Loco moco was invented at the Lincoln Grill in Hilo, Hawaii in 1949 — created for teenagers who wanted a hot meal they could afford. Rice (cheap, filling), a hamburger patty (protein), a fried egg (more protein), and brown gravy (everything better). It remains one of the most satisfying and honest dishes in the Hawaiian food canon.
The tallow version is what the original looked like. The Lincoln Grill cooked in lard and tallow in 1949. The gravy — made from the beef drippings in the pan — is more complex and flavourful when those drippings are from tallow than from any seed oil. The fried egg in tallow crisps at the edges in a way that canola or vegetable oil simply does not produce.
Loco Moco Recipe
Ingredients
- 500g (1.1 lb) ground beef (80/20)
- 2 tbsp beef tallow
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups cooked medium-grain white rice (kept warm)
- Sea salt and black pepper
- For the gravy: 2 tbsp beef tallow, 2 tbsp plain flour, 400ml beef stock, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper
Method
- Divide the ground beef into 4 patties. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Flatten slightly — they should be thicker than a smash burger, about 1.5cm.
- Heat 1 tbsp tallow in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through with a good crust. Remove and rest.
- Make the gravy in the same pan: add 1 tbsp tallow over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes until golden. Slowly whisk in the beef stock. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Season.
- In a separate pan, fry the eggs in tallow until whites are set and edges are slightly crispy.
- Assemble immediately: a mound of rice, the burger patty on top, the fried egg on the patty, and a generous ladle of gravy over everything.
- Serve immediately — the gravy softens the rice and egg in a way that improves with every bite.
Is loco moco seed oil free?
Yes with tallow. Standard restaurant loco moco uses canola or vegetable oil for cooking the patty, egg, and gravy base.
What makes a good loco moco gravy?
The drippings from the beef patties cooked in tallow. Never skip deglasing the pan with stock after cooking the burgers — those flavour compounds are the best part of the gravy.
What rice?
Medium-grain or short-grain Japanese rice is traditional. Do not use long-grain rice — the texture is wrong for loco moco.
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