I think the perfect homemade burger exists, and we're going to find it.

Joshua’s Perfect Burger 

Makes 4 burgers

• 4 Big Marty’s White Seeded Buns

• Unsalted butter, softened, for toasting

• 1 lb (450g) 75% ground beef

• ½ sweet onion, sliced thin on a mandoline

• 8 slices American cheese 

• 2 medium sized dill pickles, sliced lengthwise into ¼ inch planks

• Salt and pepper to taste

JW Burger Sauce

Makes 1 pint of sauce

• 2 dill pickles, finely diced 

• 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter

• ½ sweet onion, medium dice 

• 3/4 cup (175g) mayo

• 1/2 cup (120g) ketchup

• 1/4 cup (80g) dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon (7g) thinly sliced chives

• 2 cloves garlic grated

• 1 tablespoon (14mL) Worcestershire sauce

• Salt and pepper to taste

JW Sauce Method 

1. Begin by preheating a small saucepan over medium heat.

2. Once hot add butter to the pan and let it melt. Once the butter has melted add the diced onion and season lightly with salt.

3. Allow onions to cook, constantly stirring, until they are caramelized and deep brown in color. About 20-25 minutes. Every so often your pan may begin to darken quite a bit and the onions will get close to burning. At this stage simply add 2 tablespoons of water, stir until completely combined and continue to cook. Once caramelized, allow to cool completely. An option for speeding this method up would be to increase the heat. Just expect a more charred product that still has a nice caramelized onion flavor but leads more into a charred onion flavor. Which by the way is still very tasty. 

4. In a medium bowl, add in all the ingredients besides onions and stir until well combined.

5. Once combined, and caramelized onions are cooled, add the caramelized onions into the sauce and stir to combine. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Burger Method

1. Heat a large griddle or 12 inch nonstick cast iron skillet over medium heat. Spread enough softened butter on the inside of the top and bottom of a Big Marty’s seeded white bun to fully coat the surface area, about 1.5 teaspoons per bun.  Toast the buns butter-side down, moving them around the surface of the griddle until evenly toasted and golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Once the insides are toasted, overturn each bun so the tops are toasted lightly, another 30 seconds. Set to the side and repeat with all your buns.

2. Wipe out the large griddle or 12 inch nonstick cast iron skillet with a paper towel and increase the heat to medium high. Roll your ground beef into 2 ounce balls. Once your cooking surface is hot, place your meat onto your griddle at least 4 inches apart from each other. Top with a generous handful of your onions. Using a large heavy spatula or burger press, smash both of your onion-topped meat balls into the griddle until about 1/8 inch thick.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 1 minute and 30 seconds, or until you have a deep golden brown crust underneath. Using a thin, sturdy spatula, or an edge scraper, scrape aggressively underneath and flip both burgers, being careful to keep them in the same place so they continue cooking in their own fat.  Add one slice of American cheese to each burger patty. Optionally add a lid to speed up the melting process. Once melted, place one burger patty on top of the other. Those 2 patties make patties for one burger. Repeat with the rest of your beef for a total of 4 burgers worth of patties.

3. To assemble, spread sauce on both your top and bottom buns. On each bottom bun add three dill pickle slices shingled over each other.  Add your double patties to each burger. Add your top bun, and serve immediately.