Yes, Shake Shack's Burger Topped with Pecan Lodge Sausage Really is That Good

Have you felt it? There has been an awakening. On Thursday at 11 a.m., just outside the Crescent in Uptown, there will be a disturbance in the burger force. Dallas will officially become home to the holy polygon of fast food: Whataburger, In-N-Out, Five Guys and Shake Shack. Among Shake...

By Nick Rallo

August 31, 2016

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Have you felt it? There has been an awakening. On Thursday at 11 a.m., just outside the Crescent in Uptown, there will be a disturbance in the burger force. Dallas will officially become home to the holy polygon of fast food: Whataburger, In-N-Out, Five Guys and Shake Shack.

Among Shake Shack’s damn-near famous national menu — the Shack burger, the hot dog, the fried chicken sandwich — there are a few Dallas exclusives, like the Link Burger. A 100 percent Angus patty, flat-top sizzled and flipped with a kitchen tool that looks like a paint scraper to maintain that seared crust, will come topped with a Pecan Lodge jalapeño-cheese sausage link and two pickle slices.

Only a classic Marvel villain would be opposed to the sight of this burger: A slab of hot griddled sausage sits on top of melted American cheese, which hugs the seared patty. Two pickle discs, also pleased to be there, and the trademarked ShakeSauce are the only other things keeping you from beef and sausage. The potato bun is lightly butter-toasted and still soft.

Griddle-seared and fresh, the sausage is the star. As it should be. It’s Pecan Lodge barbecue, after all. What evil from Mordor wouldn’t enjoy this? The burger is manageably-sized, but a titanically-Texas tasting beef and sausage sandwich. I ate the whole thing in a few harrowing minutes.

When merged with the melted American cheese, the Pecan Lodge jalapeño sausage becomes transcendent. Factor in Shake Shack’s crinkle-cut fries and all that Shack hype will suddenly make sense. Find out for yourself when the eatery opens at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Shake Shack Dallas, 2500 N. Pearl St.

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