100 Favorite Dishes, No. 90: The Uncle Herky Burger at Luscher's Red Hots

Leading up to September's Best of Dallas® 2016 issue, we're sharing (in no particular order) our 100 Favorite Dishes, the Dallas entrées, appetizers and desserts that really stuck with us this year.

On my first trip to Luscher's Red Hots, the Chicago-style hot dog spot in Deep Ellum, I went with a Luscher's veteran, someone who's had everything on the menu at least once. Of course, she said, you obviously have to try Luscher's Post Oak Red Hot, the flagship dish. But I'd seen photos of the Uncle Herky burger, and I wanted it. I wanted it bad. 

Her solution? Order both. And so I mastered the Luscher's order on my first trip, diving into both the Post Oak Red Hot and the Uncle Herky burger. Upon unwrapping the burger, I nearly fell off my stool. The wrapper cheese, oh the wrapper cheese — it rained down in torrents from the burger to its wrapper, creating greasy, cheesy puddles that activated every pleasure center in my brain.

But the river of cheese is only the beginning. The two Texas wagyu burger patties have somehow mastered the delicate balance between smoky char flavor and impossible juiciness, two characteristics I used to think were mutually exclusive. Along with the American cheese — which still remains the world's greatest burger cheese, and don't even bother arguing with me about it — the burger is topped with grilled onion, perky yellow mustard and crunchy, sweet horseradish pickles that will convert any pickle-hater into a fervent believer in their place on the American burger. 

Every bite of this burger was perfectly juicy, greasy and cheesy, and its small stature made me feel less guilty about also indulging in a Red Hot. Next time you find yourself at Luscher's, do yourself a favor: Add an Uncle Herky to any and every order, then load up on napkins and take solace in knowing that you've mastered the Luscher's pro order.