We’re taking 1 lb (ca. 454 g) of Ground Beef and making 10×45g Ground Beef Patties to make some Homemade McDoubles, topped with rehydrated Onions, Pickles, Ketchup, and Mustard with a Cheese slice between the two patties. All on a buttered and toasted buns, just the same as McDonald’s McDoubles.
Homemade McDouble Ingredients
Hamburger Patties (Ground Beef, optional Burger Mixin (Baking Powder, Beef Powder, MSG)), Hamburger Buns, Butter, Dehydrated Onions, Dill Pickles, Ketchup & Mustard.
Hamburger Patties
The Hamburger patties are first gently mixed up with Burger Mixin that contains Baking Powder, Beef Bouillon or Powder, and MSG. These are optional ingredients that I like to add to elevate the flavors. But can most certainly be omitted if desired, using just straight ground beef.
Optionally add about 50g of chopped beef suet to bring the total lean ground beef weight to 500g, and then portion out to 10×50g patties. Medium ground beef doesn’t need any more fat added and is equivalent to what McDonald’s uses for their beef patties.
However you want to do the patties. Adding in the Burger Mixin or not, adding in additional fat if using Lean Ground Beef or not if using Medium Ground Beef. The Hamburger patties themselves are portioned out at 45g, just the same as McDonald’s, or at 50g with lean ground beef and added fat.
Check out my post on How To Make Burgers, which walks through everything such as making the Burger Mixin, forming the patties, seasoning and searing.
Burger Mixin
- 1 tsp Beef Powder
- 1/2 tsp MSG
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
Snippet from Topic Article ~ How to make Burgers
Why Freeze Hamburger Patties
After the patties have been made up and placed on a baking sheet, they go to the freezer and for a few good reasons. Besides the fact that McDonald’s Hamburger Patties also come Frozen.
- Handling: Easier handling when placing into the pan or skillet. The meat holds together better.
- Optimal Sear: You get a better sear without overcooking the inside. Since the patties are frozen, it takes a bit to cook them through. Allowing for a good sear time on the burgers themselves.
- Juicy Burgers: Since all the heat is concentrated on the sear, while the middle is slow to cook, the results are incredibly juicy burgers. You take them off as soon as the juices run clear.
- Reduces Shrinkage: Burger will always shrink when cooked. With Frozen Burger patties, this takes a bit longer to cook through. So a good sear is achieved with minimal shrinkage.
- Cupping: Frozen Burger patties also reduce cupping by preventing overcooking to an extent. Even frozen Burger patties will cup, and this is from the proteins shrinking. The other preventative measure against cupping or bulging is to make the hamburger patties slightly thinner in the middle and going out to the edge when pressing the burgers.
Excessive cooking or overcooking is visually seen with too much shrinkage of the patties themselves or cupping. You only want to cook the patties just until the juices run clear.
Hamburger Buns
For the Hamburger Buns, just use your standard hamburger buns. Which are perfectly fine for these type of Burgers. To elevate it more, you can go with a Brioche bun.
Butter the Buns and Toast them in a skillet over medium heat. This will soften the buns and get a nice toast on them before assembling the Burgers. After toasting all of the Buns, the pan will be hot enough to start searing the hamburger patties.
McDouble Toppings
The McDoubles are topped with rehydrated Onions, Dill Pickles, Ketchup & Mustard, with a Cheese Slice between the two Beef Patties. Have these already prepared and set aside before you begin with toasting the Buns.
Yellow Mustard
I use French’s Yellow Mustard as the choice of Mustard. The McDoubles take 5 small squirts of Mustard.
Ketchup
Use French’s Ketchup, which is a brand that I always buy. But perhaps something even more nostalgic and resembling the Ketchup that McDonald’s may have used in the old days is Heinz Chili Sauce. I don’t know what it is, but it hits like something else. The McDoubles take 5 good size squirts of Ketchup.
Rehydrated Onions
McDonald’s uses dehydrated Onions that are rehydrated to top the burgers. To do the same at home, purchase dehydrated minced Onions and add an equal amount of water as Onions used in a bowl and let it sit. Then squeeze out the water and uses these Onions to top the burgers.
Pickles
McDonald’s has a proprietary recipe for their Dill Pickles. For us at home, just your regular Dill Pickles, sliced thinly, will do. I also use the Refrigerator Cucumbers in place sometimes. These don’t taste anything like McDonalds. Instead they have a very elegant and clasy taste to them, that I really do enjoy on burgers.
Either way, use 2 Pickles or more for extra pickles, on the crown after adding Mustard, Ketchup and Onions.
Cheese Slice
Just your standard American Cheese Slice in between the two beef patties.
Note: The McDouble is one cheese slice, while the Double Cheeseburger is two Cheese Slices.
McDonald’s Burger Seasoning
McDonald’s states they use an 86/14 Salt to Pepper ratio. This is roughly 2 1/2 Tbl of Sea Salt & 1 Tbl of Black Pepper. Combine the two together and mix well to season the Burger Patties. You can also use this seasoning for the Shoestring Fries.
How to make a McDouble
The very first thing that needs to be prepared and frozen are the burger patties themselves. This can even be part of a meal prep. Where a couple of lbs of ground beef is made up into patties and frozen in order to have a Burger at any time in less than 30 minutes for a quick meal. Once all the patties are frozen on the baking sheet, they can be removed and stored in a freezer bag.
With the frozen patties, and the Burger Seasoning made and set aside. Start by adding into a bowl about 1/2 tsp dehydrated Onions per burger with an equal amount of water, and set it aside until assembly. Prepare your Pickles as well and set aside.
Toasted Buns
Set a pan over medium heat and butter all the Buns. Toast the Buns until toasted to your liking and set aside.
Toppings
Place each Bun on a plate and top the crown with 5 small quirts of Mustard, 5 larger squirts of Ketchup, a pinch of rehydrated Onions with the juices squeezed out and 2 Dill Pickles or more for extra Pickles.
Seared Burgers
Place the Patties in and sear for 2 minutes.
Seared Burgers Second Side
Flip over to sear the other side for 2 minutes. Season the seared side with the Salt and Pepper. Then flip over the other side when done searing and season with Salt & Pepper. Flip one more time just to apply some heat and place on the crown. Repeat for remaining patties.
Cook just until the juices run clear to prevent too much shrinkage and cupping.
Equipment
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 Digital Scale
- 1 Hamburger Press or lid with plastic bag
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Small Bowl for the Salt & Pepper
- 1 Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 Hamburger Buns
- Butter - As needed
Hamburger Patties
- 1 lb Ground Beef - Medium Ground Beef, very cold
- 1 tsp Beef powder - Optional
- 1/2 tsp MSG - Optional
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder - Optional
Hamburger Seasoning
- 2 1/2 Tbl Sea Salt - approx. or at 86%
- 1 Tbl Black Pepper - approx. or at 14%
Toppings
- 2 tsp Dehydrated Minced Onion - Rehydrated in 2 tsp Water
- 8 Slices Dill Pickles
- Squirts of Yellow Mustard
- Larger Squirts of Ketchup - French's or Heinz Chili Sauce
- 4 Slices American Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Hamburger Patties: Combine the Hamburger Patty ingredients and gently mix. You're not really mixing but using a fork to twist and toss the meat. Weight out 45g and shape into a hamburger patty with a hamburger press or lid. Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat. Once all the patties are made up, place the baking sheet into the freezer.
- Toppings: Prepare all the toppings needed to assemble the Burgers.
- Toasted Buns: Heat a skillet up over medium heat and butter the buns. Toast the buns until toasted to your liking and set aside on each plate or sheet of waxed paper.
- Seared Burgers: After all the buns are toasted, sear the patties for 2 minutes per side. Season the seared side with Salt & Pepper, and the other side after it is done cooking with Salt & Pepper. Flip again just to apply heat and set aside. Repeat for remaining burgers. Cook just until the juices run clear. Too much shrinkage or cupping is a sign that they are being overcooked.
- Burger Assembly: Starting with the Crown, per burger5 small squirts of Mustard5 larger squirts of Ketchup or Heinz Chili SaucePinch of rehydrated Onions, with the juices squeezed out2 sliced Pickles1 Burger Patty1 slice of Cheese1 Burger PattyHeelServe right away or even better, wrap in waxed paper to let sit for a few minutes before serving.