Texas Monthly just crowned Folc’s brisket and pork belly creation as the top bun in the state, beating out hamburgers from Austin, Dallas, Houston and the best kitchens across the state.
Folc’s manager, Javier Gutierrez, said that the magazine reached out to them a few weeks ago, asking for a picture of their burger. Then Folc received a second call, this time from the editor-in-chief, wanting to confirm the ingredients in the burger. During that call, the magazine mentioned Folc’s burger was among the top 20 in the state. It wasn’t until a few days ago, when a Folc customer with a Texas Monthly subscription walked into Folc magazine in hand, that the restaurant learned it earned the top honor.
The burger is a relatively new creation for the spring menu, said Folc chef and co-owner Luis Colon.
“We grind brisket; it's about a 70 to 30 ratio of meat to fat,” Colon said. “We add a little bit of salt and pepper and heavy cream [to the patty].”
Folc's burger also has a fried egg and starts at $11. If you add the pork belly, it's a few bucks more. Folc actually ran out of the pork bell on Wednesday as the 10-table restaurant filled up with people wanting to try the newly-crowned best burger in the state.
“We go from selling maybe 50 burgers in a week to almost 40 (burgers) today at lunch,” Colon said.
Folc and other restaurants who made the list, like Zinc, said that they expect a surge a customers.
“I think Texas Monthly is a huge deal,” Zinc chef Robbie Nowlin said. “As a whole, for Texas, and when it comes to food scene, I think your normal folk reads that magazine, so it does have an influence.”
Zinc’s so-called "crack burger" has been a favorite for the last 10 years. It’s Angus beef, 80-20 meat to fat. It’s topped with smoked cheddar. What makes it really special is a parmesan crisp that literally cracks when you bite into the burger. At $10, it’s a bargain considering everything in the burger, including the bun, is made in-house.
For about $4, you can get quarter-pounder from TJ’s. It's been a south side favorite for the last 43 years. The classic burger is made by ladies like Maria Serna, who's grilling them for over 20 years.
The burger from Rebelle, the blue ribbon burger from Cured, and the classic burger from Little Gretel in Boerne also made Texas Monthly’s top 50 burgers list. The magazine also gave Pollos Asados Los Nortenos Norteno Burger an honorable mention.
