Endure Series 4/5: The Burger Church of LA
- francisy2kim
- May 6, 2020
- 3 min read
4.) Make Good Food!
Francis takes us through his perfect burger recipe and why good food and creativity always calls for a good time!
The In-n-Out on Gayley Ave. UCLA's finest. It’s no secret that In-N-Out is pretty much the go-to in Los Angeles, at least, for my generation. The beef is fresh, the veggies are crisp, and there’s just something about the amalgamation of cheese, sauce, and wrapping paper that warms your soul.
Now, I would obviously be wrong to forgo mentioning classics like Tommy’s or even east coast migrant burger spots like Shake Shack, but on the west coast, and specifically in LA, In-N-Out is king.
No wonder the one on Gayley (photographed above) is so damn crowded all the time. It’s cheap, relatively fast, and tastes great. However, unfortunately for myself, I no longer have access to my hometown hero burger chain. The COVID pandemic struck, UCLA shut down, and I moved back to Texas, where In-N-Out burgers are more sparse than democrats.
Thus, I took it upon myself to learn how to make my own In-N-Out burgers, and I was surprised to find that it was one of the easiest things I had ever cooked. It’s pretty hard to mess up a burger.
Recipe
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Total Time: 40-45 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 lb. of 80/20 ground chuck
1 Sliced Roma tomato
2 Cups shredded iceberg or romaine lettuce
2 Cups diced white or yellow onion
Dill pickle chips
½ Cup mayonnaise
¼ Cup ketchup
¼ Cup relish
Sliced cheese of choice (American is traditional)
4 Buns of choice (Martin’s potato rolls are the best)
Steps:
Divide the 80/20 ground chuck into even 2 ounce meatballs. This can easily be done by cutting the pound of ground beef into quarters, then halving each of those pieces.
Mix the mayo, ketchup, and relish together to make the signature In-N-Out spread. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and garlic powder for an extra punch of flavor.
Heat a large pan (well-seasoned cast iron is great, if not, non-stick works fine), over medium-low heat. Toast both bottom and top buns until browned to your liking.
After removing the buns, pour about ¾ of your onions into the pan and turn the heat down slightly. Caramelize the onions until deeply browned and soft (about 15-20 minutes). Adding a small splash of water will help steam and soften them.
Collect the grilled onions and place them in a bowl. Make sure the pan is relatively clean. Turn the heat to medium and place your meatballs in the pan. You may have two rotations if your pan is not large enough.
Immediately use a strong, flat spatula to smash each meatball into a patty shape. This takes some practice, but using a wooden dowel or spoon to press in the center of the spatula will provide leverage and make the burger more uniform.
Season the burgers with salt and pepper on their top side, cooking for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes, or until you see the meat starting to brown on the sides of the patty.
Flip the burgers and add your cheese on top. This last part of cooking will only take about 15-30 seconds before the patties are done. Stack two patties on top of one another.
For assembly of the burger, spread your desired amount of In-N-Out sauce on the bottom bun. Add pickles, tomato, lettuce, and your remaining raw onion. Place the burger patties on the bed of veggies, and put a spoonful of grilled onions on top.
Put the top bun on and admire your work. Then eat the whole thing in about 6 bites.
Now obviously this is just the way I want to eat my burgers. Everybody has their own way. That’s the beauty of it. Experiment with what you like the best, and you’ll probably find that this In-N-Out replica is the best burger you’ve ever had. Just the satisfaction of making it yourself makes it miles better than the one on Gayley.
For more tips and interesting burger ideas, check out my inspiration for this post:
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