The Red Hook Tavern Cheeseburger
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
1 lb
ground beef (an equal-parts blend of prime, dry-aged New York strip and chuck with a 75/25 lean-to-fat ratio), formed into loose 8-ounce patties
4
slices of American cheese
2
1/16
2
crusty, seeded hamburger buns, closer to an Italian bread than a generic squishy bun (split)
Unsalted butter to coat all four sides of split buns
1-1 mix of Morton's kosher salt and ground black pepper
The Red Hook Tavern Cheeseburger
At the Red Hook Tavern in Brooklyn, Billy Durney serves his own ode to the Peter Luger Steak House cheeseburger. The burger appears simple on the surface, but it’s made from a rich blend of dry-aged beef, cooked carefully (with almost constant flipping) on a griddle for a perfect, even char on the outside.
2 burgers
- Preheat cast-iron skillet to at least 400°F.
- Aggressively season both sides of patty with the salt-and-pepper blend.
- Place in pan and sear one side until it is dark brown, about a minute. Repeat on other side.
- From this point, constantly flip the burger to achieve an even exterior char. Durney serves the Tavern burger at medium rare to an internal temperature of 130°F. A probe thermometer is recommended.
- When desired temperature is reached, lay two slices of American cheese atop patty and cover pan with lid until melted.
- Remove patty from pan, and rest for 3 minutes.
- Toast buttered bun in pan until golden brown.
- Lay onion sliver on heel of bread and the rested patty atop.
- Place crown of bun on a top burger and serve.