THE MOST TRUSTED COPYCAT RECIPES
THE MOST TRUSTED COPYCAT RECIPES
Carl's Jr. Famous Star copycat recipe by Todd Wilbur

Carl's Jr. Famous Star

Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
Reviews: 1
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It was in Los Angeles in 1941 that Carl Karcher and his wife, Margaret, found a hotdog cart on Florence and Central for sale for $326. They borrowed $311 on their Plymouth, added $15 of their own, and bought the brightly colored stand. Although the sign on this first stand read "Hugo's Hot Dogs," Karcher began purchasing more carts, painting on them "Carl's Hot Dog's." In 1945 Karcher opened his first drive-thru restaurant, which he named "Carl's Drive-In Barbecue." In 1956 he opened two smaller restaurants in Anaheim and Brea, California, and used the Carl's Jr. name for the first time.

With 630 units as of 1991, the chain's trademark smiling star can be seen throughout the West and Southwestern United States, as well as in Mexico, Japan, and Malaysia. The chain has come a long way from the days when Karcher used to mix the secret sauce in twenty-gallon batches on his back porch. Carl's Jr. takes credit for introducing salad bars to fast-food restaurants back in 1977. Today, salads are regular fare at most of the major chains.

Carl's top-of-the-line hamburger is still the flame-broiled Famous Star, one of several products that has made Carl's Jr. famous. 

Source: Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Get This

_main
  • 1 sesame seed hamburger bun
  • 2 onion rings
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet pickle relish
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ketchup
  • 1/4 pound ground beef
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
  • 3 dill pickle slices
  • 1/4 cup coarsley chopped lettuce
  • 2 tomato slices
Do This

1. Preheat your barbecue grill on high.

2. Toast both halves of the bun, face down, in a skillet over medium heat. Set aside.

3. Cut each of the  onion rings into quarters.

4. Mix the ketchup and relish together. This is your "secret sauce."

5. Form the ground beef into a thin patty slightly larger than the bun.

6. Grill the meat for 2 or 3 minutes per side. Salt lightly.

7. Build the burger in the following stacking order from the bottom up:

bottom bun
half of the mayonnaise
pickles
lettuce
tomato slices
onion
beef patty
remainder of mayonnaise
special sauce (ketchup and relish)
top bun

Makes 1 sandwich.

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Reviews
Charles Packard
Jul 1, 2022, 22:16
Famous Star hamburgers are squished like they were stepped on. It's because the clearance of the charbroiler/bun toaster is less than the height of the bun. They intentionally flatten it down to fit. That was the official answer I got from a manager when I asked why my burgers always look stepped on.

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    Source: Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Not rated yet
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    Fat per serving–3.5g 
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    Source: Top Secret Recipes Lite by Todd Wilbur.

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I'm Todd Wilbur, Chronic Food Hacker

For over 30 years I've been deconstructing America's most iconic brand-name foods to make the best original copycat recipes for you to use at home. Welcome to my lab.

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