Copycat Burgers (double double)


 

Clint

TVWBB Olympian
I was never a big fan of In N Out burger so I didn't go there more than once every couple of years, but last Saturday we stopped on our way out & I really liked my double double (animal style). So I stopped & got another for lunch on Monday (loved it), and then again yesterday (friday) for lunch, and while it was good yesterday, the meat wasn't very good and reminded me of burger king which I never eat anymore.

So I found a couple of copycat recipes:

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/07/in-n-outs-double-double-animal-style-burger-recipe.html
(this one has instructions on making ground beef using a food processor - I don't have a grinder so maybe I could try this)
this recipe also says to spread mustard on the raw side of the patty before flipping....

This is the one I was looking at yesterday:
https://topsecretrecipes.com/foodhackerblog/in-n-out-burger-double-double/

4" patties sound small, but the burger yesterday seemed big, almost like a double whopper. I got a burger press earlier this year and the 4.5" patties really seemed small compared to how I usually make them.

And now onto the cheese: American. Is it velveeta? I got some, not long ago. Guess I'm about to look for some that say slices and not singles?

https://www.cheese.com/american-cheese/

https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/07/whats-really-in-american-cheese.html

"The process itself was invented in Switzerland, in an effort to reduce cheese waste; scraps from various batches of cheese could be melted together and formed into a new, delicious product. In 1916, Canadian-American entrepreneur and cheese salesman James Kraft perfected the technique in the US, patented it, and started selling the very first process American cheese. It soon became immensely popular due to its long shelf life and easy shipping."
 
Re, grinding the meat in a FP vs a grinder. I have a Hobart Food grinder attachment for my KitchenAid Mixer. It works pretty well but honestly I prefer making ground beef in the food processor. I have 2. A large KitchenAid and a small Cuisinart. Both do a great job just that the KA can do more at once
 
I've read about using the food processor to make hamburger, might have watched a video too. The link said to put the bowl & blade in the freezer, and to cut the meat into 1" cubes and put it in the freezer for ??20 minutes iirc. Do you think it's worth the extra effort rather than just buying ground chuck?

Guess if I'm grinding (chopping) it myself it'd be the perfect time to mix in a little garlic, onion, pepper, or jalapeno.
 
Honestly I don't bother with any of that. I just trim it to get rid of hard gristle, excess fat. I like to keep the fat ratio about 25 to 30& (I know the health nits can tune out now) but it's what I like. I typically will be chuck but I will mix in some cheap ribeye (select grade) or some brisket too. I like the fact that I can be sure I will have absolutely no bone chips in the meat either. I have caused more dental damage to my teeth due to burgers than anything else thanks to careless trimming and bone chips being present in the meat
 
I've done the "grinding" in a food processor a number of times. To me the final product comes out with a lot more "tooth" than you'd get with conventional double-ground beef. More like you're chewing a mouthful of little tiny pieces of steak than something that's been smashed into oblivion. I think it makes a superior burger. That said, I've not done it in ages because it is a lot of work. I don't think freezing the bowl or the blade would make much difference but I did put the cut chunks of beef in the freezer until they firmed up. That allows it to be chopped by the food processor rather than smeared around the bowl. Be sure to work in small batches.

I'd think the best approach would be to try it once. That's the only way you're going to be able to judge for yourself.
 
A cheese "slice"? C'mon Clint, it's gotta be old cheddar or nuttin' . Or provolone. Or swiss.

You want cheese? Then use cheese. Not that processed #^#%@^ .
 
I made a double batch of the spread from the 2nd link: (mainly because it called for dill pickles - I used Dill Zingers)

Ribeye was only $1/lb more than chuck (I went to a diff store hoping to find chuck around $4/lb).

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Chilled the meat in the freezer for 20 minutes, it got slightly stiff
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very interesting! 1/3# batches is probably best to get it to the right texture in ~12 one-second pulses
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12 two-ounce patties - Roxy got the scraps, bones, and the leftovers that didn't hit 2 oz (raw)
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I tried to flatten them in my burger press but they were just too thin, so I put a wax paper square above, one below, and mashed them into the form to try to get a consistent size (4.5" press)
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seasoned both sides of the meat pretty heavily with S&P
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added mustard before the flip like it said in the first link
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Crusty!
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Not Bad! I went back for some more burger sauce once, halfway through, not sure what I'll try different next time. Thinner slice of onion will be the first thing, I guess, or maybe I'll fry up the slice of onion to soften the bite (strong flavor). Also, the cheese sticking to the pan - it was good, but maybe I'll put it on right before I take the meat out of the pan.
 
Next time, do one WITHOUT the mustard coat and compare. Like our ribs, I never taste the mustard. After cooking, I suspect your burgers don't benefit from it either. As a condiment, sure but part of the cooking process? Have my doubts.

Look great though (love that "crispy"--tons of flavour that way).
 
In n Out Double-Double Clone - Part Deux

First attempt today @ Lunch: https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?74866-Copycat-Burgers-(double-double)

(short version: chopped a couple ribeyes into hamburger in the food processor for the first time)

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this time I put the cheese on right at the end (also grilled them). I put the lid down with the cheese on for maybe 20-30 seconds, but not very long
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I also used a third slice of cheese, sauced the top, and cooked the onion.....so this time from the bottom up it was bun, sauce, tomato, lettuce, patty, cheese, onion, cheese, patty, cheese, sauce, top bun.
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I got some smoked paprika from the store today, it's been on my list for a couple of months. IMO, chipotle powder is just about the same as smoked paprika, so no need to keep both in the spice rack. But anyway, I used smoked paprika in the sauce when it called for paprika....and the "chipotle" flavor really comes through.

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Probably way too may pics, and this is where it gets weird. Who wants to see my half-destroyed burger? I used foil to make a wrapper in attempt to keep the burger together in attempt to make it more portable. It worked. I obviously won't be doing this with a normal burger I make that's on like a cibiatta (or baci) roll or a bagel or ?????, but in my attempt to clone a FF burger, why not.

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A cheese "slice"? C'mon Clint, it's gotta be old cheddar or nuttin' . Or provolone. Or swiss.

You want cheese? Then use cheese. Not that processed #^#%@^ .

Oh no! There's a time and a place for good old American cheese that's gooey and melty, and a Double Double is the perfect place for American cheese.

According to Cook's Illustrated, the top-rated American cheese slice is Kraft Deli Deluxe American Cheese slices.

And did you know you can make your own American cheese? It consists of cheddar, nonfat milk powder, tapioca starch, salt, butter, white wine, and water.

http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydi...homemade-american-cheese-20150515-story.html#

There are many other recipes out there using gelatin instead of tapioca, like this one from Epicurious.

 
I was looking for the Kraft Deluxe, but I got the Kroger Deluxe and it was much more substantial than the regular kraft singles (why did I buy them last time????), Sounds funny but these have some tug or some pull, closer to a real cheese slice, with a decent flavor. I'll do some of these with medium or sharp cheddar before long I'm sure.



And people - if you like fries or tots - make this burger sauce, it's GOOD. It's not that far from a Russian dressing (russian adds some horseradish and I add garlic but don't do that here the first time). I consider myself a bit of a fry sauce expert and this is good.


1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons finely minced white onion
1 1/2 tablespoons finely minced dill pickle relish
3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
(I used smoked paprika & it tasted just like chipotle to me....I like chipotle so I'm not disappointed)
1/8 teaspoon salt



Edit: Now I'm going to do a grilled cheese like in that video Chris! Lets see, tomato soup...... ATK had a cream-free tomato soup that I've really enjoyed - it's quick & easy.
 
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I might've had in n out as a kid but the only time I remember it we pulled out because the line was too long (I was working for a friend of the family). Tommy Burger OTOH - I remember eating there, way back when.

Next time, Me and a friend (RIP) drove to Yuma AZ and grabbed something as we pulled into town - it left a bad taste in my mouth & when they finally made it to UT I just wasn't interested.

Monday as I was going through the drive thru I was watching their griddle trying to catch any pointers. I noticed off the the far right there was a stainless partition (maybe 6" wide) that I assumed was farther from the heat source - I saw fried (griddled) onions kept in there - not a huge amount.

Over the last several years I've always ordered mine "animal style", and then I found out you can order your fries Animal Style as well. Talking to a friend who doesn't eat beef/pork/chicken (fowl is foul to him), he said that you could order a grilled cheese there........ I forget what else he had to say about in n out but to a somewhat-vegetarian, he spoke very highly of them.
 
You can order alot of different styles at in and out... Haven't you ever checked out there secret menu...
 
I might've had in n out as a kid but the only time I remember it we pulled out because the line was too long (I was working for a friend of the family). Tommy Burger OTOH - I remember eating there, way back when.

Yea, the long lines - I always called it "in-n-wait". But so worth it. I remember when the 94 earthquake hit, everything was closed and/or nobody had power for days - except in-n-out. The line was probably 1/4 mile long. Yea, we sat in it - had nothing better to do... Damn it was good! Still love in-n-out & Tommy's.
You need to get you some plain buns if you're cloning a double double - no sesame seeds.
 
In and Out burgers are the best. Never had Tommy's Burger but Rich has and he likes them also. Talking about burgers its about time to make a run to In and Out real soon.
 

 

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