Gulfport's Biff-Burger may be gone, but folks who enjoyed the 15-cent burgers are quick to share their pleasant eating experiences.

Perhaps it was the roto-broiled method in which the burgers were cooked, or perhaps it was Larry W. and Doris Mahalak, the friendly and caring owners that made Biff-Burger and their sauce so good.

Biff-Burger, for those who moved to the Coast after the early 1970s, was located on Pass Road at the Hardy Court Shopping Center.

In the September 1st column, Dora Harrison requested the Biff-Burger sauce recipe. She remembered the "tasty red sauce" so well.

Well, Doris Mahalak, whom I've known for years but didn't know was one of the Biff-Burger owners, brought me the recipe. It is for a large quantity. I played with the recipe and cut it some, but, trust me, the recipe will still make a lot of sauce.

Biff-Burger was a chain of drive-up burger stands out of Florida. During the '50s and '60s, there was a string of them from Florida to Texas. The Biff in Biff-Burger stands for "Best in Fast Food."

A Web site is dedicated to the Biff-Burger story, and it's fascinating reading even for those of us who didn't grow up near a Biff-Burger. William P. Maner Jr. of Biloxi sent me the Web site address as well as the address for the sauce recipe. Sure enough, the sauce recipe online and Mahalak's are one and the same.

To check out the Web site, go to www.geocities.com/cavevader/
biffburger/main.htm

BIFF-BURGER SAUCE

- 3 large cans ketchup (No. 10 can, contains 115 ounces per can)
- 2 cups prepared mustard (start with 2 cups and maybe increase to 3)
- 3 cups sweet pickle relish (start with 3, then maybe 4)
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/8 cup ground ginger
- 6 teaspoons Liquid Smoke

Mix all the ingredients together. Mahalak remembers workers at the restaurant used to mix it in a 5-gallon container.   - Submitted by Doris Mahalak

The recipe could be cut down to:
- 1 large can ketchup
- 2/3 -1 cup prepared mustard
- 1 cup sweet pickle relish
- 1/6 cup or 1 1/3 ounces salt
- Pinch of ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke

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Please send contributions or requests for this column to Cook's Exchange, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi, MS 39535-4567. If requesting a recipe, please include the name or briefly describe it and the ingredients. If you are submitting a recipe, please include the date requested. You can fax recipes to Andrea Yeager at 896-2104, call at 864-6954 or to ayeager@infionline.net