Mustard-fried burger patty
One of the signature items of the California-based burger chain In-n-Out Burger is the "Animal Style" burger from their secret menu, which features a mustard-fried burger patty. It has a slightly tangy flavor to it, with a crispy, almost caramelized surface but a juicy center, and is often quoted as the best fast-food burger available.
I know the basic idea behind the process: squirt some mustard on the grill before putting the burger down. But I haven't tried it, and I'm curious if anyone has, and what specifically works best. Is it better to put the mustard on the burger, or directly on the grill? What type of mustard to use, and how much? At what point in the cooking process: just once before adding the burger, or a second time before flipping?
I know this falls under the restaurant-mimicry category, though I think I did a decent job of following the rules; If not, feel free to edit, or leave a comment and I'll try to clarify.
Best Answer
Here is Kenji Alt's in-depth recreation of the double-double animal-style burger. The core of his technique is:
The process is simple: Sear the patty on one side, and squirt some mustard on it as it sizzles. Flip the patty over so that the mustard cooks into the second side.
The patties are covered with the cheese, then the caramelized onions are applied liberally to a single patty before topping it with the second, fusing all the elements together into a single cheesy, beefy, sweet, oniony, gooey, salty, oozy, crispy, meaty, savory, melty, delicious mess.
He uses basic yellow mustard, btw.
In response to the question from comments about how long to cook, here is what the recipe says:
Add burger patties and cook without moving until well browned and crusty on first side, about 2 1/2 minutes. While they are cooking, spread 1 tablespoon mustard on raw side of each patty with a spoon. Meanwhile, top each bottom bun with up half of spread, 4 slices pickles, 1 slice tomato, and lettuce. Flip patties with a thin spatula so mustard side is down and continue to cook for 1 minute
Pictures about "Mustard-fried burger patty"
Quick Answer about "Mustard-fried burger patty"
Cook the burgers on a grill or in a skillet. When they are just cooked to your liking, spread the mustard on one side of each burger, and sear mustard-side down. Repeat the mustard sear on the other side, and top each patty with a slice of cheese and remove from the heat.What does mustard frying a burger do?
After the patty is done cooking on one side, yellow mustard gets slathered on top of their burgers before flipping and finishing cooking. Adding mustard to one side of the burger creates a nice crust as it sits on the grill and helps lock in those yummy juices.What is a mustard fried patty?
grilled in mustard. Just say "mustard grilled," and after cooking the first side, the cook will squirt some mustard onto the top of the patty before flipping it so that it sizzles into the meat on the grill. It's so good that I've started doing it myself at home.Why is mustard good on meat?
First, it will help the seasoning adhere to the meat more evenly and not fall off while smoking. Second, the mustard helps develop a smoky and delightful \u201cbark\u201d of flavor on the outside of your meat. I no longer smoke meat without first rubbing it with mustard.Is mustard on burgers a Texas thing?
Dobson, who died in a plane crash in 1970, opted to highlight the mustard because, as he once said, \u201cmustard was a Texas tradition.\u201dMustard Burgers (like you didn't already know how to cook a burger)
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Daniel Reche, ROMAN ODINTSOV, Katerina Holmes, ROMAN ODINTSOV