The secret to making your own In-N-Out burgers at home

It's been a few months now since American burger chain In-N-Out held its one-day pop-up promotional event in Auckland.

And while we might not see the beloved burgers reach our shores for a while yet with the coronavirus crisis, we can attempt to recreate them at home.

Writing for escape.com.au, Tristan Lutze shared the recipe after extensive testing. He also shared some tips and tricks to getting the burger components perfect every time. Here's all the ins and outs.

Grind your own meat

In-N-Out are famous for their freshly ground meat - it's important to get the right texture and fat content. That's why your favourite burger is so juicy. If you don't have a meat grinder, your butcher can do it for you.

Grind your own meat, again

The first grind breaks down the meat and fat, while grinding it a second time makes a mix that will hold together.

Nail the spread

The sauce is arguably the most important part of the burger. In-N-Out call theirs a "spread" - it's made of ketchup, relish and mayonnaise.

Find the right cheese

Sure, it's "fake cheese" but it's made to melt over the meat just right. Test out a few from the supermarket or try sourcing some from the Eltham Cheese Shop in Taranaki which supplies NZ McDonald's - is cheese an essential service?

And the right buns

Apparently McDonald's will sell you a plain untoasted bun if you ask nicely, but in the meantime we'll have to settle for what the supermarket bakery can offer.

How to make them "Animal Style"

If you're in the know, you'll order your Double Double "Animal Style", adding pickles, replacing the fresh onions with caramelised, and adding a dash of mustard across the meat while it cooks.

Jenga!

The final secret of the world's best burger lies in the order in which you pile on the ingredients. From the bottom, it goes: bun, spread, tomato, lettuce, meat, cheese, onion, meat, cheese, bun. Voila!

Craving a burger? Here's how to make your own version in lockdown. Photo / Getty Images

Ingredients:

4 cheeseburger buns

8 slices American cheese, plus 3 for the Animal Style fries

800g beef brisket with approx. 40 per cent fat content, ground twice

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 white onion, sliced

4 lettuce leaves, rinsed and dried

Pickles (optional)

American mustard (optional)

4 brown onions, finely chopped

Salt

Frozen fries

Spread:

8 tbsp mayonnaise

4 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp gherkin relish

Salt to taste

Method:

Stir the spread ingredients in a bowl until combined.

Toast the insides of the buns until they're dark brown. Add a tablespoon of spread to the bottom of each bun, then a slice or two of tomato and a piece of lettuce.

Roll the mince into a ball roughly the size of small doughnut. Flatten slightly, and place into a hot non-stick frying pan. Flatten more with a spatula, until the meat is as thin as you can get it (it will shrink a lot as it cooks). Season raw side with salt.

Once dark brown, flip the patty and flatten again with the spatula. Season a little more, then lay a slice of cheese over the top.

When cooked, take a patty and lay it over the lettuce. Arrange a couple of white onion rings over the cheese, top with another beef patty, then close the bun.

To make it Animal Style

Slowly caramelise the brown onions over a low heat in a little oil, adding a tablespoon of water whenever the pan dries out. After an hour, you should have a thick, brown onion jam.

To construct the Animal Style burger, add pickles on top of the spread, squeeze a little mustard onto the raw side of the beef before flipping the patty, and replace the fresh white onion rings with a spoonful of the caramelised onions.

For the Animal Style Fries: deep fry or oven bake fries according to package instructions. Season with salt, then pile on to a plate or metal tray. Top with 2-3 slices of burger cheese and slide under grill until just melted. Top with a few spoonfuls of caramelised onion and a dollop of the spread.