Burgers Recipe

Form and season patties

Place the ground beef in a bowl. Sprinkle the kosher salt, black pepper, and optional smoked paprika and garlic powder over the meat. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Gently fold the mixture 6–8 times with your hands or a spatula—do not overwork the meat. Divide into four equal portions (about 4 oz each). Lightly shape each portion into a patty roughly 3/4 inch thick, making a slight indentation in the center of each patty with your thumb (this helps prevent doming during cooking).

Rest before cooking

Set the formed patties on a tray and refrigerate for 10–15 minutes while you preheat the cooking surface. Refrigeration firms the exterior so the patties hold their shape when searing.

Preheat skillet or grill

Heat a heavy cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat until very hot (about 3–5 minutes). If using a grill, preheat to medium-high (about 400°F / 200°C). Lightly brush the cooking surface with the 1 tsp vegetable oil or spray with nonstick spray.

Cook the patties

Place the patties on the hot surface with the indentation facing up. Cook without pressing for 3–4 minutes until a brown crust forms. Flip once and cook 2–4 minutes for medium (internal temp ~ 140–145°F / 60–63°C). For cheeseburgers, place one slice of cheddar on each patty about 1 minute before you finish cooking and cover loosely with a lid to melt the cheese.

Toast buns

While the patties finish, spread the softened butter on the cut sides of each bun. Place buns, buttered-side down, on the skillet or grill for 30–60 seconds until golden and lightly crisp. Remove and keep warm.

Slice vegetables

Slice the tomato into 1/4-inch rounds and thinly slice the red onion. Rinse and pat dry the lettuce leaves. Prepare mayonnaise and mustard in small bowls or apply directly.

Assemble burgers

Spread about 1 tsp mayonnaise on the bottom half of each bun and 1/2 tsp mustard on the top half (adjust to taste). Place a lettuce leaf on the mayo, add a cooked cheeseburger patty, top with 2 pickle slices, a tomato slice, and a few onion rings. Close with the top bun. Repeat for all burgers.

Serve immediately while hot with optional sides (fries, chips, or salad). Leftover cooked patties can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheated gently in a skillet or oven. Uncooked formed patties can be frozen for up to 3 months—separate with parchment and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.