Last Updated on October 12, 2023 by Carne Diem
Protein: 
Origin: American Midwest, North American
Method: Flat Top, Griddle, or Plancha
Jump to RecipeThis St. Louis culinary creation has become a late-night staple at diners across the city. Fried hash browns are topped with eggs, a hamburger patty, cheese, chili, and onions. Picture your smothered and covered Waffle House hash browns on steroids and you have yourself a St. Louis Slinger. While it may not be a dish your cardiologist will want you eating every day, it sure hits the spot to "cure what ails you" when you had one too many cocktails or libations the night before.
This post contains affiliate and sponsored content. As always, we will only ever recommend products that we absolutely love.
Table of contents
Making the St. Louis Slinger
To make this St. Louis Slinger recipe you will need eggs, hamburger patties, 2 slices of American or Cheddar cheese, potatoes (or hash browns), chili, onion and cheese. You will also need a little butter or oil for cooking.
Prep your ingredients
The ingredients for a slinger breakfast recipe requires minimal prep and most can be done ahead of time, so you are ready to cook the breakfast dish on your Blackstone or even at the campground.
Prep the onion
For our recipe we prepare the onion two ways, shredded for the hash browns and diced for the topping. Halve the onion. Shred half of the onion into a small bowl. Finely dice the other half of the onion and set aside.
Prepare your hamburger patties
You can use any recipe of hamburger patty that you prefer. We typically use leftover patties from our tostada burgers or brisket burgers, and sometimes even our Stuffed Mexican Chorizo Burger if we are feeling really adventurous. Feel free, however, to use your favorite.
Prepare your hamburger patties to your liking and set aside or refrigerate until ready to cook. The St. Louis Slinger recipe also makes for a great breakfast the morning after a big cookout if you have some extra hamburgers left over.
Prepare the hash browns
To make the hash browns, shred the potatoes into a medium sized bowl or a colander. You can use either peeled or unpeeled potatoes according to your preference. Rinse the potatoes under cold water until the water runs clear. Press the excess water out of the shredded potatoes with some paper towels. (If you have one you can also use a salad spinner to get rid of the excess water).
Next, mix the shredded onions with the shredded potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste and set aside. This should be the last item that you prep for your St. Louis Slinger, because you do not want the potatoes to start to brown. If you are not going to cook them for awhile, keep the shredded potatoes covered with cold water. When you are ready to cook, proceed with draining the potatoes, removing the excess water, and seasoning.
Have extra potatoes? Consider trying our Pub Style Irish Nachos or Smoked Jalapeno Twice Baked Potatoes.
Prepare your griddle and get ready to cook
When you are ready to cook heat your griddle to medium-high heat (about 400 degrees). This recipe is best done on a flat top such as a Blackstone or other griddle. We made these on our Cooking Steel, which we love due to their portability. You can quickly and easily turn any grill or smoker into a flat top type cooker.
Cook your St. Louis Slinger ingredients
Warm your chili in a small pot or pan and keep warm.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the griddle. Once the butter is melted and frothy add the shredded potatoes. Cook them until the bottom is nicely browned, about 5 minutes, then flip them over. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, then divide between 2 plates.
Cook your hamburger patties to your desired doneness. Top with cheese slices the last minute of cooking. Once cooked, place the hamburger patties on your hashbrowns.
Add the last 2 tablespoons of butter to the griddle and allow to melt. Once melted, crack your eggs onto the flat top. Fry your egg to your desired doneness. If scrambled eggs are more of your thing, that is fine as well. Prepare your favorite style of eggs.
Assemble your St. Louis Slinger
Top the hash browns and cheeseburger patties with your chili, then top with the fried egg. Finish by topping the slinger with additional shredded cheese and diced onions as desired. Salt and pepper the completed dish to taste.
Dig in while warm. Looking for more great breakfast ideas? Check out our Belgian Liege Waffles and Buttermilk Cornflake Chicken, RumChata French Toast, Authentic Mexican Migas, and Smothered Breakfast Burritos with Green Chile Sauce. Keep an eye out for new breakfast recipes coming at the beginning of each month.
For more great recipes on your griddle, Blackstone, or Cooking Steels be sure to try our Flat Top Chicken Fried Rice and Fried Lump Crab Cakes with Sriracha Mayonnaise.
Frequently Asked Questions
A slinger is a famous breakfast dish that first started appearing in diners across St. Louis in the 1950's. Today the dish consisting of, hashbrowns, eggs, hamburger patties, and chili is a treasured culinary creation in the city.
A St. Louis slinger typically consists or a heaping pile of hashbrowns topped with over easy eggs, a hamburger or sausage patty, chili, cheese, and onions. It is traditionally served with hot sauce on the side.
While several local diners claim to have invented the St. Louis slinger, the true origin oof the dish is unknown. It began showing up in diners across the city in around the 1950's and is believed to be a local take on New York's Garbage Plate.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. If you tried and enjoyed our recipe, please share with others and please leave us a comment and review. We also love to see your pics so don’t forget to tag us @Carne_Diem_Culinary or #CarneDiemBlog. To be notified of future recipes please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, or sign up for our e-mail notifications. Until next time, Carne Diem!
📖 Recipe
St. Louis Slinger
Equipment
- Griddle or Flat Top
Ingredients
- 2 Russet Potatoes
- 2 Hamburgers
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Small White Onion
- 2 Slices American or Cheddar Cheese
- 2 Cups of Your Favorite Chili
- ½ Cup Shredded Cheese Cheddar or Pepper Jack
- 4 Tablespoon Butter
Instructions
- Halve the onion. Shred half of the onion into a small bowl. Finely dice the other half of the onion and set aside.
- Prepare your hamburger patties to your liking.
- To make the hashbrowns, shred the potatoes into a medium sized bowl or a colander. You can use either peeled or unpeeled potatoes according to your preference. Rinse the potatoes under cold water until the water runs clear. Press the excess water out of the shredded potatoes with some paper towels. (If you have one you can also use a salad spinner to get rid of the excess water).
- Mix the shredded onions with the shredded potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
- Heat your grill or smoker with the Cooking Steel to medium-high heat (about 400 degrees).
- Warm your chili in a small pot or pan and keep warm.
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the Cooking Steel. Once melted and frothy add the shredded potatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes then flip or flip when the bottom is nicely browned. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, then divide between 2 plates.
- Cook your hamburger patties to your desired doneness. Top with cheese slices the last minute of cooking. Once cooked, place the hamburger patties on your hashbrowns.
- Add the last 2 tablespoons of butter to the Cooking Steel. Once melted, crack your eggs onto the Cooking Steel. Fry your egg to your desired doneness.
- Top the hashbrowns and cheeseburger patties with your chili, then top with the fried egg. Top with additional shredded cheese and diced onions as desired.
- Dig In!
Comments
No Comments