Name: Mississippi Slugburgers
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) corn flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1 pound ground pork; 1/4 cup water; 3/4 cup vegetable oil for frying; 1/4 cup yellow mustard , plus extra to taste; 4 hamburger buns , warmed; 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion rounds; 16 dill pickle chips

Why This Recipe Works

First things first: Slugburgers contain no garden slugs. Instead, they're named for the original price the owners of Borroum's Drug Store in Corinth, Mississippi, charged for a burger back in the day: five cents. A nickel. Aka a “slug.” Slugburgers belong to the family tree of dishes, such as meatloaf, that were created by extending pricey meat with less expensive fillers. With the right proportions of ground pork and corn flour seasoned with just salt and pepper, the burgers offered no compromise in flavor or texture, and when the patties were fried in hot oil, as slugburgers are, we had something unapologetically delicious. A little water, just ¼ cup, helped the corn flour and ground pork come together into patties. To mimic the slugburgers we'd eaten in Corinth, we carefully stacked the burgers on buns with thinly sliced raw onion, a generous slather of yellow mustard, and crunchy dill pickle chips.

Before You Begin

Note that we are calling for corn flour, not cornmeal, here. Cornmeal is much coarser than corn flour and will not work in this recipe. Although they're sometimes harder to find, soy and sorghum flours also work in this recipe. All-purpose flour will work in a pinch but is not ideal. This recipe can easily be doubled and cooked in two batches. A scale makes quick work of portioning the burgers. Yellow mustard has a magical way with these burgers. While the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon per burger, feel free to use it more liberally.

Instructions

Whisk corn flour, salt, and pepper together in large bowl. Add pork and water to corn flour mixture and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined.

Divide pork mixture into 4 equal 5¼-ounce portions and roll into balls between your hands. Working on baking sheet, flatten each ball into 4½-inch-diameter patty, about ½ inch thick. (Patties can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 hours.)

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees (to take temperature, tilt skillet so oil pools on 1 side). Carefully add patties to hot oil and cook until well browned on both sides and registering at least 150 degrees, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer burgers to plate.

Spread 1 tablespoon mustard on each hamburger bun, adding extra if desired. Transfer burgers to buns. Divide onion and pickles among burgers. Serve.