American Cheese Burger

• Patties: Separate the beef into 4 equal portions, or 8 if making double cheeseburgers (do it!). Gently roll each portion into balls then press down into round patties that are slightly larger than your bun to allow for shrinkage (12 cm / 4.7″ wide, 1 cm / 0.4″ thick for a 10cm / 4″ burger bun).
• Prepare: Get all your burger bits and pieces out and ready to use. Don’t salt your beef until just before cooking (it toughens the meat).
• Toast buns: Preheat the grill to high. Place the bread cut face up on a tray and toast for 3 to 5 minutes until light golden. (If using BBQ, place cut face down on the grill). Set aside.
• Dent patty: Sprinkle one side of patties with half the salt and pepper. Flip, then press a dent into the middle of each patty. (Prevents patties doming when cooking and reduces shrinkage!). Sprinkle this dented side with the remaining salt and pepper.

STOVE:

• Preheat 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot – smoking hot! (Note 6)
• Cook: Cook 2 to 4 patties (whatever fits in the pan) for 1 1/2 minutes. Press down lightly with a spatula (not too hard else the meat juices squeeze out!). Flip, then immediately top with a slice of cheese. Cook for another 1 1/2 minutes (cheese will melt by itself!) then transfer burgers to a tray to rest for 3 minutes.

BBQ/GRILLING:

• Preheat: If your BBQ hot plate/grill is well seasoned (ie oiled), there is no need to oil before cooking. If not, lightly brush with vegetable or canola oil (or use scrunched up paper towel). Then preheat your BBQ on high until very hot and you see wisps of smoke.
• Cook the burgers per above directions for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, topping with cheese as soon as you flip, then resting for 3 minutes. (You can also toast the buns on the grill (face down on the grills, 2 – 3 minutes.)

ASSEMBLE:

• Slather the base of the bun with your sauce of choice. My order of assembly: lettuce, tomato, burger (x 2 for double!), gherkins, onion, sauce on bun lid, jam it on top of the stack.
• Devour  with French Fries on the side.
  

  Recipe Notes:

  Batch cooking: If you are making a big batch, keep buns and cooked patties warm in a 50°C/122°F oven while you continue cooking.

   

  1. Beef quality:

   

  • My favourite blend for flavour and juiciness – 50/50 brisket and chuck, ground to order from the butcher, with 20% fat.
  • Supermarket mince – Nobody in my circles turns their nose up at burgers made with supermarket beef mince. The trick is to follow my specific direction to salt it just before cooking as the patty is far more tender once cooked. And also, lean = less flavour and less juicy (fat is where beef flavour is).

  2. Burger buns – See intro for commentary. Brioche buns are premium, else any soft white buns that aren’t too gigantic (why-oh-why are Aussie hamburger buns so BIG?? So hard to cook hamburger patties that size!). Doesn’t have to be called hamburger buns, you can just get soft white rolls (best to skip crusty/seedy/wholemeal/fancy stuff).

   

  3. Cheese – for a true cheeseburger experience, opt for the processed cheese! Sold in Australian grocery stores helpfully labelled “burger cheese”, see in post for photo.

   

  4. Onion – If you’re not a fan of raw onion (I personally like how it breaks up the richness of the burger), you can either dice then scatter over the sauce on the base of the bun (like McDonald’s does) or cook it in a little oil with a pinch of salt and pepper (I’d use brown/yellow onions instead).

   

  5. Gherkins – large is just more practical so you only need a few slices to cover the burger. If you only have the small ones on hand, slice them lengthwise rather than into rounds

   

  6. Pan – If you’ve only got a non stick pan, that’s fine but just don’t cook your burger as aggressively as I do in a smoking hot skillet else you will destroy your non stick coating. You won’t get quite the same charring but it will still be delicious!

   

  7. Nutrition – Per burger, counting burgers, toppings and buns only. Condiments including Special Sauce not included.