The Slug Burger

It’s difficult to imagine that there was a time or place in modern American history when ground beef was not readily available. But hard times in the Deep South in the years leading up to the Great Depression took a toll on the all-beef patty that had grown in popularity only a decade earlier. It was not uncommon for burger joints to mix ground bread crumbs from day-old bread into their burger meat to extend the ground beef supply. The result was the oddly named “Slug Burger,” so called, apparently, because you could pick one up for only a “slug,” which was slang for a nickel at the time.