Two smash patties with American cheese, Draft Room sauce, lettuce, tomato, and onion.
Where this dish comes from
The steakhouse burger — 8 oz of ground chuck and brisket blend on a toasted brioche bun, topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and house sauce. The bar-and-grill staple that anchors the lunch menu at most steakhouses. Priced $18 to $28 depending on the room.
Use a coarse-ground blend: 80/20 chuck and brisket, ground fresh that day. The fat content matters — anything leaner produces a dry burger, anything fatter renders into pooled fat on the griddle. Form patties just thicker than the bun and just wider in diameter, since they shrink during cooking. Press a divot in the center to prevent doming.
2 lbs ground chuck and brisket blend (80/20 fat ratio), formed into 4 (8 oz) balls
Kosher salt (aggressive)
Fresh black pepper
2 tablespoons neutral oil (for the skillet/griddle if not flat-top)
FOR THE BUNS:
4 brioche burger buns
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
FOR THE TOPPINGS:
4 slices American cheese
8 leaves butter lettuce
4 thin tomato slices
16 dill pickle chips
1 small red onion, paper-thin sliced (optional)
FOR THE HOUSE SAUCE:
5 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
5 teaspoon paprika
25 teaspoon onion powder
Fresh black pepper
TO SERVE:
House-cut fries (see crispy steak frites recipe)
Flag picks or skewers
Instructions
1
Whisk all house sauce ingredients. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2
Press balls into patties wider than the bun and slightly taller. TIP: Press a divot in the center of each patty before cooking. The patty shrinks and tightens during the cook, and the divot prevents the center from doming up into a meatball shape.
3
Season patties aggressively with salt and pepper on both sides.
4
Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Brush with oil. Lay patties in, divot up. Cook 3 min per side without moving.
5
Top each patty with American cheese. Cover with a cloche or foil for 60 sec to melt cheese.
6
Butter and toast brioche buns on the griddle, cut-side down, until golden — about 60 seconds.
7
Build each: bottom bun, sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickle, cheese-topped patty, more sauce, top bun. Flag pick. Plate with fries pile and a sauce ramekin alongside. Serve immediately while hot.
The Draft Room · Senoia, GA
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