Hamburgers Diner Style Recipes

HAMBURGERS (DINER STYLE)

Steps:

• Add oil or butter to a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet and place over medium heat. Gently divide ground beef into 8 small piles of around 4 ounces each, and even more gently gather them together into orbs that are about 2 inches in height. Do not form patties.
• Increase heat under skillet to high. Put half the orbs into the skillet with plenty of distance between them and, using a stiff metal spatula, press down on each one to form a burger that is around 4 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook without moving until patties have achieved a deep, burnished crust, a little less than 2 minutes. Use the spatula to scrape free and carefully turn burgers over. If using cheese, lay slices on meat.
• Continue to cook until meat is cooked through, approximately a minute or so longer. Remove burgers from skillet, place on buns and top as desired. Repeat process with remaining burgers. Serving two hamburgers on a single bun is not an outrageous option.

DINER-STYLE DOUBLE BURGERS

Steps:

• For the bacon onion magic: Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the oil and bacon and cook until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes.
• Remove the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the skillet. Reserve the remaining bacon fat for another use, if desired.
• Add the butter to the bacon fat in the saute pan and melt over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly caramelized, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cooked bacon, then add the vinegar, sugar, thyme, salt and pepper and continue to cook over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened and has a jam-like consistency, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• For the diner-style burger sauce: Combine the ketchup, mustard and onions in a small bowl or airtight container until ready to use.
• For the diner-style double burger: Heat a double-burner griddle over medium-high heat for at least 10 minutes. Season the griddle with the oil to prevent sticking.
• Meanwhile, loosely form the meat into eight 2-ounce balls and set aside.
• Put the balls of meat on the griddle and smash them very flat with a large heavy-bottomed metal spatula. Season with salt and pepper and top each smashed patty with 1/2 tablespoon Bacon Onion Magic. Cook, undisturbed, until well browned, about 1 minute. Flip the patties and top each one with 1 cheese slice. Cook until the cheese is melted around the edges and the bottom of each burger is browned, about 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, on each potato roll bottom, spread 1/2 tablespoon Diner-Style Burger Sauce and top with 6 pickle slices. Make double patties on the griddle pan by stacking 4 of patties with the remaining 4 patties cheese-side up. Transfer the double patties to rest on top of the pickle slices. Spread 1/2 tablespoon Diner-Style Burger Sauce on each of the bun tops, then serve.

HAMBURGERS (TAVERN STYLE)

Steps:

• Add oil or butter to a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet and place over medium heat. Gently divide ground beef into 4 small piles of around 8 ounces each, and then lightly form these into thick patties of around 3 1/2 inches in diameter, like flattened meatballs. Season aggressively with salt and pepper.
• Increase heat under skillet to high. Put hamburgers into the skillet with plenty of distance between them and allow them to cook, without moving, for approximately 3 minutes. Use a spatula to turn hamburgers over. If using cheese, lay slices on meat.
• Continue to cook until meat is cooked through, approximately another 3 to 4 minutes for medium-rare. Remove hamburgers from skillet and allow to rest for approximately 5 minutes; meanwhile, toast the buns. Place hamburgers on buns and top as desired.

SOFT-N-FLUFFY HAMBURGER BUNS

Steps:

• Place the water, canola oil, flour, sugar, salt, vital wheat gluten, and yeast into the pan of a bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer, select the Dough cycle, and turn on the machine. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• When the cycle is finished, remove the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and knead for 2 to 3 minutes. Cut the dough into 12 equal-size pieces, and roll the dough into balls by cupping your hand, with open fingers, over each piece of dough. Roll gently, with just a little pressure, to form a dough ball with a silky surface. Place the dough balls onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, and flatten each dough ball gently into a bun. Cover with a cloth and let rise until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake the rolls in the preheated oven until the tops are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on racks before slicing.

SMASH BURGERS

Steps:

• Add oil or butter to a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet and place over medium heat. Gently divide ground beef into 8 small piles of around 4 ounces each, and even more gently gather them together into orbs that are about 2 inches in height. Do not form patties.
• Increase heat under skillet to high. Put half the orbs into the skillet with plenty of distance between them and, using a stiff metal spatula, press down on each one to form a burger that is around 4 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook without moving until patties have achieved a deep, burnished crust, a little less than 2 minutes. Use the spatula to scrape free and carefully turn burgers over. If using cheese, lay slices on meat.
• Continue to cook until meat is cooked through, approximately a minute or so longer. Remove burgers from skillet, place on buns and top as desired. Repeat process with remaining burgers. Serving two hamburgers on a single bun is not an outrageous option.

DINER-STYLE HAMBURGERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the chilled ground chuck with the Panko crumbs, grated cheese, and onion soup mix, working it with your hands just until they're well-mixed.
• Form into four patties about a half-inch thick. (Tip: pressing the center a little thinner helps prevent burgers from "balling up" as they cook.) Set aside while the buns are toasting.
• Spread the cut sides of the buns with a very thin layer of mayonnaise, and place cut-sides down on a hot non-stick griddle or skillet for 20-30 seconds, just until they toast. Remove and set aside where they'll stay warm.
• Now put the hamburger patties on the griddle, and cook over medium heat, flipping once, until they reach the desired degree of doneness. (These can handle being cooked to medium well or more without getting dry.) DO NOT PRESS ON THE PATTIES with the spatula as they cook; that just makes you lose the juiciness.
• There's cheese in these already, but if you want more, top each patty with a slice of cheese in the last minute of cooking, sprinkle a tablespoon of water next to it, and then cover with a lid over so the steam will melt the cheese. Serve the hot burgers on the toasted buns with your favorite toppings.