The trick to recreating a Shake Shack burger is the sauce. While it resembles other restaurant
burger sauces, there’s one key difference: How pickles are incorporated.
Typical burger sauces include tiny green flecks of relish. The Shake Shack rendition has no such tell-tale flecks, but still carries that distinctive sweet-briny-vinegary hit. After a bit of research we determined the best way (and very likely the actual way) to accomplish this a la Shake Shack is to blend the pickles directly into the sauce. It makes for a sauce that’s virtually indistinguishable from the original. Go figure!
The only other things you’ll need to really recreate the Shake Shack signature: fresh tomato, green leaf lettuce, and potato rolls. Specifically Martin’s brand, which can be easily found in the Northeast or ordered online. If you can’t find Martin’s, a good brioche roll will be more than fine.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c.mayonnaise
- 5bread & butter pickle chips, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp.ketchup
- 1 tbsp.plus 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1/4 tsp.garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp.paprika (hot, smoked, or sweet)
- 1/8 tsp.cayenne (optional)
- 3 tbsp.butter, melted
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 4Martin’s potato rolls
- 2 lb.ground beef, divided into 8, 4-oz. balls
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 slices American cheese
- Sliced tomato, for topping
- Green leaf lettuce, for topping
Directions
-
- Step 1Into a blender, add mayo, pickles, ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne. Blend until totally smooth and set aside.
- Step 2Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or griddle over medium heat. Separate the bun tops and bottoms without breaking the “hinges”. Working in batches, brush inside tops and bottoms of rolls with butter and toast in the skillet until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove rolls and increase heat to medium-high.
- Step 3Working in batches, add ½ teaspoon of vegetable oil to the skillet and heat until shimmering. Season the top of 2 ground meat balls heavily with salt and pepper then turn that side into the pan.
- Step 4Using a large spatula or press, smash the burgers until a little less than a ¼” thick. Season the tops with more salt and pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until a deeply browned crust has formed.
- Step 5Flip each patty and top with cheese. Cook until the bottom has also formed a crust and the cheese has melted, an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- Step 6While the burgers cook, smear the top inside of a bun with a good schmear of the prepared sauce. Then top the bottom bun with the 2 patties, followed by a leaf of green lettuce, and 2 slices tomatoes.
- Step 7Wrap the burger in wax paper and serve immediately while you prepare the following 3 burgers.
