Why This Recipe Works Introduced by a certain fast-food chain, the double-decker—two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun—has solidified its place in American pop culture. For our take on this iconic burger, we started with the classic triple bun setup, which we achieved by simply adding another bun bottom to each burger. We knew a large, 12-inch skillet would be essential to cook the eight patties for our double stacks, but we still needed to cook the burgers in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, which would cause our patties to steam rather than fry. To keep the thin patties from shrinking too much, we weighted them with a foil-lined pot as they cooked. Once the first set of patties had cooked, we topped each with a slice of cheese and placed them in a warm oven; in the time it took the cheese to melt, the second batch of quick-cooking patties was ready. For this burger’s hallmark flavor, we topped them with our Classic Burger Sauce, along with some shredded lettuce, pickles, and minced onion to re-create this delicious drive-thru classic at home.
1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 hamburger buns, plus 4 bun bottoms, divided
4 slices American cheese (4 ounces)
½ cup Classic Burger Sauce, divided, plus extra for serving
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce, divided
¼ cup finely chopped onion, rinsed
¼ cup dill pickle chips
1
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Wrap bottom of Dutch oven with aluminum foil. Cut sides off 1-quart zipper-lock bag, leaving bottom seam intact.
2
Divide ground beef into eight 2-ounce portions, then roll each portion into balls. Working with 1 ball at a time, enclose in the split bag. Using clear pie plate (so you can see the size of the patty), press ball into even 3½-inch patty. Remove patty from the bag and transfer to a platter. Season patties with salt and pepper.
3
Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Place 4 patties in skillet and weight with prepared pot. Cook until well browned on the first side, 60 to 90 seconds. Flip patties, return pot and continue to cook until browned on the second side, about 60 seconds. Transfer burgers to the rimmed baking sheet, top with cheese and keep warm in the oven. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from skillet and repeat with remaining 4 patties; transfer to sheet.
4 To assemble Spread ¼ cup burger sauce over 4 bun bottoms, then top with 1 cup lettuce and cheeseburgers. Spread remaining ¼ cup sauce over remaining 4 buns bottoms, then top with remaining 1 cup lettuce, remaining burgers, onions, and pickle chips. Place the second set of burger stacks on top of first and top with bun tops. Serve, passing the extra sauce separately.
Why This Recipe Works For burgers infused with the flavor of wood smoke, we added a generous 2 cups of wood chips to our grill for an unmistakable smokiness that thoroughly permeates the meat. Our grilling method uses soaked wood chips to let the smoky flavor infuse the meat without becoming too harsh. Making our patties slightly larger than usual allowed them to absorb more smoke, and incorporating a few tablespoons of bottled barbecue sauce into the ground beef added an extra blast of flavor. Topping the burgers with a sweet and tangy coleslaw combined all the flavors of a smokehouse in one bite. Bull’s-Eye is our preferred brand of barbecue sauce, but feel free to use your favorite.
COLESLAW
3 cups shredded green cabbage
2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for seasoning
1 teaspoon table salt
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
2 tablespoons cider vinegar, plus extra for seasoning
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
⅛ teaspoon celery seeds
⅛ teaspoon pepper
BURGERS
2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
3 tablespoons barbecue sauce, plus extra for serving
2 cups wood chips, soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 large hamburger buns, toasted if desired
1 For the coleslaw Toss cabbage with sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cover and microwave, stirring occasionally until cabbage is partially wilted and has reduced in volume by about one-third, about 2 minutes. Transfer cabbage to a salad spinner and spin until excess liquid has been removed. Return cabbage to now-empty bowl, add carrot, vinegar, oil, celery seeds, and pepper, and toss to combine. Season with salt and sugar to taste. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
2 For the burgers Break ground beef into small pieces and spread into even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic powder and onion powder and drizzle with barbecue sauce. Using 2 forks, gently toss beef mixture to combine. Divide beef mixture into 4 equal portions, then gently shape each portion into a 1-inch-thick patty. Using your fingertips, the press center of each patty down until about ½ inch thick, creating a slight divot.
3 Using a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in 8 by 4½-inch foil packet. (Make sure chips do not poke holes in sides or bottom of the packet.) Cut 2 evenly spaced 2-inch slits in top of the packet.
4A For a charcoal grill Open bottom vent halfway. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Place wood chip packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes.
4B For a gas grill Remove cooking grate and place wood chip packet directly on primary burner. Set grate in place, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
5 Clean and oil cooking grate. Season patties with salt and pepper. Place patties on the grill, divot side up, and cook until well browned on the first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip patties and continue to cook until browned on the second side and meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare) or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 3 to 5 minutes per side.
6
Transfer burgers to a platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Toss coleslaw to recombine. Serve burgers on buns, topped with coleslaw, passing extra barbecue sauce separately.
Why This Recipe Works Smoky, salty bacon can take any burger to the next level, but burgers with just a few strips on top failed to deliver bold bacon flavor. Our version nixes the strips and mixes bacon directly into the burger for bacony bliss in every bite. Mixing raw bacon with raw ground beef overworked and compressed the patties so that they cooked up tough and dry, and cooked crumbled bacon—though it mixed in better—was too crunchy. For the perfect balance of bacon flavor and juicy texture, we processed raw bacon in the food processor and then cooked it briefly in a skillet. The parcooked pieces incorporated easily into the ground beef and dispersed bacon flavor more evenly throughout while the burgers stayed moist and juicy. Instead of tossing the leftover bacon fat we used it to sauté some onions, which provided salty balance to their sweet flavor. To turn these burgers into a savory showstopper, we topped them with rich and creamy crumbled blue cheese.
8 slices bacon
1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
¼ teaspoon table salt
1½ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled and chilled (1 cup) (optional)
4 hamburger buns, toasted if desired
1
Process bacon in food processor to smooth paste, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon until lightly browned in spots but still pink (do not cook until crisp), about 5 minutes. Drain bacon in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl. Transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate and let cool completely. Reserve bacon fat.
2
Add 2 tablespoons reserved fat to now-empty skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and salt and cook until well browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
3
Break ground beef into small pieces and spread into even layer on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with bacon and gently toss to combine using 2 forks. Divide beef mixture into 4 equal portions, then gently shape each portion into ¾-inch-thick patty. Using your fingertips, press center of each patty down until about ½ inch thick, creating slight divot.
4A
For a charcoal grill Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
4B
For a gas grill Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
5
Clean and oil cooking grate. Season patties with pepper. Place patties on grill, divot side up, and cook until well browned on first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip patties, top with blue cheese, if using, and continue to cook until well browned on second side and meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare) or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer burgers to platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve burgers on buns, topped with onions.
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