Alton Brown shows how to make his own private cheeseburger: A crisp deep-fried patty, gooey cheddar cheese, mayo, mustard, and pickles.

Course: Mains

Keyword: Beef, Game Day, Grill, Meats, My Own Private Cheeseburger, Sandwiches, Summer, Weeknight Dinner

My Own Private Cheeseburger

Name: My Own Private Cheeseburger
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 6 ounces chuck, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes and chilled; 6 ounces sirloin, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes and chilled; 2 cups grated cheddar cheese; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 4 brioche hamburger buns, split; 16 to 20 dill pickle slices or "chips"; Mayo and mustard; 2 quarts peanut oil for frying

Fried Burger: Reloaded with melted cheddar cheese, pickles, mayo, and mustard on Alton Brown's vintage china.

ACTIVE TIME: 20

TOTAL TIME: 20

Yield: 4 burgers

This is how I make cheeseburgers at home — with a fryer.

If I found out the world was about to end, I’d calmly walk into the kitchen and make this cheeseburger: a simple blend of beef, paprika and garlic topped with pickles and sharp cheddar cheese.

As for the frying, believe it or not, as long as you keep the oil between 300 and 325ºF, this will be the most un-greasy burger you’ve ever enjoyed.

This recipe first appeared in Season 1 of Good Eats: Reloaded.

Read Less

Software

6 ounces chuck, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
6 ounces sirloin, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 brioche hamburger buns, split
16 to 20 dill pickle slices or "chips"
Mayo and mustard
2 quarts peanut oil for frying

Specialized Hardware

Dutch oven

Candy/fry thermometer

Tortilla press

Spider strainer

ACTIVE TIME: 20

TOTAL TIME: 20

Yield: 4 burgers

Procedure

Get a nice big Dutch oven and add enough oil or shortening to be two inches deep. Install your candy/fry thermometer to the side of the pot and crank the heat to medium high. Your thermal destination is 320ºF.
Turn on your broiler and position rack in top position. This is a perfect time to use your toaster oven if you have one.
Meanwhile, place the meat and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 10 times or until it resembles a medium grind.
Weigh out the meat into four 3-ounce portions and roll into balls. Place one of the meat balls between two sheets of wax paper on a tortilla press and flatten completely into a 5- to 6-inch-wide disk. It will be irregular around the circumference, but that’s good — those irregularities will become crunchy goodness. The meat will also shrink back down to bun size as it cooks. Set smashed meat sheet aside and repeat flattening process with remainder of meat balls (leave the meet sheets inside the wax paper for now) and refrigerate.
Grate the cheese and toss with the paprika and garlic powder until all the powder has stuck to the cheese.
Spread a thin layer of mayo on the bottom of the buns and place half the cheese mixture on top. Spread mustard on the bun tops and place the rest of the cheese on top. So, you should have half the cheese on the bottoms (on mayo) and half on the tops (on mustard). Place both halves under the broiler so that the cheese melt sas you cook the burgers. This will happen quickly, so don’t walk away.
When the oil hits 320ºF, remove the meat patties from the refrigerator. One b yone, transfer the meat patties by peeling back one piece of wax paper and inverting the patty onto the spider. Peel back the other sheet of wax paper and gently lower the spider into the peanut oil, letting the patty float free. Cook one minute — no more, no less. You can cook up to three pattie sat a time, but don’t let the oil temperature drop below 300ºF.
Remove the fried meat to a paper towel to drain briefly then place it on the bottom bun right away. Place the pickles on top, followed by the bun top. The goal: bread/mayo/cheese/meat/pickles/cheese/mustard/bread.
Consume or wrap in foil to keep warm for up to 30 minutes.