Ingredients
Scale
CarnalDish Burger Juice
- 1/2 stick butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce (trust me, adds a great depth of flavor)
- a few dashes of liquid smoke
Burgers
- 1 pound ground chuck (80/20)
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- Cheese, any kind you choose)
- Brioche buns, buttered and toasted
- Toppings of choice (try to keep it simple if you can)
Burger Sauce
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
- pinch of sugar, to taste
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients for the burger sauce, and set aside in the fridge.
- Mix all the Burger Juice ingredients together in a small bowl.
- In another medium-sized bowl, add the beef. Pour the Burger Juice into the beef, and gently break it up with a spoon or your hands and GENTLY mix thoroughly. Do not over-work your meat, be very very gentle with it. Once it’s thoroughly mixed, scoop into 3 to 4-ounce sized balls.
- Cover the burger balls with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of a half hour. You want the meat to be super cold and butter to re-solidify. You could also place them into your freezer for about 15 minutes.
- When ready to cook, heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat until SUPER HOT. Drop a tiny sprinkle of water to test it, if it immediately sizzles and bounces around and disappears, it’s ready. No need to add oil, there’s plenty of fat in the burger.
- Remove your burgers from the fridge or freezer and sprinkle them with kosher salt and pepper. Or, you could season them after they’re smashed, it’s up to you.
- Place 2 to 3 balls of meat in the searing hot skillet. After 30 seconds of searing, it’s time to smash. Place a piece of parchment over the meat and smash them all the way down until they can’t be smashed anymore, with a large heavy spatula or burger-smash tool. The parchment allows for easier removal and ensures the spatula/smasher doesn’t stick to the meat. Leave them alone and let them cook for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the edges are brown and the centers are barely pink.
- Using a thin but sturdy metal spatula, scrape the patties up and flip them over. Immediately place a slice of cheese on top of each patty and let them cook for about a 1-2 minutes longer, depending on how thin they are. You can tent the patties to trap the steam so the cheese melts faster if necessary. When the cheese melts, they’re ready — immediately transfer to your prepared buns.
- Build your burger with the toppings of your choice and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 6 mins
- Category: burgers, sandwiches
- Method: searing
