McDonald’s Hamburger

This recipe from The Ultimate Hamburger Book is so good that it even surpasses the Mac’s star burger. With the homemade sauces, you’ll go completely full out.

You make the buns yourself, but you can ask your butcher to mince neck steak. You can then make the burgers yourself with it. This meat has a good ratio of fat to meat, which ensures the perfect juicy burger. Making the tomato ketchup and yellow mustard yourself does require some time and experience, so if you’re short on time, just secretly buy a bottle of Heinz and a jar of yellow mustard at your supermarket.

Beautiful Burgerbuns

Start with the burger buns. In a food processor, mix the water, butter, egg, flour, sugar, salt and dry yeast into a smooth dough. Cover and let it rise for about two hours in a warm spot in the kitchen. Once the dough has doubled in size, you can start working with it. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees so that, once they’re ready, your buns can go straight into the preheated oven.

Divide the dough into eight pieces and shape them into beautiful balls. If you’re using sesame seeds, brush the balls with beaten egg now and sprinkle the sesame seeds over them. Then brush the burger buns with some melted butter and bake them in the oven for 18 minutes. Once they’re done, brush them with a little more butter and let them cool on a rack.

Tomato Ketchup

While the dough for your buns is rising, you can make the tomato ketchup and yellow mustard yourself. For the tomato ketchup, first melt the sugar with a few drops of water in a saucepan over the heat. Once it has lightly caramelized, deglaze it with vinegar. Now you can add the tomato purée and bring the entire mixture to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add the tomatoes and glucose. Let it simmer and reduce for another half hour; keep in mind that cooled ketchup is always somewhat thicker than warm ketchup. When you’re satisfied, remove the pan from the heat and pass the mixture through a sieve. Let the ketchup cool for the perfect result.

Yellow Mustard

Next, make the yellow mustard. It’s a typical hamburger ingredient, but can sometimes be difficult to find. To make it, place water, mustard powder, salt, turmeric, garlic and paprika powder in a saucepan over the heat and stir until smooth. Bring it to a boil and let it reduce to a thick paste. Then add the vinegar and let this mixture reduce again to the desired thickness. Let the mustard cool before using it as well.

Patty’s

Once your sauces and buns are ready and cooled, you can cook the burgers. The best way to cook beef burgers is hot and fast. This sears your burger immediately and prevents it from becoming too dry. So make sure the oil in your pan is very hot before adding the burger. Never cook your burger in butter, as butter burns quickly at high temperatures. On average, cook the burger for three minutes on each side, but this may of course vary if the burger is a little larger or smaller. To turn your ‘regular’ McDonald’s burger into a cheeseburger, place a slice of cheddar on your patty. It will melt from the heat of the burger.

Once everything is ready, it’s time to start stacking. Begin with the bottom half of a bun, then place the burger and a tablespoon of raw onion on top. Add 3 dots of mustard and 5 dots of tomato ketchup. Then add 3 slices of pickle and finish with the top of your burger bun.

The Ultimate Hamburger Book
Julius Jaspers
€19,99
Carrera Culinair