One of my all-time favorite burgers from anywhere is the Southern Comfort burger from The Strip Club 104 Steakhouse (Strip as in steak) in Greer, SC. They used to do lunch on Fridays and pretty much the whole menu was burgers. They might have had a salad but I never got it. The Southern Comfort Burger was perfectly named. It consisted of a brioche bun, fried green tomato, pimento cheese, and jalapeno bacon. And you don’t want to forget the burger itself which was ground up prime steak. I always like to say the amount of bacon that falls off this burger is about the amount that other places put on their burgers. It is just fantastic. At some point they stop doing the Friday lunch. People were nuts. They would wait in line and argue about their place and if someone got in front of them they’d literally start getting aggressive. I assume it just wasn’t worth it for them anymore. Unfortunate. Below are four pictures of this burger over different visits. This is just the four that I took pictures of, I ate this burger a lot.

I really don’t know why it never occurred to me to try to make this burger at home. I’ve made so many copycat recipes during COVID-19. It seemed like a no-brainer but I just never thought of it.

if you are a regular reader of this blog you know that I’ve been trying to replace beef with Beyond Beef in most of my recipes. This was no different. I did use brioche buns. I did make fried green tomatoes. I made the pimento cheese though lactose-free and vegan. Honestly it was fantastic. I really expected it to not be good but it really was quite good. So that leaves the bacon. Like the great line from Doc Holiday in Tombstone goes, “My hypocrisy only goes so far.” I’m the first to say we have come so far with meatless options. But y’all they haven’t gotten there with a bacon. So call me a hypocrite but I used real bacon, my favorite brand Niman Ranch applewood smoked.

This burger was fantastic. Was it as good as the restaurants, no! Was it pretty damn good, yes!

Ingredients

Ingredients for Dairy-free Vegan Pimento Cheese

• 1 jar pimento peppers (approximately 4 oz), minced
• 4-8 canned jalapeno slices, minced
• 1 cup dairy-free shredded cheddar cheese (we like Follow Your Heart)
• 1 cup dairy-free cream cheese (we like VioLife)
• 2 tbsp Vegenaise (Follow Your Heart) mayonnaise
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for Fried Green Tomatoes

• 1 large or 2 medium green tomatoes, sliced 3/8 inch
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup lactose free half and half
• 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 3-4 tbsp chickpea flour
• Canola or grape seed oil
• Salt and pepper

Ingredients for Jalapeno Bacon

• 1 package bacon (we like Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked)
• 1 fresh Jalapeno, minced into a paste

Ingredients for Southern Comfort Burger

• 1 lbs Beyond Beef, thawed
• 4 brioche buns
• Salt and pepper

Directions

How to make Dairy-free Vegan Pimento Cheese

1. This can be made a few days in advance but overnight is fine. In a mixing bowl, combine the minced pimento peppers, the minced jalapeno, the dairy-free shredded cheddar cheese, dairy-free cream cheese, Veganese mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Stir to evenly combine the mixture, put into an airtight container and place in the fridge.

How to make Jalapeno Bacon

1. On a lined baking sheet lay the bacon out flat. Spread the jalapeno all over the top of the bacon.
2. Place the baking sheet in the oven and set the temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake until crispy. Allow of cool on a paper towel and set aside.

How to make Fried Green Tomatoes

1. Combine the lactose-free half and half in the vinegar, stir to combine and allow to sit. You can use buttermilk if you prefer.
2. Add flour to a zip top bag and place the tomato slices in batches. Close the zip top bag and shake until tomatoes are coated with the flour.
3. Combine the lactose-free half and half slash vinegar mixture to a shallow bowl. Add the egg and whisk gently to combine.
4. In the same zip top bag, add the cornmeal mixture more flour if needed. In batches, add the tomatoes to the egg mixture and then place in the zip top bag. Shake the bag until the tomatoes are breaded.
5. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or non-stick pan add oil to coat and heat over medium high. Once the pan is hot, fry the tomatoes and batches until golden brown and delicious.
6. Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven.

How to make a Southern Comfort Burger

1. Divide the beyond beef into four patties and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In another large skillet or non-stick pan, or the same one wiped clean, heat to medium heat. At a tablespoon or so of oil to the pan and cook the burgers to desire doneness.
3. Before serving toast the insides of the brioche bun.
4. To serve, I placed a little bit of the pimento cheese on the bottom and top of each bun. I placed the burger on the bottom of the bun with a little more pimento cheese, topped that with the bacon, and topped that with fried green tomatoes. Enjoy.