Today is National Cheeseburger Day, a day that I'm sure we can all appreciate as summer comes to an end but the craving for grilled meats subsists. For this reason, I want to share these urban double cheeseburgers with you.
I'm calling them the urban double cheeseburger because, well, I don’t have a grill. It's the price you pay to live in the city. While we are lucky enough to have a tiny balcony in our Brooklyn apartment, a grill would hardly fit, let alone be safe.
The charcoal would certainly fall off onto the balcony below, greviously injuring my neighbor and possibly innocent bystanders, or the smoke would billow up into the sky and destroy the balcony of the apartment above me, or at the very least create a smokey mess that my neighbor would no doubt be annoyed by.
So, when you want a burger in New York, you've generally got to make it inside. I used a cast iron griddle that fits across both of my burners for as authentic-as-possible chargrilled taste, but any griddle or large skillet will work just as well.
These burgers really have it all. Beef, pork, and veal, because if you can't use a real grill, you should at least go all out with your meats. I also made crispy bacon, caramelized some onions, melted some aged cheddar cheese, sliced up tomato, avocado, and red onion, and used my homemade brioche buns to pull it all together.
Store bought are just as good, of course, but if you have the time, I highly recommend giving the buns a try yourself. I made the patties nice and thin so that we could make them into double cheeseburgers, because there’s nothing quite like biting into a double.
These juicy burgers are so delicious and loaded with all of my favorite ingredients. You can curate your own perfect urban burger in the comfort of your apartment, but however you make them, I have a feeling you’ll be "grilling" the urban cheeseburger more than just once.
Grab your ingredients — a side of chargrilled corn can't hurt, either.
Combine all of your burger ingredients.
Mix with your hands until just combined — don't overdo it!
Then form the patties into slightly-thinner-than-usual discs (for double cheeseburger goodness).
Cook the burgers on each side for 2-3 minutes (for medium rare) and top with cheese at the last minute.
While you get everything else prepared, caramelize your onions.
And cook your bacon. I like to do bacon in the oven to save with clean-up — just cook at 400 degrees F on a baking tray lined with foil for 18-20 minutes, until crispy.
Be sure to toast your buns!
Then gather your accoutrement — in my case, this means tomatoes, avocado and red onions.
Now it's time to assemble.
Then dig in! Nothing's better than that.
The Urban Double Cheeseburger
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ pound ground veal
- 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons country dijon mustard (or another grainy mustard)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- sliced cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, Swiss, etc.)
- 8 slices of bacon, cooked until crisp
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced thinly
- 1 tomato, sliced thinly
- ¼ red onion, sliced thinly
- 6-8 leaves of lettuce
- mustard, hot sauce, etc.
- 3-4 large brioche hamburger buns (or any other bun)
- First, you want to get your caramelized onions started, as they will take the longest. Slice your onion thinly, and place in a pan with a tablespoon of unsalted butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 20-25 minutes, until well browned and caramelized.
- Combine the beef, pork, and veal with all of the other burger ingredients. Mix until just combined, but not too mushy. Form the meat into 6-8 large, but thin, patties. Heat your double burner griddle or large pan over high heat, and before cooking your burgers, toast your buns. When they are toasted, set aside.
- Spray your double burner griddle or large pan with non-stick spray, then place the burgers on top of the hot griddle. Cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes or less, since they are so thin, until cooked through. When almost ready, place a slice or two of your preferred cheese on top so that it will melt a bit before serving.
- Place two patties on each burger bun, and top with your toppings of choice: caramelized onions, tomato, red onion, bacon, avocado, lettuce, mustard, etc. Enjoy!