Try our ultimate cheeseburger recipe below or check out more burger recipes, including our ultimate beef burger, spicy lamb burger and vegan black bean burger.
After members of the olive team had a near religious experience trying the out-of- this-world cheeseburger served up at the Four Legs pop-up at the Compton Arms, Islington, I was tasked with the challenge of creating my own version of the perfect cheeseburger. It’s all about bringing together the key elements:
- the juiciest aged beef patty, smashed and pushed into the pan for maximum crispy edges
- melty American- style cheese on top
- a butter-toasted brioche bun
- spicy/sweet/sour/crunchy pickles
- a riff on a famous sauce from a famous burger from a certain famous American fast food outlet.
This is how to put it all together...
Which is the best beef for the burger?
A mince with a good amount of fat will make all the difference to the flavour of the patty. Look out for steak mince with a fat content of 15%. And if you have a good butcher near, ask for aged beef mince that has been minced with added fat. It will give the deepest, beefiest flavour, while staying tender and juicy.
How do you make the best burger patty?
Getting a non-stick frying pan smoking hot and squashing the burgers into the pan will allow the patties to form charred, crispy edges – this is the fats and proteins on the surface of the meat caramelising. It’s best to only cook two at a time (unless barbecuing) because overcrowding the pan will lower its temperature, hindering this caramelisation process.
Putting a lid on the pan once the cheese has been added is important. The steam created under the lid will melt the cheese quickly so the burger doesn’t overcook; and it will also help release the delicious crusty bits off the bottom of the pan so they join the patties when they are scooped into the buns.
Is the burger sauce important?
The sauce may have a fairly long list of ingredients but it’s well worth it. The sweet, smoky and sour combo complements and cuts through the richer flavours of the brioche, cheese and patty.
Which are the best burger buns?
Using brioche buns, as opposed to normal burger buns, will give a sweet edge and a well-structured bun that can hold the burger. Toasting the buns on the cut sides adds flavour as well as stability, preventing it from collapsing when all the burger juices soak in.