The Deep-Fried Burger

My obsession with exploring the myriad ways burgers are cooked and served in America started with the deep-fried burger. I mentioned to my good friend Brent Turner many years ago that I was thinking about making a documentary about hamburgers, and he told me, “You have to include Dyer’s in Memphis.” (His hometown.) “They actually deep-fry their burgers!” At first, I assumed it was just a gimmick dreamed up by a chef in search of something new. But what I discovered was a tiny gem of American culinary history.