The Best Burgers Ever (a.k.a. The Awful Awful)
A half-pound of ground chuck steak smashed in a cast-iron pan and topped with melty American cheese, secret sauce, and all the fixings on a buttery onion bun. These burgers are juicy and decadent with perfectly-crispy edges.
Ingredients
Secret Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp pickle brine
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp Tabasco + more to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Awful Awful Burgers
- Vegetable oil
- 2 lb ground chuck steak (20% fat) divided into 4 loose chunks
- Kosher salt & pepper
- 4 slices American cheese
- 4 onion buns
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- Green leaf or iceberg lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles for serving
Instructions
Secret Sauce
- To make the secret sauce, simply whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Taste, and season with salt and pepper as desired. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Awful Awful Burgers
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until screaming hot, about 2-3 minutes. Brush the skillet with vegetable oil.
- Working in batches, place 1-2 loose balls of the beef into the hot skillet. Use a spatula to smash each ball of beef into a 1/2'' thick patty. (Don't worry too much about getting a perfectly round patty - we want those craggy edges to crisp up!) Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, until the outer edges are brown and crisp.
- Flip the burger and season with more salt and pepper. Cook for 4 more minutes for medium-well. During the last 30 seconds of cooking, place the cheese slices on top of the patties until melty.
- While the burgers are cooking, butter each side of the bun with about 1/2 Tablespoon of the softened butter. Toast under the broiler or in a dry skillet until lightly browned. Set aside.
- To assemble, spread 1/2 Tablespoon or more of the secret sauce on each bun. Place each burger patty on a bottom bun and top with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles, finishing with the top of each bun. Serve with fries and enjoy!