Go Back
+ servings
Print Recipe
5 from 7 votes

Shake Shack Burger Recipe

These Copycat Shake Shack Burgers are exactly like the real thing. They're smash burgers, topped with special sauce, American cheese served on a potato bun.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Grinding Meat Time15 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 burgers
Cost: $20

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 mallett

Ingredients

Special Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise Hellmann’s if you wanna be legit
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon pickle brine
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
  • Pinch paprika

Buns:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • Martin’s Potato Rolls or White Hamburger Buns

Meat Options:

  • 1 pound sirloin cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 pound chuck cut into 1-inch pieces
  • OR
  • 2 pounds ground beef 85/25
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper

For Cooking, Assembly and Serving:

  • Vegetable oil
  • 8 slices of American cheese
  • Roma tomatoes cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • Leafy Green Lettuce
  • Sliced pickles
  • Baked crinkle fries
  • Ketchup + Mustard

Instructions

Special Sauce:

  • Add the ingredients for the special sauce to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl or squeeze bottle and set aside.

Toasting Buns:

  • Brush the buns (top and bottom) with butter. Warm a pan over medium heat. When warmed, add the buns, toasting them for about 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat until you’ve worked your way through all of the buns

Meat Options + To Grind and Form:

  • If you’re grinding your own meat, add the cubed sirloin and chuck to a bowl and combine it. With the largest meat grinder attachment on your mixer or grinder, turn the speed to #4 and add the meat. Repeat until you’ve worked your way through all of the meat. Change the grinder attachment to the smaller attachment. Pass the meat through the grinder once more. Divide the meat into 4 ounce mounds. You should end up with 8 mounds of meat.
  • If you’re using store-bought ground beef, no biggie. Divide the meat into 4 ounce mounds.
  • Form pucks that are about 2 inches tall and 2-inches wide. Sprinkle the tops with a few pinches of salt and pepper.

Cooking:

  • Place a cast iron skillet over moderately high heat. Add a few teaspoons of oil and when glistening and VERY hot, add the meat puck. Allow to cook for about 30 seconds and then smash it with a spatula until it’s about 1/4-inch thick. Cook for about 1 minute and then add a few pinches of salt and pepper to the top. Then, flip. Add the slice of cheese and cook for an additional minute or so. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining pucks of meat.

Assembly:

  • Squeeze a bit of special sauce on both sides of the bun. Add a few pieces of leafy green lettuce, a few slices of tomatoes and then top with the burger patty. Add a few pickles and then add the other half of the bun on top. Repeat until you’ve made all of the hamburgers.
  • Serve with baked crinkle fries, ketchup and mustard on the side.

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 15mg | Iron: 0.7mg