Cameron – Since 1937, Tex Miller’s has been a hot spot for hamburgers in Cameron. “It brings back a lot of memories,” said Gwen Howard. “I will say that.”
Gwen Howard is the current caretaker of Tex Miller’s and only the 3rd person in history to claim that title. The hole in the wall hamburger joint was started by Tex Miller, who sold it to Sandra Terry in 1989. When Sandra passed away in 2020, Gwen got her shot to own the business, and she didn’t change a thing. “It means the world to me to continue this tradition. It’s like it’s a part of history. Like I am a part of history,” said Gwen. “This is all passed down from Tex Miller’s. The way he did it, the way she learned to do. It’s the way she taught me how to do it. Just the way they do it. And are you going to change? No. Why change? You don’t change perfection. It’s working. Why change it?”
That includes the same coke box, the same seats, and the same grill! “That grill right there got put in in ’56,” said Gwen. “You can get over there and make that burger and I believe it’s going to taste the same because the grill, it’s seasoned. It’s in the grill.”
It’s also the way the burgers are made. Gwen was taught when she worked for Sandy and she’ll never forget it. “I want to make it the best I can make it,” said Gwen. “And she wasn’t no joke. She told me one day I was here working. It was like, ‘you are making that burger wrong.’ I said, ‘Miss Sandy, I don’t think you can make a burger wrong.’ She said, ‘yes, you can move over. Let me show you.’ So she came back there. ‘You put the lettuce, then the onions, then the pickles, then the tomatoes, and that’s the way it goes.’ Some people make it differently, but she wanted it that way. So now that’s the way I make my burgers.”
After a lesson on the history of this burger business, it was time to get cooking. While the chili cheese dog bun got to toasting, Gwen got started on the OG burger.
“We’re doing the double-double,” said Gwen. “So we got two patties. What are these, a quarter-pound apiece? Somewhere like that.”
Once the hot dog bun was ready, Gwen toasted to the hamburger bun and showed off Tex Miller’s unique way of making chili cheese dogs. “This is the Tex Miller’s famous chili,” said Gwen.
Their chili dogs aren’t a hot dog on a bun topped with chili, but rather cut up hot dogs mixed into the chili and piled onto the bun. Once that’s loaded on, it’s time to finish off the bun with some veggies. “We go with lettuce and then we do onion and then we’ll do pickles,” said Gwen. “Then we’ll go with the tomato and jalapeno. Then she’ll salt and pepper, mustard and ketchup.”
And with that, you have an old school meal in an old school setting, getting ready for some old school flavors and we are going to dive right into that chili dog, because that is what Ms. Gwen suggested and it looks fantastic. “The chili is amazing,” said Gwen. “The chili dogs are amazing. It’s not really anything here that you wouldn’t want to eat.”
It’s one of the best chili dogs you’ll ever taste, not just because of the incredible flavors, but also how easy it is to eat without biting into a giant hot dog. Onto that double-double, and it is just absolutely beautiful. That flavor is unmistakably old school and delicious. To think the only seasoning on this burger is salt and pepper is unreal because it is full of flavor. “It’s nice to be able to have that same, everything look the same and feel the same and be able to come over and have that great burger,” said customer Dannette. “Because they’re amazing burgers.”
Well with that greasy bun, cold veggies, hot meat, and perfectly melted Velveeta cheese, coming to Cameron for Tex Miller’s is definitely well worth the stop on The Texas Bucket List. “God has a plan for me,” said Gwen. “I want to keep it going. I’m trying my best to keep it going and as long as God let me, I will keep it going.”