11 Chain Restaurant Burgers Made With 100% Beef, Not Pink Slime
Most burgers are delicious, but not all of them are good for you. Unfortunately, many restaurants and fast food burger places make their patties with not the best beef, and some even have “pink slime,” or Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB), a controversial meat byproduct made from beef trimmings, treated with ammonia to kill bacteria, then added as a filler to bulk up ground beef. However, some places only make their patties with pure meat. Here are 11 chain restaurant burgers made with 100% beef, not pink slime.
Five Guys Burger
Five Guys uses fresh, never-frozen ground beef with no preservatives or fillers or pink slime. Their simple, clean-ingredients approach also applies to the buns, which are made without high-fructose corn syrup.
According to the Five Guys website, all five locations use fresh ground beef, hand-cut potatoes for fries, and “fresh ingredients hand-prepared.” Additionally, their buns, a “proprietary item,” are “baked fresh at bakeries five days a week.” There are no freezers in any of their restaurants.
In-N-Out Burger
In-N-Out’s burgers are as clean as you can get. The patty is made from 100% USDA ground chuck with no additives, fillers, or preservatives, and cooked fresh. “Always serve only fresh – never frozen – high quality products,” as shared in a recent Instagram post. “In fact, we don’t even own a microwave or a freezer. We have always made our hamburger patties ourselves, starting with fresh, high-quality front-quarter beef chucks – no additives, fillers, or preservatives.”
Shake Shack
Crafted with 100% Angus beef that’s hormone- and antibiotic-free, Shake Shack’s burgers are made with a non-GMO potato bun and American cheese without artificial ingredients. “No hormones and no antibiotics ever,” it declares on the website. “Our proprietary Shack blend is freshly ground and served on a non-GMO potato bun.”
Smashburger
Smashburger uses 100% Certified Angus Beef in its burgers. The “gourmet” Smashburger patty is “expertly crafted with Certified Angus Beef,” the brand maintains on its website. “We take great pride in using only the finest beef for our burgers, which is sourced from family-owned farms and ranches throughout the United States, such as Walter Angus located near our Colorado headquarters.”
Wahlburgers
Wahlburgers uses fresh, juicy, flavorful beef made from a proprietary Angus chuck, brisket, and short rib blend, though some find them pricey or better seasoned at home, with opinions split on the overall experience versus grocery store versions.
Steak ‘n Shake
Some people argue that Steak N’ Shake doesn’t exactly qualify as fast food, since the Midwest chain has a drive-thru, it gets a pass. Many say that it serves up sit-down restaurant-worthy burgers with extra oomph. “Steak N’ Shake Garlic Butter Burger is by far the best,” one Redditor maintains. “Ooo with extra of the garlic sauce…so good!” another adds.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers uses wholesome ingredients in its patties. “At Freddy’s, we use 100% premium beef,” the brand declares on its website. Fans declare it a “god level” burger. “Had Freddy’s for the first time in Arkansas a while back and was shocked at how good it was,” another said.
Culver’s
Culver’s, a Wisconsin-based chain, uses “fresh, never frozen beef” for its famous ButterBurger, according to its website, including real butter. “It’s a promise that begins with sourcing the best ingredients and continues through to the way we prepare your meal: fresh, just for you.” Every ButterBurger is cooked to order and topped with a lightly buttered, toasted bun.
The Habit Charburger
The Habit Burger is made with hand-formed, chargrilled patties from 100% beef. It “has built a loyal fanbase with its smoky, flavorful patties, chargrilled to perfection over an open flame, and a commitment to fresh ingredients,” says Yelp, which ranked it second out of all burger chains. The “standout” burger is the signature Charburger, “layered with caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo on a toasted bun.”
Whataburger
Whataburger is so “committed to freshness” that it has a manifesto page on its website. “We don’t just tell our customers it’s fresh, we prove it every day, 24/7. Your Whataburger doesn’t hit the grill until you order it,” they write. Additionally, they use only “100% fresh, never-frozen American beef” and fresh vegetables, “chopped in-house daily.”
Fuddruckers
Fuddruckers uses the best beef and has a “Better beef. Better burger” slogan. “A mission of this magnitude requires an obsession with quality, and it all begins with Fuddruckers fresh, never frozen, 100% USDA All-American premium-cut beef. Choose from 1/3, 1/2, or 2/3 lb patties and we’ll always grill it to order, just the way you like it,” they write.