Gavin Burgers - Cook

Gavin Waller is a home cook known among his friends for his "smash burger" obsession. The Gavin Burger is his version of a classic burger, with special sauce and American cheese. Based in the Seattle area, Gavin works in kinetic architecture - when he's not busy refining his burger recipe.
www.kitchen2ki... -- This video is part of the Kitchen to Kitchen cooking series, which features quarantine cooking and conversation among friends. The kitchen is the heart of the home and when we cook together kitchen to kitchen, we share the love.
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Recipe:
GAVIN BURGER
Makes 4 Burgers
Special Sauce:
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup sweet relish
2 tablespoons dill relish (or chopped pickles)
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
Burgers:
1 ½ pounds ground beef (80 percent lean/20 percent fat)
2 tablespoons butter
4 classic hamburger buns, such as Franz (no sesame seeds, potato buns, brioche, or whole wheat)
½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
¼ cup sliced dill pickles
Special Sauce (recipe above)
8 slices Kraft Deli Deluxe American Cheese
Parchment paper, cut into 15x15" squares for wrapping and serving the burgers (make several extras for smashing patties)
Make Special Sauce: Combine until thoroughly mixed. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
Form beef into eight equal sized balls, about 2 ounces each, roughly the size of a golf ball and refrigerate.
Toast the buns, two at a time: Melt ¼ tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or on a griddle set to medium heat. Place bun halves on the butter, cut-side down and toast until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Watch closely, so the buns don't burn.
Dress the buns: On the bottom bun, coat with 1 tablespoon of Special Sauce, 1 tablespoon onions, and 2 to 3 pickle slices. Add a swirl of ketchup and mustard. Top with ¼ cup shredded lettuce to each bun. Repeat with remaining two buns.
Cook the burgers in a large cast iron skillet: Turn the heat to medium-high. Drop two balls of meat in the skillet spaced apart enough to allow for smashing. Cover the ball with a sheet of parchment and press (smash) into the cooking surface with a sturdy spatula until the beef is roughly the correct size and thickness. (4 to 5 inches in diameter and ¼-inch thin). Repeat for the second ball. Cook until a crust has formed on the bottom and most of the pinkness in the meat is gone, about 2 minutes. Using a sharp spatula, scrape the burgers off the cooking surface, making sure to get all the charred, crispy beef and flip, cooking them for another 30 seconds on the other side.
Final assembly: Place one patty each on the prepared bottom buns. Top with one slice of cheese each and then top with another patty and another slice of cheese. Add the top bun. Wrap the burger in parchment paper and place the oven while you cook the remaining patties. Warm for no more than 3 to 4 minutes. This will allow the cheese to melt and the flavors to meld.