Everyone's Talking About That One Particular Cheeseburger From "The Menu," So Here's Exactly How To Recreate It At Home
As someone who a) writes about food for a living and b) can usually be found perched in front of his TV when he's not doing that, I literally jump for joy when food-centered shows and movies get released. Needless to say, when Searchlight's dark comedy The Menu was first announced earlier this year, I just about fainted.
After seeing it, I'm happy to report that it surpassed my already-high expectations. But to be perfectly honest, I left the theater buzzing about something altogether unexpected — something that had absolutely nothing to do with the extravagantly plated dishes, the stellar ensemble, or the objectively clever writing. The element of the film that's been living rent-free in my brain ever since? A cheeseburger. In the context of the movie, it brought a tear to my eye and a tiny, embarrassing droplet of drool to my lap, and I've been craving it ever since.
If you haven't seen The Menu yet, don't worry. I won't spoil anything for you about the significance of this burger. But let's just say that I'm not the only one who wanted to reach through the screen and grab that burger for myself.
THE MENU made me laugh very hard and crave a cheeseburger very bad. Can’t wait to watch this again.
The thirst — or should I say hunger — was real.
Just saw The Menu, which was excellent, and had to get a cheeseburger immediately after. If you know you know… #themenu @TheMenuFilm
Like, it even had non-burger eaters talking.
I don’t even eat cheeseburgers but damn that cheeseburger in The Menu made me want to eat a cheeseburger
So what did I do? I did what any ol' food writer would do, and I reached out to the film's studio to figure out how the hell they made a simple cheeseburger look this viscerally appetizing. Luckily for me, they were more than willing to share.
The set of The Menu was stacked with major players in the food world so the courses (and actors who "prepared" them) would look as legit as possible. Case in point: Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn worked with the team to bring the menu to life, and the creator of Netflix's Chef's Table, David Gelb, consulted with the filmmakers to create those impeccable shots of each course. The pro responsible for the burger, in particular, was Savannah, Georgia chef John Benhase, who is a partner at the street-food destination Starland Yard. And if everyone's collective cheeseburger frenzy is any indication, it's pretty evident that he knows how to make a great one.
Chef Benhase told BuzzFeed exactly how to make these mouthwatering burgers, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I've cooked them up multiple times since receiving the recipe. The exact number, however, I would be embarrassed to admit. They really are that good.
Here's how to make 'em just like they did on the set of The Menu.
First, the ingredients. Here's what you'll need according to the chef himself:
A few worthwhile notes:
• The following recipe makes one double cheeseburger. If you'd like to make multiple, increase quantities as needed.
• Chef Benhase specifies freshly ground beef, which would, of course, be delectable. If you can find the freshly ground stuff — or if you own a literal meat grinder — amazing! Otherwise, just opt for ground beef with as much fat as possible, which is exactly what I did. An 80/20 blend (80% lean to 20% fat) worked really nicely for me.
• The original recipe only calls for "seasoning," which could totally just be salt, if you'd like. I opted for seasoned salt and loved the extra oomph it gave the burger, but you could also use plain ol' salt and pepper if you'd prefer. There's a ton of flavor in this burger already, so you do you.
You'll also need two particular pieces of kitchen equipment: a heavy-bottom skillet that's not nonstick, like cast iron, carbon steel, or stainless steel; and a sturdy steel burger flipper. For the latter, the thinner the better.
You'll need a skillet that can handle really high heat, so nonstick isn't the way to go here. And to scrape up all that crusty goodness when you flip your burgers, a steel flipper is mandatory. Don't try this with plastic!
STEP #1: If you have a vent over your stove, turn it on. You'll need it. You can even open a window! And if you just so happened to want to unplug your smoke detector for the time being, that also wouldn't be the worst idea. Just remember to plug it back in later.
Things are about to get a little smoky.
STEP #2: Prep your burger balls. As Chef Benhase puts it: "Burger balls are key." (Aren't they just.)
If you're as annoying as I am, use a kitchen scale to weigh out two 3-ounce portions of ground beef. If that's not your style, you can also loosely pack a 1/3 cup measuring cup with ground beef to create equal portions.
Once your beef is divided, lightly compress each portion into burger balls, just until everything adheres. You should still see the individual strands of ground beef instead of smashing them into a solid mass. "Work them as little as possible," Chef Benhase told BuzzFeed. "It's important to not emulsify the fats or warm them up."
Once your burger balls are shaped, you can actually pop them on a plate and put them into the freezer until you're ready to cook them, as long you'll be ready in 15 minutes or less so they won't, you know, freeze. As the chef says, the colder the meat, the juicier it'll be.
STEP #3: Get your buns nice and buttery and toast 'em. Over medium-low heat, melt the butter in your skillet and add the buns, cut side down. Toast them until they turn golden brown, about 2–3 minutes, and reserve until you're ready to plate.
Chef Benhase specifies clarified butter (or ghee), which is usually pretty easy to find in professional kitchens. I used a tablespoon of regular butter to save time, and it ended up being fine. Just make sure to wipe the excess butter out of your skillet before searing the burgers so the butter doesn't burn and turn bitter.
STEP #4: After wiping out the excess butter and sesame seeds in your skillet, crank up the heat. Like, a lot. You'll want to heat up your skillet to the point that a droplet of water actually beads up and dances around the skillet instead of immediately evaporating, like so:
Ross Yoder
This is on a roaring hot skillet, BTW. Fun and scary!
STEP #5: Pop your cold burger balls onto your skillet and smash them. No need to add oil!
I've found that the best method for smashing your burgers is to place a small sheet of parchment paper over each burger ball, place your sturdy flipper on top, and press the back of your flipper into the burger balls until they're flat. The parchment paper will peel right off the burgers, and your flipper won't get stuck to the ground beef.
NOTE: If you'll be cooking up multiple rounds of smash burgers, you'll need some sort of heavy, flat-bottom object (not your hand!) to press down on the burgers since the flipper will be hot to the touch. A pepper grinder, heavy drinking glass, or even a meat tenderizer would all work nicely.
STEP #6: Season the raw side of the burgers generously...
...and lay the thinly shaved onions on top of each. When they did this in the movie, I was wowed. And in real life, it makes such a huge difference in the flavor department.
STEP #7: Once the first sides have been seared for about 2 minutes, you'll flip them. "When flipping, you want to really scrape to make sure you don’t lose any of the crispy bits," Chef Benhase instructs.
"The shaved onions will get trapped under the patties and start to steam and cook in the beef fat," he adds. They definitely will — and it's glorious. Flipping will also reveal a deep brown, crunchy crust on the cooked side, which is exactly what you're going for.
STEP #8: Add your American cheese to the top of each burger. To make it just like they did in The Menu, make sure the four corners are slightly hanging off the sides of each patty. As the cheese melts, it'll start to give you those "fried egg edges," the chef says.
STEP #9: While the cheese melts, add your pickles to the bottom toasted bun and slather your burger sauce of choice all over the top bun. I used a 1:1 ratio of mayo to ketchup here, and it was delish.
STEP #10: As soon as the cheese is melted and turning golden brown at the edges, remove them from the skillet and onto your prepped burger bun. Really scrape the bottom of your skillet so you don't lose the onions or crispy cheese bits.
Stack the patties, add the top bun, and you're ready to eat.
In the looks department, not bad at all, if I do say so myself.
And in the flavor department, it's honestly just exquisite. The meatiness of the beef is the star of the show here, and in tandem with the shaved onions and punchy pickles, everything is perfectly balanced.
Between the crunchy crust on the outside of the burger patties, the gooey cheese, the crisp pickles, and the pillowy-soft buns, it's also a textural masterpiece. I mean, I could cry over that crust.
And juiciness? Delivered. (And then some.)
When I say it's easily the best burger I've ever had, I tell no lies. Sometimes simple truly is better, and The Menu's cheeseburger is bona fide proof of that.
Ross Yoder
