Cheesy Western

This one most of you probably don't know. A Cheesy Western is a staple from the "Texas Inn" otherwise known as the T-Room in Lynchburg, Virginia. The T-Room was the late night after party munchies place when I was in college. It was a hole in the wall type of place where there were 6 bar stools and a counter. The waitresses were known as being very surly. I guess that's what will happen after years of serving drunk rednecks and college kids looking for a greasy hangover cure and maybe a fight or two. In the T-Room you have to know how to order or you were not getting served. The T-Room basics were burgers, hot dogs, and chili. The chili was referred to as a "bowl". A burger was called a "cheesy". A glass of water was referred to as "off the James", in reference to the James River which ran locally. A Cheesy Western meant you wanted a fried egg on top of your burger and "All the way" meant you wanted them to add relish. My standard T-Room order was a Cheesy Western all the way with a bowl off the James. It sounds confusing but they knew exactly what you wanted. The entire place was tiny. The waitresses were probably ten feet from the cook yet every time you ordered they would scream your order to the cook where he would flip a burger off of his stack onto the flat top. The whole thing was quite hilarious. So, today I tried to recreate the famous Cheesy Western at home. First, I used the grass fed organic ground beef although somehow I seriously doubt their beef was that good. I formed them into a thin beef patti. Then I added some olive oil into the cast iron pan and seasoned the pan with salt and red pepper flakes. I decided to use a different technique this time to cook the burger. A lot of burger joints steam their burgers. Places such as "White Mana" in Hackensack steam their burgers. The T-Room is no different. This allows you to cook the burger faster and it seals in the juices and cooks very evenly. Once the pan was hot I poured a little water around the burger and covered it with a lid. After four minutes I cracked open an egg on top of the burger and covered with American cheese. Then I added a little more water and covered the entire thing until finished. The one thing that was not quite authentic was the roll. The T-Room uses a soft white roll. I used a Potato roll just because that is what I had. After you put the burger on the bun you then add the relish and press the sandwich nice and thin with the spatula. I have to say I did a pretty good job with this one. It was definitively a taste of Lynchburg, Virginia. Also, I have to say that steaming the burger is really good. Other than outside on the grill this might be my new favorite way to cook a burger. Even my wife Ann loved her steamed burger. She noticed a big difference this time around in flavor and texture. Every bite I took was deliciously juicy with a soft bun to soak up some egg yolk and the relish to add some sweetness. This was a successful blast from the past. Eight burgers to go and I feel like I am just getting warmed up.