In His Own Words: Our Friend Marc Eats the Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburger

Posted by Adam Kuban, February 22, 2007 at 4:26 PM

Yesterday I showed you a series of photos, taken by my friend Listmaker, of my friend Marc as Marc had his first couple bites of the exotic Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburger at an independent league baseball game last year. At the time the photos were taken, I told him, "Marc: I want a write-up of your experience for AHT. Stat!" Well, it only took seven months, but I guess yesterday's post was all the kick in the pants he needed.

Today, he responds: "You've gone and posted my mug all over your hamburger website. That means I finally looked over the draft of the Grizzlie Burger review. I fixed it up a bit. Sorry I didn't send this to you last summer!"

No problem, Marc. The important thing is that we have your story now, to warm our hearts on a cold winter day. Burgermeisters, dig in!

Also, Listmaker wanted to draw attention to the fact that there's more KK Bacon Cheeseburger action here, if you're interested.—The Mgmt.

Photographs by Listmaker

In March of last year, A Hamburger Today referenced a press release from the Gateway Grizzlies, an independent league baseball team from Sauget, Illinois. The team had created the Grizzlie Burger (known elsewhere as the Luther Burger). I couldn't help but refer to it as "that Krispy Kreme burger." It's a bacon cheeseburger served on a glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut instead of a traditional bun.

Later, in summer of last year, a friend and I took a baseball road trip through the Midwest. When I realized the Gateway Grizzlies played a few miles southeast of the Saint Louis Cardinals, one of the teams we'd included on our trek, I insisted that GCS Ballpark be included on the itinerary. It soon became the one destination that couldn't be altered. On the evening of Sunday, July 2, 2006, Listmaker and I walked into the Grizzlies' stadium at the start of the second inning—thankfully not too late to try the burger I hadn't stopped talking about during the previous month. [He really was talking about this burger a lot at the time.—Ed.]

I'd visited my parents.
Me: A friend and I are going on a baseball trip to major, minor, and independent league games, and we're going to...
Mom (interrupting): "Are you going to try that hamburger I saw on the news? The one with the Krispy Kreme bun?"
Me: "Of course! You heard about that? Wow!"

I'd asked for time off at work.
Me: I'm going to try a bacon cheeseburger with a sliced-open Krispy Kreme doughnut serving as the bun.
Co-worker (visibly disturbed at the thought): Eww, gross. Wait: You don't eat cheeseburgers.
Me: I know. I might make an exception. Or, maybe they'll serve it without cheese. I hope they serve it without cheese. [Marc likes cheese, and he likes burgers. He doesn't like cheese on his burgers, however. Go figure. —Ed.]

Basically, I had mentioned this burger to everyone I knew. It's a food item you can't resist talking about. How is it prepared? What does it taste like? Beef and sugar? Together? Is that sane? Is that possible?

It is sane. And it is possible. You can get the Grizzlie Burger, "baseball's best burger," without cheese. And it is delicious.

Before watching the baseball game, the goal was to locate the burger. It wasn't hard to do, especially since all staff at the game wore shirts emblazoned with the phrase "ASK ME ABOUT BASEBALL'S BEST BURGER." I asked and was directed to the grill at the end cap of the buildings along the third base side.

Three or four short lines meant that Listmaker and I didn't have to wait long to order. I was able to order mine without cheese, and it was prepared quickly. Wrapped mostly in foil and placed inside a Krispy Kreme folded kitchen hat (!), the burger called out to me. I couldn't wait to sit down and bite into it.

One of the things I most wanted to know about this burger was how the doughnut maintained stability during the grilling process. It holds up pretty well (and was prepared on a flat griddle). Inverting the sliced-open donut so the glazed side touches the meat is the trick to making the burger less sticky than you initially imagine it to be. I still chose to eat mine while holding onto the aluminum foil, however.

The doughnut's glaze doesn't melt away. It bubbles up a bit along the edges, but for the most part, the doughnut remains super sugary. Before seeing this burger creation up close, I was afraid the sugar would melt away from the heat toasting the cake side.

I hope it goes without saying, but these burgers don't need condiments.

The first bite is amazing. I'd like to pretend I was a little nervous, but I wasn't. I like doughnuts, and I like hamburgers. My immediate reaction was to take another bite—was that taste sensation as good as I thought? I needed confirmation. I noticed Listmaker had the same reaction. It's unexpected, feeling that sugar rush while you're also eating a fairly tasty ballpark burger.

The small size of the burger made it less intimidating than originally expected. Krispy Kreme doughnuts are not large, and the burger patties are sized to fit comfortably between the sliced halves. I'd say this burger is twice the size of a typical slider and much smaller than a burger ordered from a sit-down chain restaurant in suburbia.

You're left wanting more, yet thinking, "Only once a year will I eat this delicious combination." I actually said that to Listmaker. "Who do you think you're kidding?" he replied. He was right, of course. I started showing up in friends' backyards with glazed doughnuts, which I wanted to learn to grill. It would be the one thing I learned how to do that summer.

It turns out it's not too tough to grill a doughnut. Two days after we left the Grizzlies game, Listmaker and I spent the Fourth of July grilling with friends in Memphis. A box of Krispy Kremes was procured, and I set about slicing them open. I was sure there would be much trial and error. While the burgers were finishing on the charcoal grill, I threw the donuts onto the gas grill. The cake side toasted just as expected. I placed the donuts on foil to let them cool. A few minutes later, half of us in the backyard were eating a version of baseball's best burger (sans bacon, which it doesn't really need).

It's hard to do anything but smile when you eat this burger.

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