Slinger (dish) facts for kids
Slinger
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| Alternative names | American Midwest |
|---|---|
| Course | Main course |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Associated national cuisine | United States |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Two eggs, hash browns, and a hamburger patty (or any other meat) all covered in chili con carne (with or without beans) and generously topped with cheese (cheddar or American) and onions |
A slinger is a special meal you can find in diners, especially in the Midwestern United States. It's a big, hearty dish often eaten late at night. Imagine a plate with two eggs, crispy hash browns, and a ground beef patty.
Then, all of that is covered in warm chili con carne, which can have beans or not. To make it even better, it's topped with lots of cheese, like cheddar or American, and fresh onions. You can have your eggs cooked any way you like them. People often add hot sauce on the side for an extra kick!
What is a Slinger?
The slinger is a famous dish from St. Louis. It's known as a "hometown culinary invention." Think of it as a delicious mix of different foods all on one plate. It usually includes meat, hash-fried potatoes, eggs, and chili.
You can choose different meats to go with it. Some popular choices are ham, sausage, bacon, or even a whole T-bone steak! It's a very filling meal, perfect for when you're really hungry.
Different Kinds of Slingers
There are many fun ways to change up the basic slinger. Here are a few popular variations:
- "Top one": This slinger has a tamale placed right on top of everything else.
- "Vegetarian": If you don't eat meat, this version uses veggie burgers instead of meat patties. It also uses veggie chili.
- "The Toby" or "the Hoosier": This slinger is different because it uses white gravy instead of chili. It was named after a customer at Tiffany's Original Diner.
- "Yin and yang": This one is a mix! It's covered in half chili and half gravy. It was named by a manager because the chili is dark and the gravy is light, like the yin and yang symbol.
- "The Jared": This slinger also has equal amounts of chili and white gravy.
- "The JP slinger": This version has a hamburger patty, extra onions, and extra chili.
- "Devil's delight": You can find this slinger at Courtesy Diner, and it's made without the hamburger patties.
- "Chicago style": This slinger comes with white bread toast on the side. It uses "cheeseburger patties," and the eggs are cooked over easy. It must also have grilled onions.
