As I've got no plans to go to the west coast of the States anytime soon, I decided it'd be worthwhile to test out the In-N-Out Burger re-creation done at SeriousEats. Have any of you tried that recipe out? Let me know how it went in the comments!
I followed the instructions found there pretty much to a tee, except I was more practical about it. The recipe at Serious Eats is done by an enthusiast, but most of us don't have the time to go that extra mile. And while I do admire the effort put into that recipe, I think my results are just as good while allowing this burger to be made in less time.
Firstly, the ingredients:
- non sesame buns
- minced beef
- onion
- salt
- pepper
- thousand island
- pickle
- tomato
- iceberg lettuce
- mustard
- cheese
Fry the onions on medium heat with salt and oil, and when they dry out, splash some water back in. Fry till they are caramelized and soft.
While the onions are cooking, form the patties. I did use the specified weight of 2oz (56 grams) per patty but I felt that these were a little small as they shrink after cooking. Perhaps around 70 grams would've been better. I was however, using buns that are larger than the In n Out ones. Season the patties with salt and pepper. Remove the onions and place aside.
Next, to fry the patties. I found that if I put the patties on too high a heat (which the Serious Eats recipe recommended), they shrink very fast and I didn't have time to work. So with a medium high flame, brown the patties on one side and spread the mustard on top each patty while in the pan. Turn once and place your cheese on top of the browned side. When the other side has browned, take off the heat. Sandwich the onions in between two patties.
Brown the burger buns in the pan. Spread the Thousand Island sauce liberally on the bottom bun and place a layer of pickles, then tomato, followed by a thick layer of lettuce. Place the double patty on top and cover with the top bun. Eat...then tell me about how amazing it was.
I've been following In-N-Out for some time now and I was mortified to learn that while I was in Singapore, In-N-Out decided to do some market testing in both Hong Kong and Sydney! They were serving their burgers for only one day! Apparently they had also done the same in Shanghai. I also know that the burgers were sold out almost as quickly as they were made. Let us hope that their success was persuasive enough for them to decide to open restaurants worldwide! If so, I wouldn't need to diy anymore! Have you heard of any other places where In-N-Out held their market testing?
