Big Joe Henry celebrates the cheeseburger and best places for them in NJ

The cheeseburger will be honored in its rightful seat of fame on Sept. 18 of this year.

This is a reminder for me to share with you the proper way to honor the best meal on a bun.

The history of the cheeseburger

There are many theories on the history of the cheeseburger. I know you would think it was no no-brainer to produce this great invention, but there are quite a few theories.

The one theory that has the most credibility is that in 1924, a 16-year-old cook working at The Rite Spot Restaurant in Pasadena, California, added a slice of American cheese to a burger and named it “The Aristocrat Burger”. It became a big seller, and the rest is history.

Fast food restaurants for cheeseburgers, fuhgeddaboudit!

I am no longer, unbelievably, a fan of fast-food restaurants. I do not like the filler that some of them use, and frankly, all of them don’t do justice to the cheeseburger. There are so many local restaurants that serve a great cheeseburger. I encourage you to support those local restaurants.

I am a huge fan of the restaurants here in New Jersey, and I have a few favorite local places that I frequent to grab a great cheeseburger.

In no order, they are:

White Manna — Hackensack

Klee’s — Seaside Heights

The Celtic Cottage — Long Branch, NJ

The Summit Diner

The Ark — Point Pleasant

Barnacle Bill’s — Rumson

How Big Joe likes his cheeseburger at home

The fresh ground beef must be 80% with 20% fat, 10-ounce patty hand-made with a slight indentation in the middle and generously seasoned with salt and pepper before grilling medium rare. The cheddar cheese must be slightly heated. Simple toppings such as sauteed mushrooms and onions, ketchup, some Hellman’s mayo, fresh lettuce, a slice of tomato and a great fresh Kaiser roll. And napkins, I need lots of napkins. Serve with a big Grillo’s pickle.

The cheeseburger is part of American food folklore. It is necessary to use your grill or cast-iron pan.

While I do not need a specific date to celebrate the cheeseburger, it is a great reminder of how and why I enjoy it so much.