THE CHEESE
“If you are cooking
on a stove or flat top,
get the burger where
you want it, put the
cheese on top, put a
splash of water in the
pan, and put a dome
over it,” says Pierce. “It
will melt the cheese
almost instantly. On
the grill, I add the
cheese when it’s on
the final turn.”THE BUN
“The biggest mistake
you can make with a
burger is not griddling
the bun. You have to
griddle it; it can save
a bad bun. You want
to cook it so it’s warm
all the way through,
then wrap loosely in a
plastic grocery bag to
keep it warm.”THE PATTY
“I like to use a 3/8 or
3/16 grind on beef.”THE ONIONS
“Use red onions, not
yellow, which are too
spicy. We do little ring-
lets of onion because
slices are too much.”THE SAUCE
“Why a sauce? Because
it adds what a burger
doesn’t already have: a
little bit of sweetness,
more moisture, and a
little bit of spice.”THE LETTUCE
“You can use any
kind of green that
you’d want in a salad.
I used butter lettuce
here because it has a
succulent texture.”THE TOMATO
“Slice it a third of an
inch; always salt and
pepper the slices before
putting them on the
hamburger.”
Anatomy of a burger