Skip to main content

Fast Food Slow: The Big Mac




"Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun." We all remember the jingle, and the iconic Big Mac. But do we really need to give into the siren song of fast food only to have it dash against the rocks. I think not! That's why we are bringing you a new series where we work to recreate classic fast food dishes after reviewing the original. We hope to elevate, but no copycat. There are other blogs for that.

Let's start with the beef.

Really, who needs two patties in this day and age? It's just overindulgence. A serving of beef is about three ounces, but we used a nice six-ounce patty for our recipe (we split the burger anyway). We aren't too picky about the fat content of our hamburger, but we do fry it in bacon or ham fat. We also like to season our patty. Lots of burger places let the meat speak for itself, but a little extra salt, pepper, and other seasonings never killed anybody. I like the patty smooshed thin, but do it ahead, not when it's cooking in the pan.

Next is the not-so-secret sauce.

Essentially, the "special sauce" on the Big Mac is thousand island dressing. I like to bump mine up a bit

though. I start with the basics: equal parts ketchup and mayo, enough to dress however many hamburgers you are making. A squirt or tablespoon of sweet pickle relish finishes off the base. Everything after that is to taste. I love a dash of Worcestershire sauce for some steakhouse flare. Paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, and minced, dried onions finish out the flavor profile.

Lettuce

The Big Mac has shredded iceberg lettuce, which sort of squishes out of the bun when you bit into it. We recommend whole leaves of butter lettuce for a burger. They are the exact right size for the bun, they create a nice cup over the burger, and it holds up well to the heat.

Cheese

On the Big Mac, you're going to find a slice of American cheese. What is American cheese? It's really a "pasteurized cheese product," and contains more ingredients than just milk, culture, rennet, and salt (which is what goes into real cheese). The result is a diluted flavor which seems to rely more on salt than anything else. The benefit (and why it's used at so many fast food restaurants) is that it has a low melting point, so you can throw a slice on a warm patty without having to keep it on the grill or steam it afterward.

We recommend a medium cheddar for our burger. Throw a couple of slices on the burger while it's still in the ban, and then cover with a lid to steam the cheese. That's how you are going to get the best melt on your cheese.

Pickles

You want a crisp pickle chip for this burger that can hold up to a little heat without getting too soggy. I recommend Mount Olive pickles. They always seem to hold their crunch and the flavor is great.

Onions

Our improvement here is to fry the onions along with the burger in the pan. Caramelized onions fried in animal fat...? You don't get much better than that. Make sure to keep the slices thin but large so they don't fall off the burger too easily, but get plenty of browning on them.

Sesame Seed Bun

We noticed the bun on the Big Mac was really sweet and really squishy. Also,

why the extra bread? According to the Thrillist, the middle bun was to soak up the special sauce so the burger didn't get too messy. Really? In general, the bread was a little disappointing.

We made kaiser rolls from the King Arthur Baking Company recipe. This creates a light roll with a good crust that can hold up to a juicy burger. Make sure to toast or grill the cut sides of your roll or bun to ensure it is sealed and a little crunchy. This improves a burger immensely.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hilo Bay Cafe and Duck Fat Potatoes

We went to dinner Friday night at Hilo Bay Cafe. You can hear all about it on our podcast. Seared ahi, cabbage, and duck fat potatoes from Hilo Bay Cafe The dinner inspired us to share our duck fat potato recipe with you. I get my duck fat by cooking a duck in the Instant Pot. The duck is usually roasted for crispy skin right after. I'll take the remains in the bottom of the Instant Pot and put the entire thing in the fridge. Once it is cold, you can scrape the fat off the top and save it in a jar. I keep it in the freezer to extend shelf life. Ingredients to serve two: one largish baking potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes one tablespoon duck fat, melted seasoning of your choice For the airfryer: In a bowl, toss the fat, potatoes, and seasoning. Preheat the airfryer for two to three minutes. Dump the potatoes in Cook, shaking in three to four minute intervals, until you've reached the desired color, usually ten to twelve minutes. Skillet method: Follow the directions for sauteed p...

Pork Butt!

Today we have a list of recipe links for you to follow for your pork butts. Getting ready to grind. Breakfast sausage:  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/breakfast-sausage-recipe-2103185 Italian sausage meatballs Italian sausage:  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/italian-sausage-recipe-2131680  We add garlic powder, cayenne, and red pepper and don't put it in casings. We make meatballs or crumble instead. Instant Pot Kalua pork:  https://recipes.instantpot.com/recipe/kalua-pork/  Cured, smoked, and roasted ham Ham/ English bacon:  https://www.mortonsalt.com/article/meat-curing-canadian-bacon/  Being the loin cut makes it "Canadian." Pizza with home-cured and smoked ham

Eggs!

So we're going to focus on eggs today, but with sort of a brunch spin since we're probably still staying home, staying safe for a few more months. If you can't go to your favorite brunch spots, try some of our recipes to recreate brunch at home: Eggs Sardou and Shirred Eggs. We've thrown in a great midweek dinner option at the end too. Eggs Sardou and Hash browns Eggs Sardou Recipe (serving for four) The first place we ever had Eggs Sardou was Cafe Bon Temps in San Luis Obispo, California. The spicy creamed spinach really makes the dish. This meat-free dish, while delicious and decadent, lacks some crunch, so we recommend serving it with crispy hash browns. 2 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoon flour 1 1/4 cup warm milk 1 package frozen spinach, defrosted and strained 1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped 4 eggs, sunnyside up 1 recipe yellow pepper hollandaise from Joy Bauer . You can make this with green bell pepper or you can use real hollandaise if you prefer...