A while back my son saw a cooking video made by Joshua Weissman that featured the In-N-Out burger. He wanted me to try making the burger. I watched the video and thought it would take me pretty much all day to make it, but I was game!

In the video, everything is made from scratch, including the buns, sauce, burger, and condiments. The burger looked really good though.

This week we went to our local farmers market and picked up a couple pounds of ground beef from a nearby producer called Totum Farm.

This special beef was just right for making a smash burger using the Joshua Weissman recipe. My version is not that much work as I am using good-quality store-bought buns. The burgers are pretty simple to make; you just add salt, pepper, and butter.

I am using two types of cheese in these burgers; sharp cheddar and haverti. You can use your favorite if you like.

What makes this burger so awesome is the sauce Joshua made with caramelized onions. I didn’t have regular pickles on hand so I used pickle relish instead. It turned out really great!

Joshua also used smashed garlic and thyme on his burger. I made a batch with the herb and garlic. Our family didn’t see much difference in terms of flavors so we decided to go the simple route. The recipe reflects the simpler version below.

Ingredients

Burger sauce

• 2 large or 3 cups yellow onion, peeled, trimmed, and small diced
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2-3 tbsp. water
• 3/4 cup full fat mayo
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup finely minced chives
• 1/4 cup dill pickle relish
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Burger

• 4-6 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 lbs. ground beef, make it in to 8 equal balls
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed (optional)
• A few sprigs of thyme (optional)
• 4 slices Havarti
• 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 large sesame seed buns, toasted and top of the buns brushed with melted butter
• Little gem lettuce leaves
• 2 large yellow onion, peeled, trimmed, cut in to 1/4-inch thick slices
• Sliced tomatoes
• Burger sauce

Instructions

Burger sauce

Heat butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions once the butter is melted. Add sugar and salt. Cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring and keeping watch. Onions are done once they have caramelized, seen below. Cool the mixture slightly.

Combine all burger sauce ingredients, including the cooled onion mixture in a medium sized bowl. Use a rubber spatula or a whish to mix all ingredients well. Taste for seasoning.

Keep it in the refrigerator until needed.

Cooking the burger

Heat a large non-stick electric skillet or a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tbsp. of unsalted butter. Add onion slices, sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper over the onion slices.

Cook until both sides of the onions are has slight char in them. Transfer the onion slices to a large plate and set aside.

Wipe down the skillet and be careful while wiping down the pan. Add the burger ball (I was able to cook 4 balls at a time) and press it down with a spatula. Add 2 tbsp. butter, 1 smashed garlic cloves, 2-3 pieces of thyme, and baste the burger time to time.

Cook the burger for 2-3 minutes on both sides. Add cheese one slice each on the patty, cover and cook until cheese is melted. Remove the cooked butter to a plate. Wipe down the pan with a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining burger.

Assembly

Once the burger is cooked, wipe down the pan again, melt 2 tbsp. of butter. Toast the bun over melted butter.

Spread a generous amount of burger sauce to both buns. Add sliced tomatoes (make sure to season the tomatoes with a little salt and pepper), burger patty, and a few pieces of lettuce slices on the bottom bun.

Then place the top bun to finish the burger.

Serves 8

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like, share, and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram. If you would like to be notified of upcoming posts, please consider subscribing to my blog!