McDonald's Hamburger (Copycat)

The original: Hamburger · McDonald's →

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About

When the McDonald brothers reopened their San Bernardino restaurant in late 1948, they cut a sprawling barbecue menu down to a handful of items and built a kitchen where every burger was made the same way, fast. The plain hamburger, at fifteen cents, was the heart of that system, and almost everything the company became grew out of it.

This home version makes eight of them from a pound of 80/20 beef, two ounces each, pressed between parchment into very thin rounds wider than the bun. The detail most copycats miss is the onion: dried minced onion soaked in warm water for at least fifteen minutes, which gives the small, soft, slightly sweet pieces McDonald’s uses. The plain buns are toasted face down in a dry pan. Each patty is dressed with ketchup, yellow mustard, the rehydrated onion and one or two dill pickle slices.

Ingredients

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Ground beef1 pound (450g) ground beef (80/20 lean-to-fat ratio)
Burger bun8 plain soft burger buns
White onion2 Tablespoons (10g) dried minced onions
Water1/2 cup (120ml) warm water (for soaking)
Ketchup1/4 cup (60ml) ketchup
Yellow mustard2 Tablespoons (30ml) yellow mustard
Dill pickle8-16 dill pickle slices
Salt1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Recipe

1
Start with the 'soul' of the McDonald's burger: the onions. Place your dried minced onions in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Let them sit for at least 15 minutes to rehydrate. Pro tip: Once they're plump, drain the water well. These tiny bits of onion provide that specific sharp, sweet crunch found under the golden arches.
2
Divide your beef into 8 small portions, about 2 ounces (55g) each. Roll them into balls and then use a piece of parchment paper to smash them into very thin, circular patties. You want them slightly wider than your bun because they'll shrink as soon as they hit the pan.
3
Toast those plain buns! Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat and place the bun halves face down for 30-45 seconds. You’re looking for a light golden-brown seal—this stops the ketchup and mustard from soaking into the bread and making it soggy.
4
Get the skillet screaming hot on medium-high. Place the thin patties down and immediately hit them with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 90 seconds until a dark brown crust forms, then flip. Since they are so thin, they only need another 30-45 seconds on the second side.
5
Time to dress the 'crown' (the top bun). Apply 5 small dots of yellow mustard around the edges and one healthy swirl of ketchup in the center. Add a teaspoon of your rehydrated onions and exactly one or two pickle slices—don't overdo it, we're going for balance here.
6
Place the cooked patty onto the bottom bun ('the heel') and place the dressed top bun over it. Give it a very light, gentle press to help the flavors say hello to each other.
7
The final secret step: wrap the burger in wax paper or parchment for 60 seconds. This allows the heat from the meat to steam the bun and soften the onions just enough. This 'sweating' process is what makes it taste exactly like the drive-thru.