← Nouns Cooking · American

Ingredients

• 700 g beef mince (about 20% fat)
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 4 American cheese slices (or thick cheddar slices)
• 4 Burger buns
• 1 tbsp Butter, softened
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• pickles, sliced onion and mustard, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Divide the beef into 8 equal balls and flatten each into a thin patty about 11 cm wide. Don’t overwork the meat.
2. Fold each cheese slice into quarters to make a small stack. Put one stack in the middle of four of the patties, cover with the other four and pinch the edges all round to seal tightly. Cup each burger in your hands to smooth the edges; any gap and the cheese will escape.
3. Season the burgers on both sides with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce, if using.
4. Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast them in a heavy frying pan over medium heat for 1–2 min, until golden. Set aside.
5. Add the oil and cook the burgers over medium heat for 5–6 min per side, without pressing down, until well browned and cooked through to 71°C (160°F). The burgers will puff as the cheese melts.
6. Rest for 2 min, then serve in the buns with pickles, onion and mustard. Warn everyone: the cheese inside is extremely hot.

Tips

• Prick the top of each burger once with a toothpick while it cooks to let steam escape, so it doesn’t blow out.
• American cheese melts smoothest; aged cheddar can turn greasy.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food Serious Eats