There are many hamburgers in the world. Some thick, some thin, some simple, some complex. Burgers populate backyard parties, beachside picnics, and even posh receptions in equal measure with varying degrees of refinement. A vast corner of food culture sees minimalist mini-burgers with barely more than beef and bun co-exist beside enormous over-the-top versions stacked with everything from fried eggs to mac-n-cheese with donuts for buns. The latter sounds like my worst nightmare.
This has led to countless burger chains jousting for your fast food dollar with a sea of regional and national ‘gourmet’ chain favourites springing up in recent years. No one can argue however that giants of the industry emerged decades ago and have continued burger culture through thick and thin. Namely McDonalds and Burger King with honorable mention to Wendy’s. Each has their own signature burger with unique attributes that spawn devoted followers. When circumstances force me to pick a drive through, I’ve always landed in the BK Whopper camp mainly for its simplicity.
Curiously, the Whopper pre-dates McDonald’s Big Mac by a decade. Sales numbers are notoriously hard to pin down or verify but most point to Whoppers selling more than triple the number of Big Macs per year despite having only a third as many locations worldwide. That’s 2.1 billion versus 550 million units but you’ll find plenty of argument about those details depending on who you ask and what parameters frame the debate.
A UK television show (Snackmasters, Channel 4) recently pitted two Michelin-starred chefs against each other in a challenge to see if they could re-create the classic Whopper. I found myself wondering if I could do the same and at what cost. I read that French outlets of BK had recently released their own ‘recipe’ for people to duplicate at home during pandemic lockdowns but notice they left out a few secret tricks of the trade. I suspect to ensure business would eventually return to the creators.
It’s important to note the challenge was NOT an attempt to improve or compare the original on merits of quality, taste, etc. with what *could* be done between two buns. Rather the goal was pure imitation and one chef, the accomplished Frenchman Claude Bosi, struggled to check his urge to add his own finesse to the end product. The equally talented Lisa Goodwin-Allen didn’t fare much better. A panel of BK executive judges were underwhelmed with both efforts in the end. When you sell over two billion copies of something each year you can’t deny people like it exactly the way they’re making them.
Originally Whoppers sold for 37 cents (US) in 1957. Today in Canada, regular price is CDN$4.99 with tax usually taking that to $5.75 per burger. Take a buck off each if you buy them in pairs with a friend. My version comes in at CDN $1.10 and under a dollar when decent beef goes on sale under $4.50/kilo. Remember that grinding your own is cheaper and noticeably better tasting, even after freezing, and the double grind I prescribe is exactly how they do it at BK factories around the globe.
The newly announced vegetarian ‘Impossible Burger’ I’m told will cost a roughly two dollar premium in the restaurants. No idea what that meat-analogue will cost in bulk when it hits local supermarkets but I suspect it will be a similar increase for meatless DIY versions of the classic. As you can see from the recipe, the way the burger is assembled contributes considerably to the final flavour profile so a meatless version might not be TOO far from the original.
In my attempt, I make my own buns to get the flavour, shape, and texture right. I also make my own mayonnaise to match the flavour which is more tart than most sold on the shelves of North America – possible via a generous measure of lemon juice. Pickles and ketchup off the grocery shelf aren’t a huge savings or departure from true BK tastes so I’ve left them alone in the final stack. My homemade pickles would work but you don’t have six weeks to wait for lunch.
In the aforementioned contest, both chefs immediately tried butter and eggs in their bun formulas attempting to invoke the call of a rich brioche. As it turns out, a Whopper bun has neither. Just plenty of oil and a fair dose of sugar. Seems logical because both butter and egg are costly enrichments that would take precious pennies per burger from the bottom line. This is true of all the ingredients and toppings. Burger King is a well-honed burger profit machine and why I took the time to nit-pick about the quantity of each ingredient when costing the recipe.
While some sing the praises of melty pseudo-cheese on burgers, I’m more purist and avoid it, particularly on Whoppers whose flame cookery wants to highlight the beef taste. Fake orange cheese does nothing to enhance that. Mushrooms and real Swiss cheese might do more there but that’s a different story. Save the cheese for recreating Big Macs I say.
Flame broiling is a long-time tagline from Burger King for their signature sandwich and while it does add to the flavour, most people at home aren’t going to have a gas-fueled open-flame broiler at their disposal. If you’re looking for the closest match indoors, I’d recommend trying a fully pre-heated cast iron skillet at least once before you head outside and light the grill since it yields a reasonable approximation. If you’re one of those sinners that own a propane grill, you might actually get fairly close. I wouldn’t know since charcoal is my vice of choice.
Personally I prefer the option of firing up the charcoal grill to get the required intense heat and open flame but as you’ve heard me moan on about before, that will *change* the taste significantly compared to the restaurant version. Sadly the King doesn’t play with charcoal at all. Even if he should.
To truly duplicate the original, the patties should be cooked from frozen. While the urge to use fresh beef certainly sounds like a good idea on paper, cooking the thin patties from frozen yields better results in my tests. Those few extra seconds required to thaw the center of the burger means it stays more moist. Despite countless rumours to the contrary, there is no ‘secret’ spice or binder mixed into the patties before forming. They’re 100% beef and nothing more. Salt and pepper are only waved at them as they’re being cooked for precisely three minutes and fifteen seconds on the broilers in the restaurant. This is ‘fast’ food after all.
Note that if you “want fries with that” give some thought to timing. About the only thing worse than cold burgers is cold French fries. I make the burger last having deep-fried my chips first and popped them in a warming oven while they wait the last few minutes before serving.
DIY Whoppers
(yield: eight burgers)
For the burger patties:
908g (2 lbs.) beef chuck
Double grind the beef chuck to achieve a very consistent mince. Weigh into eight equal 113g (1/4 lb.) lightly compressed balls. Place each between sheets of parchment and press into a very flat six-inch diameter with the dimpled side of a meat tenderizer mallet or similar. Leave as many indentations as possible for the best cooking results later. Freeze flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet, stacking and sealing into a thick plastic bag once solid. Remember, there are no seasonings or binding agents in the genuine article. 100% pure beef only.
To cook the burgers using a grill, preheat on the highest gas setting or with a blazing hot charcoal fire. Cook from frozen on one side for exactly three minutes adding dashes of salt and pepper. Flip and cook for only twenty seconds on the second side again with modest salt and pepper application. Remove immediately and serve as quickly as possibly. If you must rest them do so in a shallow pan so they sit in their own accumulated juices.
You can also get acceptably close results with a fully preheated cast-iron skillet indoors on medium-high heat under ample ventilation. Remember to cook from frozen for three minutes on the first side flipping only briefly on the second side to avoid drying out the very thin patties. Salt and pepper gently during cooking.
For assembling the burgers (see amounts per burger in the chart below):
8 sesame seed buns (recipe below)
5g fine sea salt
5g freshly ground black peppercorn
160ml mayonnaise (recipe below)
80g dill pickle, 1/8” sliced (circles)
80g white onion, 1/4” sliced (‘rings’)
120ml prepared ketchup
160g fresh tomato, 1/4” sliced
160g iceberg lettuce, coarsely chopped
To be authentic the order of assembly should be…
Spread mayonnaise from edge to edge on the bottom half of a lightly toasted bun. Add the freshly cooked beef patty followed by four pickle slices, three rings of fresh onion, three ‘circles’ of ketchup evenly distributed, two slices of fresh tomato touching each other, and finally the chopped lettuce and toasted top bun also spread edge to edge thinnly with mayo. Wrap tightly in appropriate paper to serve.
Assemble a burger exactly this way at least once and then honour the BK mantra to ‘have it your way’ as you see fit.
For the buns:
425g strong flour (aka “bread” or “high gluten”)
10g rapid rise yeast
3g diastatic malt
8g fine sea salt
50g sugar
35g neutral vegetable oil, e.g. canola (not olive)
225ml lukewarm water
5g white sesame seeds
Mix all except sesame seeds in a large bowl to combine into a loose dough. Set aside to hydrate fully for ten minutes. Knead in an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook or by hand until achieving a very smooth but slightly sticky dough, about seven minutes by machine or double that by hand. Move to a clean, lightly-oiled bowl and proof in a warm spot until doubled in size, about two hours.
Divide into eight equal portions by weight. Completely knock down each portion to a flat disc removing all air pockets before reforming into a very tight round ball with a cupped hand on a flat work top. Place four dough balls evenly on each of two parchment-lined baking trays with at least six inches of space between. Allow to rise 45 minutes and then gently press each into flattened shape so that it takes up roughly 50% more diameter on the trays.* Continue to rise for an additional hour. Fully preheat the oven to 190C (375F) during this time.
* There is an amount of finesse here that may take a few practice batches to get where you want. Your kitchen variables like temperature and yeast activity all effect the final outcome. Remember the shape of Whoppers is wider and flatter than many others on the market and not often duplicated in ready-made (and more expensive) grocery buns. Experiment with various shapes and sizes of rising/baking vessels available to you.
Mist the top of the buns with water and evenly sprinkle the sesame seeds on the wet surfaces. Bake for ten minutes, rotate the trays back to front and top to bottom, then bake a further five to seven minutes until golden brown. Remove to cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Store surplus in air-tight containers for up to three days.
For the mayonnaise:
300ml neutral vegetable oil, e.g. canola (not olive)
1 large egg
20ml prepared Dijon mustard
30ml lemon juice (bottled is acceptable)
2g fine sea salt
2g freshly ground black peppercorn
Add all ingredients to a jar only wide enough to barely accept an immersion (wand) blender. Place the blender end at the bottom of the jar, turn on, and pull ‘up’ through the mixture until combined, about twenty seconds. Do no over blend. Allow to chill completely before serving. Will last for up to a month well refrigerated.
Burger Assembly & Cost Chart:
– msh, v2.02
