Culver's ButterBurgers Are A Delicious Blend Of These 3 Beef Cuts

It's not as ubiquitous as fast food giants like McDonald's or Burger King, but in regions where one can be found, Culver's is an incredibly popular burger joint. It's famous not only for its unusually rich frozen custard, but also for its unusually rich ButterBurgers. It's not just a trademarked name: butter burgers (lowercase, two words) are a Wisconsin specialty, the mass production of which Culver's mastered with a tri-beef blend of chuck, sirloin, and beef plate.

You've probably seen chuck burgers on a menu before. This cut naturally has an ideal 80/20 beef-to-fat ratio for making burgers, and nothing strictly needs to be added for a delicious and juicy bite. But improvements can still be made, which is why Culver's adds a variety of cuts.

Sirloin steak is known for a lean but beefy taste. Adding it to burgers makes for a more concentrated red meat flavor, but can also dry the patty out. Enter beef plate, a flavorful and fatty part of the cow that, thanks to an abundance of tough connective tissue, is best left for ground beef dishes like burgers. The high-fat content balances sirloin's leanness and adds even more flavor to Culver's signature ButterBurgers.

If you're wondering where this regional specialty turned Culver's signature gets its name from, a butter burger is exactly what it sounds like: a burger with butter. Rather than adding butter to the patty or placing it on top after cooking, Culver's decadently butters the top bun of every burger for an extra creamy experience.

Importantly, Culver's is one of the fast food burger chains that uses real butter. It's a foundational thing for the brand — they're not MargarineBurgers — so nothing but real, 100% butter will do. And Culver's keeps it local for this keystone ingredient, sourcing butter from family-owned Alcam Creamery, near its corporate headquarters.

Since it's mainly located in the Midwest and South, not everybody has had the pleasure of a ButterBurger. But many people have tried Five Guys, and when it comes to Culver's versus Five Guys for the best burger, Culver's is a clear winner. Five Guys sports a larger (and more expensive) beef patty, but the Midwestern favorite tastes better, costs less, and is an overall superior experience. It might have something to do with the butter.