancy here. It is not as greasy as you would think and tastes pretty good. Kind of reminds me of a Kewpee burger here at home. Get the double double. Fries are tiny matchsticks that are really good as well.

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Posted By Greg Hughes on March 24, 2007 9:57 AM

Dyer's is not a Beale Street original. From 1912 until the early 90's, it was a shack on Cleveland at Union in Memphis until it was razed due to development. Some investors then bought the grease and had it transported with police escort to a new clean environment in Bartlett, a suburb.

I was introduced to Dyer's in 1977 while in college. It was a tiny place frequented by the pro wrestlers in town. Ate a double double with Professor Tanaka and Tojo Yamamoto occasionally.

Back then, there was little choice on the menu, although quite the selection of canned lager beer. No fries. No wings. Just burgers, the hot dog, and the baloney sandwich. Chips. Canned beer and bottled sodas. The burgers were always first rate, as back then they used the hottest onions ever grown. No fancy booths, or faux-fifties diner motif. Just greasy walls, a dirty calendar, ripped stools, and squeaking screen doors.

The burger is always near perfect, and the preferred odd permutation is the "dip", where the entire burger, after assembly, is dunked bun and all into the grease and allowed to soak a bit. Highly recommended if your constitution can take it. The burger has a crispy texture from boiling in oil, and the bun absorbs a greasy flavor as well. The presentation is still magnificent in its unique simplicity.

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Posted By Michael on July 16, 2003 9:29 AM

Very good hamburgers, but beware they cook them in pure oil and then dip them in oil along with the buns, so its about the unhealthiest hamburger ever. However they do taste great and the fries are excellent as well. If you don't care about eating about 150 grams of fat for one meal order the triple stack it won't disappoint.

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