The Search for a Proper Hamburger Steak

Why is it difficult to find a restaurant who understands what a "hamburger steak" is?

So many think a plain, unseasoned "fried hamburger patty" constitutes an authentic "hamburger steak". (e.g., a hamburger without bun or condiments)

Or, they think a "fried hamburger patty topped with sautéed onions and mushrooms mixed with salty boxed gravy" is a hamburger steak.
(This salty concoction more closely resembles a Salisbury Steak.)

Has anyone found a good restaurant-made hamburger steak in the state of Texas?

To me, a proper hamburger steak is hand-shaped from fresh ground beef; has chopped onions (possibly chopped bell peppers) within the meat; and properly seasoned with garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. It is then, grilled on an open flame; or pan-fried; or fried on a restaurant griddle.

Possum Hollow restaurant on Possum kingdom lake makes a good one.

Checked their website. For their "hamburger steak" it states "Prepared fresh, stuffed with onions and topped with brown gravy and grilled onions."

Stuffed with onions ~~ OK
Topped with brown gravy and grilled onions ~~ Ugh!

Get that on the side if you don't want it, they have good food.

My favorite hamburger steak is at Sodalaks (sp) in Bryan. Not exactly hamburger steak but Herman Son's in Hondo has an awesome stuffed steak with grilled onions.
, cheese and serrano peppers.

If I cannot get to either of those then Logan's Roadhouse in a pinch.

Found this recipe. Might be all right. I will try this some day.

Hamburger Steak Smothered with Onions

Ingredients
1 small onion, chopped; 3 to 4 onions, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter, divided
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 pounds choice quality ground beef
2 whole eggs, large
3 slices dried bread, crusts removed
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Directions
Sauté the 1 chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter and ½ cup olive oil for 10 minutes.

Soak bread in water and squeeze dry.

In a separate bowl combine the meat, eggs, and bread. Add the sautéed onion mixture to the meat mixture and mix well with your hands. Shape patties into ovals, making approximately 6. Place on greased broiler pan, patting them flat to about 1 inch in thickness.

Broil 3 inches from heat for 10 minutes, turn, brush with oil and broil another 5 minutes.

While they are cooking, sauté the 3 to 4 sliced onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and remaining tablespoon of butter until tender and lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the sautéed onions over the hamburger steaks.

Makes 6 generous steaks.

Original recipe included mint. Don't think I want to include that.

Sounds like meatloaf.

It does, doesn't it?

Yep

I've never understood the concept of a hamburger steak. I've ate a million of em, lots of times because that or cfs was all I could afford in the steak category. But there's hamburger, and there's steak. IF it's hamburger, it ain't a steak.
Still good though.

But if you think about it, hamburger IS ground up steak.

hamburger is made up of all the trimmings and fat from the beef, then they dump bull meat that is full of blood and mix and grind. It's nothing but scraps!

I used to eat them all the time and then got into a few that didn't agree with me at all!
sort of got off of them after that. Like CFS, i used to think you couldn't mess one up but learned that was wrong too! Granted, bad chicken fry's are pretty rare but they are out there also.

hamburger steak would be a grind of short ribs sirlion and chuck steak.about 10 percent fat should get ya there unless your a well done person.

I gave up trying to find hamburger steak on the menu years ago.
Used to be a restaurant Marshall that had ground steak with onions and gravy.
Made from steak, not hamburger.
Asked for a hamburger steak at a Denny's in Indiana and they didn't know what I was talking about.
If I was going to make it I would have the butcher grind a boneless steak and go from there.

Years ago in Graham, TX there was a place called Bullocks. Loved that place never ate anything bad. Their Hamburger steak was awesome and the Coconut pie was off the chain. Lou Bullock was the owner. She used to come by and rub your back with a rolling pin and ask how your meal was. They don't make places like that anymore.

I make that all the time...we call it meat patties...Mom's made those most of my life.

Man you buy your hamburger from a bad place.

If you want a Hamburger steak that you know is made from steak buy a calf or 1/2, get it butchered and tell them what steaks you want ground into hamburger. Ground sirloin in some places is hamburger steak in others.

Frisco's in Austin.

Metro Diner on Harry Hines

Ground Sirloin is the way to go for the hamburger steak. If anyone ever gets extremely lost and ends up in Aberdeen, SD... Check out Maverick's Steakhouse. Best I've had. Only 1,000mi drive from DFW!

Meatloaf indeed

Ms. Lou sounds kind of like my wife, except instead of rubbing my back with a rolling pin she whacks me over the head with it!

What is the difference between a Hamburger Steak and a Salsbury Steak?
I stopped at the Happy Days Diner in Crandall the other day and had their Salsbury Steak and it was awesome. Really thick and tender with brown gravy and onion's and looked like what I have called in the past a Hamburger Steak.

The biggest difference is a hamburger steak has no sauce/gravy on it. It may be topped with grilled onions.
A Salisbury steak is typically just seasoned with salt and pepper, cooked, then simmered in a brown onion sauce/gravy.
A hamburger steak will have seasoning within the meat. I will put green peppers and onions in my hamburger steak. Then, I'll season the meat with salt/pepper, garlic powder (or salt), Worcestershire sauce, and maybe a bit of hot sauce. The hamburger steak is fried, broiled, or grilled. I sometimes will put some chopped fresh garlic in the meat as well.

Sodalaks also has a very good CFS.