A Hungry Bear

Anyone who has ever traveled with me to the West coast knows that I’m obsessed with In-n-out Burger. When I was a vegetarian years ago, a co-worker of mine raved about “a burger that needs its own diaper”: the double-double animal style. I was on a business trip in Vegas shortly after coming back to the dark side, and went with my co-worker friend directly to In-n-out to try it for myself. It was love at first bite. Every time I’m in the vicinity of this fast food chain, I have to stop. I’ve never watched them make it, but I hear it’s the mayo and ketchup sauteed with onions, all mixed up with 2 patties of beef and 2 slices of cheese.

The cover recipe from June 2009’s Food & Wine magazine didn’t claim to be (or even compare itself to) an “animal style” burger, but the sauce looked eerily similar. It actually had a fairly pretentious title of “russian tarragon dressing”, but if you ignore that part, this is about as good as an East-Coaster can hope for, making wannabe animal style burgers at home. Add some bacon and sauteed onions, and you’re in burger heaven.

Adapted significantly from the original, for quantity as well as simplicity’s sake.

Grocery list (for 6 burgers): 2 pounds ground sirloin, 1/2 cup mayo, 1/3 cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon chopped basil leaves (from 2-3 sprigs), 1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves, 12 slices thick cut bacon, 2 large vidalia onions, butter, 6 hamburger buns.

Prepare the sauce prior to firing up the grill or making patties, so the flavors have a chance to come together better in the fridge.

Mix the ketchup, mayo, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire, basil and parsley together. Refrigerate.

Fry and drain the bacon. Slice both onions. Melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy skillet, and cook the onions over medium heat until they have caramelized (about 20-25 minutes). Season the beef with salt and pepper and form into 6 patties. Grill over medium high heat until desired temperatures. Toast the buns, then spread each side with the sauce. The burger is topped with a thick slice of cheddar, a mound of caramelized onions and a couple slices of bacon.