THE SECRET TO MAKING A SHAKE SHACK BURGER AT HOME
Plus Green Goddess Gets Dippy with It
Since we’re going into Memorial Day Weekend, we want to start off by saying we honor the fallen heroes—and their families—who have served our country. Thank you and we are thinking of you.
THE SECRET TO MAKING A SHAKE SHACK BURGER AT HOME
EK: A Grilled Shake Shack Burger, that is!
The Classic Shake Shack Burger, a.k.a. The “Shack Burger” is a griddled all-beef patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, Secret ShackSauce and a buttered and toasted potato bun. Their meat is so good, that my beefy burger order is very simple: burger, American cheese and (sour) hamburger pickle chips on a soft and pillowy potato bun. That’s what I made and photographed. The lettuce and tomato might make a prettier picture, but for me it gets in the way of my burgerlicious bite.
AU: Oh, see this is what makes burgers such a personal preference: I happen to LOVE the cold, crisp lettuce and juicy tomato combined with the hot crusty beef patty and melty cheese!
EK: Right?! Do it your way! Speaking of which, I’ve adapted the top techniques from Shake Shack so that I can make it at home and now I am sharing them with you, but I am grilling, not griddling!
EK: I grill burgers at home on a gas grill and they still taste very similar to my standing order at Shake Shack. You could also make them more authentic and “smash” them once in a cast-iron skillet to get that end-to-end crust, but I am a sucker for the grill!
AU: Outdoor griddles are all the rage these days, so if you’ve got a griddle at home, smash away! For the rest of us, Elizabeth’s method is as close to a Shake Shack burger as you can get. I, for one, will def be making these this weekend.
EK: Living and working in the NYC restaurant community has its perks. One of the biggest is getting to know and work with your fellow chefs at charity events which can be multiple times a week in the fall and winter.
It was at one of these events that I saw Mark Rosati, the culinary director of Shake Shack. Being a big Shake Shack fan, I asked him what the secret was. I knew that the burger meat came from Pat LaFrieda and was a combination of cuts like short rib, brisket and chuck, and about 80/20 or 80% meat and 20% fat.
I had been working on my cookbook, Steak & Cake and had done a deep dive into making my own burger blend, so I knew that the combination of cuts of beef was essential, but I was still missing something. No matter what blend I made or how I cooked it, it just wasn’t as good…
I asked Mark what he thought was the difference and he said, “try Pat’s pre-made burgers and season with more salt and pepper than you think you need.” As soon as I could, I tested his advice. I went to the store and purchased Pat LaFrieda burgers and mixed together a pepper-heavy salt and pepper burger seasoning.
I didn’t touch the burgers except to season them on one side and grill them in 3 easy steps:
Place the burgers seasoned-side down on the preheated cooking grates and let them cook [with the lid of the grill down to keep in the heat] for 4 minutes on the first side.
Season them liberally on the top side and turn once; let them grill for another 3 minutes.
Place cheese on the top and let it warm through for other minute or until the edges of the cheese melt enough to droop over the patty.
Now, it was time to Build My Burger.
The Potato Roll was a given. The potato roll is important because it doesn’t fight the burger, it’s soft and pliable and is more texture than flavor. It melds seamlessly into the flavor of the burger and the toppings. You can brush the inside with butter and grill it, but IMO, it’s not essential. You want to keep the bun soft.
Finally, garnish as you see fit. I am on the simpler side of toppings, dropping the secret ShackSauce, all condiments, lettuce and tomato in lieu of pickle chips and American cheese—and I usually add a second slice. When the meat is good and perfectly grilled, that’s all I need.
THE MEAT:
The first time I made these burgers, I couldn’t believe how good they were. The meat is ground, combined and formed into patties with minimal mixing, which gives it a light texture that keeps its shape, but isn’t tough. It proves that you never want to over-work ground meat and that you only need your patties to be about 6 ounces or ¼ pound each. You can order Pat LaFrieda burgers nationwide and some grocery stores carry them as well. If you can’t find them, Schweid & Sons makes very good burgers. I am partial to “The Signature Blend” of Chuck & Brisket.
SALT & PEPPER:
In the Shake Shack Recipes & Stories cookbook, the recipe for their salt and pepper seasoning is ½ cup kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. My ratio is much different. Based on my conversation with Mark, I make a mixture of 1 tablespoon Morton Kosher Salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. After years of making burgers with this ratio of salt and pepper, I believe that this is the secret to seasoning well!
SHACKSAUCE:
Some think that the ShackSauce is as important as the meat. I am not one of those people, but if you are, the sauce has many copycat recipes. I’d start with the recipe that Shake Shack is offering up. They admit that a secret ingredient is missing, but that the published recipe is close. One clue is that the recipe in the book calls for pickle juice where employees of the Shack swear that the sauce includes chopped-up pickles—You can make it your way and I’ve included the recipe below.
TOP IT OFF:
When Mark Rosati makes Shake Shack style burgers for a party, he is a fan of laying out all the possible garnishes and letting people top their own burger, and we couldn’t agree more.
A Burger’s Dozen Garnishes (plus anything else you like):
Extra Slice of American Cheese
Buttered and Toasted Bun
Hamburger Pickle Chips
ShackSauce (see recipe)
Mayo
Ketchup
Mustard
ChiliCrisp
Bacon
Onion
Lettuce
Tomato Slices
Potato Chips
YOU NEED THIS GREEN GODDESS DIP!
AU: With all the hamburgers and hot dogs flinging around the neighborhood this weekend, chances are you might want some… vegetables??
But not straight-up raw veggies (we’re not psychopaths), we need a cold, creamy, delicious dip to pair with our platter of health and wellness.You’re in luck, because I’ve been playing around for weeks to dial in a perfect Green Goddess Dip.
AU: You can make it with a base of sour cream or greek yogurt, if you’re so inclined, but after months of social media shoving cottage cheese in my face, I finally caved. I gotta tell you: I’m never going back.
Why cottage cheese, you ask? Well, for the same reason our grandmothers ate it with canned peaches—it packs a big nutritional punch! Cottage cheese has more protein on average than even Greek Yogurt… and it’s usually lower in calories and fat, too!
EK: I’ve always loved cottage cheese, probably because my grandmother ate it with canned peaches! Although I’ve always preferred mine with chives so this dip is right up my alley and I can’t wait to make it. It also feels like the perfect antidote to my glorious but greasy cheeseburger and chips! Plus, it’s one gorgeous green goddess!
AU: The only trick to blending cottage cheese is that the more you blend it, the thinner it will be. Since we’re looking for a dippable consistency, we only want to puree until it’s just homogenous—don’t let the blender run too long, or you’ll have green goddess dressing (still delicious).
Speaking of being “dippable,” you may wonder why we’re adding liquid—in the form of buttermilk—to the dip. It accomplishes two things: one, you need a little liquid to get everything moving in the blender, and two, the buttermilk adds a fantastic tang that you don’t get from cottage cheese alone. In the instructions, I say to start with 1/4 cup and add more if you need it (I haven’t had to). The mixture will also thicken slightly once it’s fully chilled.
AU: This Green Goddess Dip is a fantastic way to perk up your veggie platter, but it also makes an amazing marinade for chicken or pork… I bet it would be great on a firm white fish like halibut, cod, or swordfish, too! You can also add more buttermilk to the mix and use it as a salad dressing. It’s really zingy, so I especially love it paired with sweeter vegetables like snap peas, carrots, fennel, etc.
Make it this weekend and you’ll be the Domestic Goddess who served Green Goddess Dip!
I can’t stop dipping everything into this GG dip--it’s so good! And I’m already accounting for 2 of these delicious burgers this weekend! I love mine with lots of pickles