**The Art of Making the Perfect Cheeseburger**

When it comes to making great burgers, I believe that using high-quality ingredients is key. For this recipe, we'll be starting with an 80/20 ground beef blend, which includes a mix of brisket, short rib, and chuck. I like to take my patties to the butcher and ask them to grind me up some extra fat content to ensure that my burgers are juicy and flavorful.

Before forming our patties, we need to season them with salt. Now, I know what you're thinking - why salt? The answer is simple: it enhances the flavor of the meat and helps bring out its natural flavors. To do this effectively, take a generous amount of kosher salt and rub it all over the patty, making sure to cover every surface evenly. Don't be afraid to get a little aggressive with your salt application - we want that flavor to come through loud and clear.

Now that our patties are seasoned, it's time to heat up our cooking surface. I'm using a cast iron skillet here, but feel free to use whatever pan you have on hand. Once the pan is hot, add a small amount of oil to prevent sticking - we want that patty to sear nicely. Now, take your patty and gently place it in the pan. Don't press down on it too hard - we want that burger to cook evenly and retain its juices.

As our patty cooks, I like to keep an eye on the temperature of the pan. When it reaches a nice medium-high heat, we're ready to add some aromatics. In this case, I'm using garlic butter to add a rich and savory flavor to our burger. Simply spread a small amount of butter onto the bun, then top with sliced onions, pickles, and a sprinkle of salt.

Now that our patty is cooked to perfection, it's time to assemble our cheeseburger. For this recipe, I'm using a combination of smoked gouda and cheddar - both of which are shredded finely to ensure they melt nicely and evenly distribute throughout the burger. Take your cheese sauce and carefully pour it over the top of your patty, making sure not to get too much on one side - we want that cheese to be evenly distributed.

Next up is our toppings bar. I like to keep things simple with lettuce, tomato, and a slice or two of red onion. But feel free to get creative - after all, this is your burger! Once you've added all of your desired toppings, it's time to take a step back and admire your handiwork.

The key to making the perfect cheeseburger is attention to detail. We're not just talking about tossing some ingredients together - we're talking about crafting an entire culinary experience. And that starts with using high-quality ingredients, following proper cooking techniques, and taking the time to assemble our burger with care.

**A Word on Cheese Sauce**

One of the real keys to this cheese sauce is hand-shredding the cheese itself. When you take the time to shred your cheese yourself, you avoid that funky little dust that's often found on pre-shredded cheese. This ensures a smooth and creamy texture that's perfect for our burger.

To make our cheese sauce, simply combine shredded cheese with a small amount of water - just enough to create a smooth, velvety texture. You can also add in some additional seasonings or spices if desired. But remember: we're keeping things simple here, so let's stick to the basics.

**Tips and Tricks from the Pros**

Now that you've got your cheese sauce and toppings assembled, it's time to take a closer look at some of my favorite tips and tricks for making the perfect burger. First and foremost, make sure to use high-quality ingredients - the better the meat, the better the burger will taste.

One trick I like to use is pressing the patty down with a spatula while it cooks. This helps create a nice crust on the bottom of the patty, which adds texture and flavor to our burger. Just be careful not to press too hard - we want that burger to stay juicy and flavorful.

Another tip I'd like to share is the importance of cooking at the right temperature. When you cook your burger at a medium-high heat, you get a nice sear on the outside while keeping the inside juicy and pink. It's all about finding that sweet spot in between.

Finally, don't be afraid to experiment with different toppings and seasonings. Whether it's adding some sliced jalapenos or using a special sauce, there are countless ways to take your burger game to the next level.

**The Final Product**

And now, after all of the hard work and planning, it's finally time to assemble our cheeseburger. Take that perfectly cooked patty, add on a generous helping of cheese sauce, some sliced onions and pickles for good measure, and top it all off with a toasted bun. It's a moment you've been waiting for - take a bite and savor the flavor.

This is what it means to make the perfect cheeseburger. With its perfectly cooked patty, creamy cheese sauce, and flavorful toppings, this burger is sure to please even the pickiest of eaters. So go ahead, get creative with your toppings and seasonings, and remember: the most important ingredient in any burger is love.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: entoday you get to learn about my signature cheeseburger you ready now it's just because we're hanging and we're cool that I'm gonna teach you this you should do me a favor don't go telling everybody about it keep it on the DL first thing we're going to start off with is wait for it donkey sauce yes the infamous donkey sauce you want to know how it came about I was getting ready to make these burgers for some friends of ours we were putting this burger concept together and they said why why do you call donkey sauce and I said because if you don't try it well you're just a jackass but I'm pumped thank you very much that's ridiculous that's the real name I'm not kidding you so here's how we're gonna start it off first just a little bit of mayonnaise some roasted garlic yellow mustard I know you're seeing it all a little Worcestershire sauce got you some salt crack black pepper so everything you love about mayonnaise the fat the creaminess the saltiness all we did was amp it up and take the flavor another level foreign donkey sauce is done what do we need next the SMC the super melted cheese you gotta promise you're not gonna show anybody this some half and half this we got to go low and slow I have some processed cheese all cubed up and we're going to bring this temperature up nice and easy so it doesn't break we'll go with a little bit of Worcestershire and just a little kiss of some Tabasco it's not going to be hot but you get the idea we need to just have a little bit of heat in there okay so we're gonna let this go low and slow and as that processed cheese starts to melt a little bit we're going to add in some of my other favorite cheeses you could go with a double boiler with this I don't think it's necessary if you just don't crank the heat you won't burn it you won't Scorch it just take your time processed cheese starting to melt a little bit now we're going to back it up with some real cheese we're going to get in some smoked gouda and again we shred it really thin and give it a chance to melt nicely we'll get it with some cheddar shredded really finely whisk would also be a nice thing to do but as always I just have one utensil if I could make this into a knife and a fork and a pair of tongs all at the same time like a gigantic Swiss army knife tell you I'd be going places a little provolone there we go now it's really starting to work for us beautiful now one of the real keys to this cheese sauce is to hand shred it so you don't get that funky little dust that they put on the outside of the cheese to keep it from coagulating when it's inside the bag I mean I'll tell you one thing about buying cheese buy that whole block and Shred It Yourself we'll just keep the cheese sauce warm that's ready to go beautiful okay uh next up the burger foreign now what we have here is 80 20 ground beef and when you're talking about making great Burgers if I'm getting everybody over and we're going to do it I would recommend going to the Butcher and saying grind me up a little bit of brisket give me some short rib and give me some Chuck if you're gonna do it do it right we've got about a pound and a half here so this should make us about four or six ounce fatties my favorite way to do it just to make sure that we're keeping everybody even because you know with two boys if you don't make the patties even someone's going to be upset that someone got a bigger one okay so we take the Patty we're balled up don't press it super hard now I want you to just take I want you to do this at home I want you to just hit that salt all the way around roll that salt all the way around with your favorite kosher salt and it's seasoned no pepper nothing else just like this I have my flat top over here but since I know that you might not have one at home I want to show you how to do this with the cast iron if you don't have cast iron I want you to go get one sporting good stores have them Galore go to Camp Chef anybody's got them but really good cast iron is the way to go and we're going to drop this down there we go that's what we're looking for okay cold meat hot pan while that's going wash my hands real quick smash you the Patty seasoned all the way around one over the top sometimes you'll see people do it with a big hand press that's what I'm looking for and you only get to smash it once folks ryosh bun get a little bit of this garlic butter all right on there as soon as we see some of the juice float to the top we're going to flip it and try to put it in another spot where it wasn't just exactly at and that's what we're looking for that nice crust that my artifact on top Smoky smells burgers we're going to treat both sides of the bun now got to get this working real quick and take some of the cheese sauce this is a little hot so it's going to run a bit on us but you'll get the general idea when it cools down it's a little bit easier to apply to it you take the cheese sauce throw it right up on top throw the cheese on top Dome and some uh and some water this steam is going to help melt that cheese better than any salamander putting it under the broiler so like this this is just the exact way we do it in the restaurant guys Kitchen and Bar Guys burger joint you go on Carnival Cruise Lines you watch what they're doing this is exactly how it goes down okay a little bit of the donkey sauce liberally we call it Coast to Coast want to get that fat all the way across hit a few pickles right on the bottom pickles are key gotta have that acid gotta have that Tang really thin onions okay that's what I'm talking about that's melted cheese right on top of it foreign sliced iceberg lettuce a couple thin sliced tomatoes nice toasted brioche bun and ladies and gentlemen that's the burger that cheeseburger right there we won New York City Food and Wine Festival Burger Bash we've sold hundreds of thousands of these but I want you to take a look at it juicy scratch made handmade my mouth is watering so bad are you ready I gotta be honest with you it's a simple Burger it's a simple recipe you just got to use great ingredients and you've got to follow the rules are you going to serve it just like we do at the restaurant I'm giving you all I got folks hope you dig it go home and make it I know you're gonna love it see you next weektoday you get to learn about my signature cheeseburger you ready now it's just because we're hanging and we're cool that I'm gonna teach you this you should do me a favor don't go telling everybody about it keep it on the DL first thing we're going to start off with is wait for it donkey sauce yes the infamous donkey sauce you want to know how it came about I was getting ready to make these burgers for some friends of ours we were putting this burger concept together and they said why why do you call donkey sauce and I said because if you don't try it well you're just a jackass but I'm pumped thank you very much that's ridiculous that's the real name I'm not kidding you so here's how we're gonna start it off first just a little bit of mayonnaise some roasted garlic yellow mustard I know you're seeing it all a little Worcestershire sauce got you some salt crack black pepper so everything you love about mayonnaise the fat the creaminess the saltiness all we did was amp it up and take the flavor another level foreign donkey sauce is done what do we need next the SMC the super melted cheese you gotta promise you're not gonna show anybody this some half and half this we got to go low and slow I have some processed cheese all cubed up and we're going to bring this temperature up nice and easy so it doesn't break we'll go with a little bit of Worcestershire and just a little kiss of some Tabasco it's not going to be hot but you get the idea we need to just have a little bit of heat in there okay so we're gonna let this go low and slow and as that processed cheese starts to melt a little bit we're going to add in some of my other favorite cheeses you could go with a double boiler with this I don't think it's necessary if you just don't crank the heat you won't burn it you won't Scorch it just take your time processed cheese starting to melt a little bit now we're going to back it up with some real cheese we're going to get in some smoked gouda and again we shred it really thin and give it a chance to melt nicely we'll get it with some cheddar shredded really finely whisk would also be a nice thing to do but as always I just have one utensil if I could make this into a knife and a fork and a pair of tongs all at the same time like a gigantic Swiss army knife tell you I'd be going places a little provolone there we go now it's really starting to work for us beautiful now one of the real keys to this cheese sauce is to hand shred it so you don't get that funky little dust that they put on the outside of the cheese to keep it from coagulating when it's inside the bag I mean I'll tell you one thing about buying cheese buy that whole block and Shred It Yourself we'll just keep the cheese sauce warm that's ready to go beautiful okay uh next up the burger foreign now what we have here is 80 20 ground beef and when you're talking about making great Burgers if I'm getting everybody over and we're going to do it I would recommend going to the Butcher and saying grind me up a little bit of brisket give me some short rib and give me some Chuck if you're gonna do it do it right we've got about a pound and a half here so this should make us about four or six ounce fatties my favorite way to do it just to make sure that we're keeping everybody even because you know with two boys if you don't make the patties even someone's going to be upset that someone got a bigger one okay so we take the Patty we're balled up don't press it super hard now I want you to just take I want you to do this at home I want you to just hit that salt all the way around roll that salt all the way around with your favorite kosher salt and it's seasoned no pepper nothing else just like this I have my flat top over here but since I know that you might not have one at home I want to show you how to do this with the cast iron if you don't have cast iron I want you to go get one sporting good stores have them Galore go to Camp Chef anybody's got them but really good cast iron is the way to go and we're going to drop this down there we go that's what we're looking for okay cold meat hot pan while that's going wash my hands real quick smash you the Patty seasoned all the way around one over the top sometimes you'll see people do it with a big hand press that's what I'm looking for and you only get to smash it once folks ryosh bun get a little bit of this garlic butter all right on there as soon as we see some of the juice float to the top we're going to flip it and try to put it in another spot where it wasn't just exactly at and that's what we're looking for that nice crust that my artifact on top Smoky smells burgers we're going to treat both sides of the bun now got to get this working real quick and take some of the cheese sauce this is a little hot so it's going to run a bit on us but you'll get the general idea when it cools down it's a little bit easier to apply to it you take the cheese sauce throw it right up on top throw the cheese on top Dome and some uh and some water this steam is going to help melt that cheese better than any salamander putting it under the broiler so like this this is just the exact way we do it in the restaurant guys Kitchen and Bar Guys burger joint you go on Carnival Cruise Lines you watch what they're doing this is exactly how it goes down okay a little bit of the donkey sauce liberally we call it Coast to Coast want to get that fat all the way across hit a few pickles right on the bottom pickles are key gotta have that acid gotta have that Tang really thin onions okay that's what I'm talking about that's melted cheese right on top of it foreign sliced iceberg lettuce a couple thin sliced tomatoes nice toasted brioche bun and ladies and gentlemen that's the burger that cheeseburger right there we won New York City Food and Wine Festival Burger Bash we've sold hundreds of thousands of these but I want you to take a look at it juicy scratch made handmade my mouth is watering so bad are you ready I gotta be honest with you it's a simple Burger it's a simple recipe you just got to use great ingredients and you've got to follow the rules are you going to serve it just like we do at the restaurant I'm giving you all I got folks hope you dig it go home and make it I know you're gonna love it see you next week\n"