Double Cheeseburger Animal Style
Mustard-seared beef patties, melty American cheese, deeply caramelized onions, pickles and a tangy special sauce on a toasted soft bun. This griddle-smashed double cheeseburger is a homemade take on the West Coast "animal style" classic.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Wait
- 10 min
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Makes
- 4 double cheeseburgers
Steps
Before you start
- Keep the ground beef refrigerated until the moment you cook; cold fat helps keep patties juicy.
- Make the special sauce first so the flavors blend while you cook the onions.
- Open a window or turn on the vent fan: smashing burgers on a hot griddle makes smoke.
- Have everything assembled and within reach before searing; the burgers cook in about 3 minutes each.
Mix special sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, drained relish, sugar and vinegar until smooth and evenly pink.
- Cover and refrigerate while you cook.
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Ready when: Sauce is uniform in color with no streaks.
Tip: Make it up to 3 days ahead; the flavor improves.
Caramelize the onions
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet over medium heat.
- Add the sliced onions and ½ teaspoon of the salt.
- Cook, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Add a splash of water if they stick or brown too fast.
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Ready when: Onions are deep golden brown, very soft and sweet-smelling, reduced to about one-quarter of their original volume.
Tip: Don't rush with high heat; scorched onions turn bitter.
Prep burger station
- Cut four 4-inch parchment squares.
- Place the 8 beef balls on a tray, still cold.
- Mix the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small dish.
- Set out the cheese, mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato and buns near the stove.
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Tip: Do not season or squeeze the beef balls ahead; handle them as little as possible so patties stay tender.
Toast the buns
- Spread the softened butter on the cut sides of the buns.
- Toast them butter-side down in a clean skillet or griddle over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Set aside, cut side up.
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Ready when: Cut sides are golden brown and slightly crisp.
Heat the griddle
- Heat a 12-inch (30 cm) cast-iron skillet or griddle over high heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Keep the onions warm over low heat.
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Ready when: A drop of water sizzles and evaporates instantly; the surface is just beginning to smoke.
Tip: A properly hot surface is what gives the crust. No oil is needed because the beef is fatty.
Smash the patties
- Cook in two batches of 4 patties (2 burgers per batch).
- Place beef balls on the hot surface, a few inches apart.
- Cover each with a parchment square and press hard with a sturdy spatula until about 4½ inches (11 cm) wide and ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick.
- Remove the parchment and sprinkle with the salt-pepper mix.
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Ready when: Patties are thin with lacy, ragged edges.
Tip: Press only in the first 10 seconds; pressing later squeezes out juices.
Add mustard and flip
- Cook 90 seconds, until the edges are dark brown and crisp.
- Spread 1 teaspoon mustard on each raw top.
- Scrape under each patty with the spatula, keeping the crust intact, and flip so the mustard side hits the griddle.
- Cook 30 seconds.
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Ready when: Underside has a deep brown crust and the mustard sizzles and darkens.
Tip: Scrape firmly so the crust stays on the patty rather than the pan.
Melt the cheese
- Place a slice of American cheese on each patty.
- Stack a second cheese-topped patty on top of the first for each burger.
- Cover with a lid or inverted bowl for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Transfer to the bottom buns.
- Repeat with the second batch.
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Ready when: Cheese is fully melted and drooping over the patty edges. Internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C).
Tip: Work quickly so the first batch is still hot when the second is done.
Assemble and serve
- Spread special sauce on the toasted top buns.
- Layer lettuce and tomato on the bottom buns under the beef, as desired.
- Top each burger with 4 pickle chips and a generous heap of warm caramelized onions.
- Add the top bun and serve immediately.
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Ready when: Burger is stacked, cheese still melty.
Tip: Eat right away; the crisp crust softens as it sits.
Good to know
Tips
- Use cold beef and a very hot pan for the best crust and juicy center.
- Don't overwork the meat into balls; loosely formed balls smash into lacy-edged patties.
- Scrape rather than lift the patties when flipping to keep the browned crust.
- Cook in two batches; crowding the pan steams the meat instead of searing it.
Make ahead
"Make the special sauce up to 3 days ahead and caramelize the onions up to 4 days ahead; both keep refrigerated in airtight containers. Rewarm the onions in a skillet before serving. Portion the beef into balls up to 8 hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge."
Storage & reheating
"Best eaten immediately. Leftover cooked patties keep refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side until hot throughout (165°F/74°C). Cooked patties freeze up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Do not store assembled burgers at room temperature more than 2 hours."
Substitutions
- ground beef, 80/20 → ground chuck 80/20 or 85/15. Avoid leaner than 85/15 or the patties turn dry and won't crisp as well.
- soft hamburger buns → potato rolls or brioche buns. Soft, slightly sweet buns work best; toast them well.
- American cheese slices → mild cheddar or white American deli slices. Deli-style American melts best; cheddar is less creamy.
- sweet pickle relish → finely minced dill pickles plus ½ teaspoon extra sugar. Gives a slightly less sweet sauce.
