A Long Way to Go for a Hamburger!

A Long Way to Go for a Hamburger!

Recently Twin number One made a trip to Phoenix, Arizona with a friend to help move the friend’s ailing mother back to Kansas City so she could be around family. Twin number One’s friend paid for airfare to Phoenix early on a Saturday morning.

There were 3 guys because the friend needed “heavy lifters” to help him pack up the U-Haul …and then they drove all the way back to Kansas City non-stop…(about twenty hours) taking turns driving the U-Haul.

When Twin number One called me to tell me of his upcoming trip, the first thing out of his mouth was to talk about something he wanted to put in his mouth.

An In-N-Out Burger.

This is a pic of one of the older In-N-Out Burger restaurants.

This  fast food retailer originated in California and has slowly expanded eastward ….over its 65-year lifetime to Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and most recently Texas. 

And according to sources, these In-N-Out burgers will not make it to the East Coast for the four reasons listed below.

1. Quality control: There are no freezers or microwaves in any In-N-Out restaurants because the company has a strict policy of serving its food fresh.

2. Exclusivity: Everything has more appeal when it’s not available to everyone, and the exclusivity of In-N-Out is what has helped the restaurant gain such  loyal fans.

3. Competition: The East Coast has a number burger joints that would offer tough competition for In-N-Out, including Shake Shack and Five Guys.

4. No franchising: In-N-Out is a family-owned company that doesn’t believe in franchising.

Sooooooo, having said that, I decided that I would make an In-N-Out Burger since the “recipe” seems so simple.

Fresh Ingredients.

As many of us know….at least those of us who make hamburgers regularly…all you need is good quality beef, fresh hamburger buns (or rolls as some people call them) …fresh tomatoes, white (or yellow) onion, dill pickles, ice berg lettuce, a little mustard, American cheese and a good appetite!

I like to toast the buns in a non-stick skillet, and form the patties using my burger press.

There is a special sauce….which is a lot like Thousand Island Dressing, but I prefer to mix the ingredients myself.

Use as much or as little of the ketchup, mayo and pickle relish as you prefer.

Keeping it fresh, you know.

Mustard on both sides please.

Keeping that freshness theme….nothing pre-packaged or pre-made….I mean this is certainly not McDonald’s. 🙂

I like to plop the cheese (I use two slices) over the mustard and let the cheese melt just a bit.

Spread the sauce on the toasted bun, add the tomato, onion, lettuce, cheese topped burger and the top bun…and Yummy….there you have my version of an In-N-Out Burger!

The printable Recipe below is for Twin number One….and yes, he can cook and does so frequently.

He doesn’t really have to go to Phoenix for an In-N-Out Burger.

Of course, you my dear readers can use the recipe too…:)

Have you ever eaten an In-N-Out Burger?

In-N-Out Burgers...My Way!

2015-03-05 15:51:03

These burgers taste just like In-N-Out Burgers from the famous California based chain. Since we can't have our fill in the Midwest or East coast...I have prepared what I believe is as close to these good burgers as the original In-N-Out Burgers. Always use fresh ingredients and you can't go wrong.

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Ingredients

1. 4 hamburger buns
2. 4 beef patties
3. salt and pepper
4. 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
5. Squirt of yellow mustard
6. 8 tablespoons mayo
7. 4 tablespoons ketchup
8. 2-4 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
9. 16 dill pickle slices
10. 4 slices of tomatoes
11. 4 slices white or yellow onion
12. 4 leaves iceberg lettuce
13. 4 slices American cheese

Instructions

1. Make the sauce by mixing the mayonnaise, ketchup and relish in a bowl and set aside.
2. Toast the hamburger buns in dry skillet
3. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil into a pan
4. Season the patties with salt and pepper and fry the burgers until they are almost cooked through.
5. Squeeze the mustard on the top of the patty and flip over in the pan to coat the other side with mustard and add the cheese slice to melt just a bit
6. Assemble the burger in any order starting with the sauce
7. Spread a couple of teaspoons of the sauce on the bottom of the toasted bun.
8. Add the tomato,onion, lettuce and pickles
9. Top with the hamburger patty and melted cheese.
10. Place the top bun on the burger and serve

Notes

1. I use a burger press when I want to be sure to have a perfectly round burger...I put about 2-3 Ounces of ground beef....a 60-40 ratio but you can certainly use a 80-20 ratio. 😉
2. These burgers are really juicy and let's face it ...a little messy. I use wax paper or foil on the bottom part of the burger to catch the juices...:)

Me and My Captain https://meandmycaptain.com/