← Nouns Cooking · American

Ingredients

• 600 g minced beef, about 20% fat
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 8 slices American cheese or mild cheddar slices
• 4 soft burger buns, split
• 1 tbsp butter, softened
• ½ Onion, sliced paper-thin (optional)
• 4 crisp lettuce leaves
• 1 Tomato, sliced
• 3 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Ketchup
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• 2 Dill pickles, 1 finely chopped, 1 sliced for the burgers

Method

1. Stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and chopped pickle for the sauce. Divide the beef into 8 loose balls without squeezing them, and keep them in the fridge until the pan is ready.
2. Spread the cut sides of the buns with butter and toast them, cut side down, in a large cast-iron or heavy frying pan over medium heat for 1–2 min, until golden. Set aside.
3. Turn the heat to high and let the pan get smoking hot, about 3 min. Put in 2 or 3 balls, well spaced, and immediately press each one flat and thin with a sturdy spatula (a square of baking paper on top stops sticking). Season with salt and pepper and scatter a few onion slices on top, if using.
4. Leave them alone for about 2 min, until the edges are deep brown and crisp. Scrape firmly under each patty to keep the crust, flip, top with a cheese slice and cook for 1 minute more, until the meat is cooked through.
5. Stack two patties on each bun base and add sauce, lettuce, tomato and pickle slices. Repeat with the rest of the beef and serve hot.

Tips

• Cold meat and a very hot pan give the best crust; don’t oil the pan, the fat in the beef is plenty.
• Unlike a whole steak, minced beef should be cooked through, which these thin patties do in a few minutes.

Sources

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

Chowhound Ricardo RecipeTin Eats