Make Shake Shack Burgers at Home

How to make the perfect Shake Shack burger at home

Here is the recipe from the new cookbook, Shake Shack: Recipes & Stories, from Shack CEO Randy Garutti and culinary director Mark Rosat. The recipes have been adapted so you can easily make them at home. This burger recipe might not be the exact recipe but a side by side test by our team proved we could not tell the difference ! Enjoy and add this to your week-end menu. Also perfect for upcoming holiday week-ends!

The SHAKE SHACK BURGER 

INGREDIENTS TO SERVE: 4

• 4 hamburger potato buns

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 4 tablespoons Not Quite Our Shack-Sauce*

• 4 pieces green leaf lettuce

• 8 ¼-inch slices ripe plum tomato

• 1 pound very cold ground beef, divided into 4 pucks

• ½ teaspoon Our Salt & Pepper Mix

• 4 slices American cheese

HOW TO HOW TO MAKE

1. Heat a cast-iron griddle over medium-low heat until warm. Meanwhile, open the hamburger buns and brush the insides with the melted butter. A soft brush is helpful here. Place the buns buttered side down on the griddle and toast until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer buns to a plate. Spoon the sauce onto the top bun. Add a piece of the lettuce and two slices of tomato.

2. Increase the heat to medium and heat the griddle until hot, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Evenly sprinkle a pinch of Our Salt & Pepper Mix on top of each puck of meat.

4. Place the pucks on the griddle, seasoned side down. Using a large, sturdy metal spatula, firmly smash each puck into a 1/3-inch-thick round patty. Pressing down on the spatula with another stiff spatula helps flatten the burger quickly. Evenly sprinkle another big pinch of Our Salt & Pepper Mix.

5. Cook the burgers, resisting the urge to move them, until the edges beneath are brown and crisp, and juices on the surface are bubbling hot, about 2½ minutes. Slide one of the spatulas beneath the burger to release it from the griddle and scrape up the caramelized browned crust. Use the other spatula to steady the burger and keep it from sliding. Flip the burgers. Put the cheese on top and cook the burgers 1 minute longer for medium. Cook more or less depending on your preference.

6. Transfer the cheeseburgers to the prepared buns and enjoy.

OUR SALT & PEPPER MIX*

You can find the kosher salt and peppercorns with a grinder at your grocery.

We mix ½ cup kosher salt with ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper and use that mixture to season our burgers as they cook. You’ll see we call for a pinch or two of the mixture in every recipe.

SHACKSAUCE | MAKES ABOUT ½ CUP

Long ago we threw away the key to the secret recipe for ShackSauce; but we promise to get you really close with ingredients easily found in your kitchen.

• ½ cup Hellman’s mayonnaise

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 3/4 teaspoon Heinz ketchup

• ¼ teaspoon kosher dill pickling brine

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

Fun Facts about the Shake Shack burger

The ShackBurger is served on a buttered, griddled potato bun. Shake Shack uses Martin's Potato Rolls, which are an East Coast favorite often found with lobster rolls as well as burgers.

ShackBurgers are topped with a slice of melted American cheese from Wisconsin. Pro tip: it takes about 45 seconds for the cheese to start melting.

The patty is seasoned with salt and pepper, and then cooked on a griddle using a "smash" technique. The salt and the smash create the crust, which contrasts the juiciness of the burger.

ShackSauce is inspired by classic toppings of the '50s: ketchup, mustard, " and everything in between."

You have to ask for onion and pickles as they are not part of the Classic ShackBurger.The ShackBurger is topped with a classic lettuce and tomato combo.

What Makes THEM the Perfect Roll?

Here's what Martin Potato rolls says:

• Soft and Tastes Great

• NO High Fructose Corn Syrup

• NO Artificial Dyes

• NO Azodicarbonamide (ADA)

• NO Trans Fats

• Non-GMO*

• Contains B Vitamins, Calcium, & Iron

Reprinted from Shake Shack. Copyright © 2017 by Shake Shack Enterprises, LLC. Principal photographs copyright © 2017 by Christopher Hirsheimer. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.  Christopher Hirsheimer Photo Credits