"Best Chicago Burger"
As you might imagine, we've eaten a lot of burgers growing up in the Midwest. With thousands of options around, it gets old going out to eat & grab a burger, so we started staying in more & cooking our own. One night we had a bunch of cold cuts & cheeses left around from some other recipes we were working on so we made a few different burger recipes.
Here's some things I learned about burgers over the years. By far, my favorite style is two thin patties, not the thick pub burger style. Pressing your patties into a skillet or cast iron pan helps create that flavorful crust that I love. Another technique that helps to crust your burger patties is salt. Even if you don't use a seasoning blend (like our Steak, Burger, & Fries seasoning) make sure you use some salt!
Another benefit to using two thin patties instead of one larger pub style patty is that you can layer your flavors. You can put cheese between the patties (and even on the bottom layer between the bun & the bottom patty). Layering your flavors helps to fortify flavors in every bite of your burger. When you're going to create a burger like this, prep all your toppings first, you won't have time to prep while your frying your patties.
Melty cheese is one of the best & most overlooked piece of a great burger. You can 'pre-melt' your cheese a bit in your skillet & then use a spatula to get your cheese onto the burger.
Lastly, don't get boxed in by thinking you need a brioche or hamburger bun. I love Old World Italian bread; I love the rich flavored crust, the dense & spongy interior of the bread, the uniformity in thickness of the slices, & the nooks & crannies of the surface area to take in flavor. You can butter & toast your bread in an oven, or right in your heated skillet. Simply dab some butter into the skillet, then put your bread into the skillet & heat until you start to get some color & crust.
Enough with the reading, let's make some burgers! Click the image below to get a printable PDF file of the recipe.
