Stovetop Double-Stack Cheeseburgers

In summer I love nothing better than grilling up some burgers outside with friends and family, but you shouldn’t have to wait for warmer weather to get your burger fix.

The best burgers from the stove

These burgers are very different than my standard grilled burger. When I’m grilling a burger, I keep the patties thicker and really let the grill do its thing. These oven burgers are closer to what many Americans consider fast food burgers, except for the absolute best version of it!

The signature quality of these burgers is a thinner patty that’s prepared in just minutes in a super-hot skillet. You can either make a double burger or a single one (I make the singles a bit thicker), and of course you need cheese.

The resulting burger is pretty close to many popular fast-casual burger joints (think In-N-Out or Smashburger), but you can make it at home!

How to make evenly sized patties

• When I make a single burger, the smallest thing I put on my patty is four ounces (think a quarter pounder). I usually add a bit just to thicken the burger a bit, so I shoot for a five- to six-ounce patty when making a single.
• When I make a double cheeseburger, I go in the opposite direction. I shoot up two very thin 3-ounce patties. When topped with cheese, it’s not much more beef than a single patty, but has a very different texture. Because of the thin patties and the double layer of cheese, it feels much more substantial when you bite into it.

How to cook burgers on the stove

The trick to making these burgers is that you actually Not Shape the patties until the beef is cooked through. This keeps the beef mixture light and not overly compressed. It also makes preparation easier.

Once you’ve weighed out your beef portions (you can see them with your eyes if you like – but I’m a proponent of weighing), place a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and allow to heat. Add a dash of oil, then add the beef portions one at a time.

Once the beef hits the pan and starts to sizzle, cover with a piece of aluminum foil and press down with a second smaller skillet or skillet to flatten. Once your burger is pressed you can remove the foil and move on to the next one! You want an even, thin patty, ideally larger than your bun, since the patty will shrink a lot as it cooks.

Repeat with all of your patties. You can probably put four patties in a pan at a time. Once all the patties are pressed, season generously with salt and pepper and a little garlic powder, if you like.

Smaller, double-sized patties will need to cook for two minutes, while larger, single-sized patties will need to cook for three to four minutes. Then flip and cheese them and they’ll be ready for the table in another two to three minutes of cooking.

The secret sauce

I love a good burger sauce, and this one is as good as it gets. You don’t need to complicate this. It’s mayo, ketchup, and relish. Stir it up, and smear it.

Most people don’t use enough sauce in my experience. It should be messy!

Burger variations on the stove

I think this burger is pretty awesome in its classic form, but if you want to experiment, there’s nothing wrong with that.

You can add bacon, mushrooms, or caramelized onions, or experiment with other types of cheese. For my money though, American cheese is as good as it gets on a burger like this!