Plated + Served: The Best Homemade Grilled Double Cheeseburger
There is nothing better than a perfectly grilled homemade cheeseburger. Oh, there is one thing better.
A double cheeseburger!
(I know I’ve been on this tear about not eating so much meat. But, as my good friend DWH says, there are some days when you’ve just gotta have a burger.)
If you want a perfect burger, you have to start off with the perfect meat: chuck. Pre-packaged ground beef often doesn’t say which part of the cow it came from. Sometimes it does, I’ll admit, but most of the time it just says “Ground Beef-80% lean,” or something like that.
The only way to make sure what you’re getting is chuck is to buy a chuck roast and have the person at the meat counter (or your butcher) grind it. I know this seems like Fannie Fussbudget, but think of it this way: if you bought a ticket to New York and you ended up in New Jersey, you’d be a little miffed, wouldn’t you?
A lot of people make hockey pucks instead of hamburgers when they’re grilling. That’s because they want a thicker burger but they don’t remember that the meat is going to shrink a bit. If you make an indentation in the middle of the patties, about the size of a quarter and ¼” deep, (don’t put a hole in the meat!), the patties won’t curl or shrink as much.
If you are making double cheeseburgers, it’s usually better to make two thinner patties, 4-to-5-inches across and less than ½-inch thick. After they’re cooked, you can stack ‘em, if you like, with a nice thick piece of cheese in between for double cheeseburgers.
Just before putting the patties on the fire, lightly grease the grill by dipping a paper towel in some cooking oil (please use tongs!) and running it over the grill rack. Cook the patties over a medium-hot grill for 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how rare you like your meat.
Something that drives Mama crazy but EVERYONE seems to do it: DON’T press down on the patties as they are cooking. You are squeezing out the delicious juices and you’ll wind up with burgers that are dry, dry, dry.
I made double cheeserburgers last night, but looking at the burger images has given me a hankering for another! Think I’ll call DWH…
The Best Grilled Double Cheeseburger you’ll need… let’s get to it… cooking know how…
prep: 15 minutes
cook: 10 minutes
serves: 6 or 12 (you’ll make 12 5 oz. patties)
2 lbs. ground chuck, about 80% lean
2 teaspoons salt
3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pushed through a garlic press
2 tablespoons steak, soy or your favorite flavored sauce (teriyaki, Worcestershire, etc.)
6 thick slices of your favorite cheese
6 whole wheat buns
Mix the meat, salt, garlic and sauce together in large bowl. Divide into 12 balls, doing your best to make sure they are even.
Shape into 12 patties, making a well about the size of a quarter in the middle.
Place on a foil wrapped platter*; refrigerate.
Light or preheat the grill. It will be hot enough when it is difficult to hold your hand 4 inches above the rack.
Place the patties on the grill rack and cook for 3 to 4 minutes (for medium rare burgers); turn meat and top 6 of the patties with the sliced cheese.
Cook all of the meat 2 to 3 minutes longer. Don’t press down on the burgers when cooking… you’ll make them dry!
Remove from grill and place one cheesy patty on each bottom bun; top each patty with a plain patty. Top with remaining buns. Garnish as desired.
