Ingredients
- 1 French baguette, cut into 4 portions
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 pound (455 g) 80% lean ground beef
- Salt and black pepper
- 4 slices American cheese
- Lettuce
- Dill pickle rounds
- Mayonnaise
- White onion, thinly sliced
- Tomato, thinly sliced
- Yellow mustard
How to Make It
- Heat a grill to medium-high. Split each piece of bread and brush the insides with melted butter.
- Divide the meat into four equal portions and shape each one into an oblong patty slightly larger than your bun size using a few swift motions. Do not overwork the meat and avoid UFOs, as Porter Road Butcher’s Chris Carter calls them: that is, the shape that makes patties thicker in middle than on the ends. To help avoid this, make an indentation in the middle of each burger. That way, as the burger expands during grilling, it will puff up into a flat shape. If the meat has been refrigerated, allow the patties to sit, covered, to come up to room temperature.
- Just before placing patties on the grill, sprinkle them with salt and pepper you’ll need nothing more. Grill the burgers for 5 minutes with the lid up. This will give you a nice crispy outer layer. Don’t press on the patties with a spatula; that will just release juices into the flames that you want to keep inside the meat. Then, turn down the heat to medium and flip the burgers. Close the grill lid and cook them for 5 minutes longer.
- During the last couple of minutes of cooking, place the bread, buttered sides down, onto a cooler part of grill to toast.
- Transfer the grilled patties and bread to a platter. Immediately top each patty with a slice of cheese to melt. The meat should be charred on the outside, moist and juicy inside, and a little pink but not too much in the center.
- Stack burgers with desired condiments on the bread and serve.
