A Cheeseburger To Rival Macca’s

This is the kind of burger you’re going to want to Instagram, if you manage to get a pic before they’re all gone! Crazy delicious and juicy, you’ll never eat Macca’s again after trying one of these bad boys! A Weber Kettle is ideal for grilling these to perfection.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 8 burgers

For burgers:

2 kg freshly ground beef chuck, about 20 percent fat

Salt and freshly ground pepper

8 soft sandwich rolls

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 small head iceberg lettuce, torn into large leaves

250 g extra-sharp cheddar cheese, sliced 1/2 cm thick

For EXTRA special sauce:

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons ketchup

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon sour cream

1/2 tablespoon horseradish paste

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

PREPARATION

Form the patties:

1. Divide the ground chuck into 8 portions. (Each will weight about 250 g)

2. Take each portion, compress and shape it into large patties, about 4-inches in diameter and 1 1/2-inches thick, by rotating it in your hand using a light touch. Use your fingers to create a dimple (about 1/2-inch deep) in the middle of each patty, just on one side.This will prevent the patty from shrinking and help it cook evenly.

3. When your patties are formed, season them liberally with salt and pepper on both sides, lay them on a baking tray, and refrigerate them. You can season the meat as far as two hours in advance of grilling them, but no more or the patties will dry out.

Prepare your grill:

Pack 1-2 sheets of newspaper into the bottom of a grill chimney, then fill the chimney 1/2 of the way with coals (preferably charcoal briquettes), add another sheet of newspaper on top of the coals, then add another layer of coals to reach almost the top of the chimney. Light the newspaper under the chimney and set it on the bottom rack of the grill. Let the briquettes heat until all but the ones at the top are white, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your special sauce and toppings.

Make EXTRA special sauce:

Add all sauce ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and stir everything together to combine. Transfer sauce into a smaller serving bowl and refrigerate.

Grill burgers:

1. When your sauce is made, patties are formed, and coals are hot, dump the coals out of the chimney onto the bottom grill rack and pile them on only one side of the grill. Don’t spread them over the entire bottom of the grill, since you want some grill space that’s a little bit cooler. Put the top grill grate on and let it get extremely hot, about 3-5 minutes. Use a grill brush to clean the grill as thoroughly as possible, to prevent the burgers from sticking. (If using a gas grill, preheat the grill to hot, leaving at least one of the gas burners off so that there is a cooler part of the grill.)

2. When the grill is clean and hot, place four patties down on the hot part of the grill. It’s important not to crowd them (they shouldn’t be touching), so you are going to work in batches of four. Let these four burgers cook for 3 minutes without touching them, and then use a grill spatula to rotate each patty 1/4 turn, or 90 degrees. (This 1/4 turn is mostly for looks — it is what creates the criss-cross hatch marks, and it isn’t essential. Note that you’re not flipping the burgers, you’re just rotating them.) Let the burgers cook for 1 minute more, then flip them with the grill spatula, still working only on the hot side of the grill. Let the burgers cook for 3 minutes more, then use the grill spatula to move the patties to the cooler part of the grill, and top them each with a few slices of cheese.

3. Put the other four raw patties on the hot side of the grill. Then cover the grill so the cheese will melt on the first batch, and cook about 1 minute. As soon as the cheese is melted, take the burgers off the grill and let them rest on a tray or plate. Keep cooking your second batch of burgers exactly the same way you did the first batch, using the cool side of the grill to melt the cheese.

4. Once the second batch has cheese on it, toast the buns over the coals on the hot side: Split them open and place them, split side down, on the hot side of the grill so that they heat and just start to toast, about 30 seconds.

5. Spread the bottom half of each toasted bun with about a tablespoon of special sauce, then top with a cheeseburger, a lettuce leaf, and a few slices of onion. Top with the remaining half of the bun, and serve immediately.

Recipe by Matt Jennings