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We Finally Know Why Shake Shack's Shackburger Is So Delicious
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Apr 4, 2025
Shake Shack may have started out as a traditional hot dog stand in New York's Madison Square Park, but the restaurant's burgers are hailed as some of the best in the food industry today. Shake Shack found success almost immediately once it started expanding, and a big part of its success has to do with its signature Shackburger.
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Known for their amazing burgers and shakes, Shake Shack is easily one of the most beloved fast food chains in the country
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It's also home of the Shack Burger, one of the most popular and yummy burgers in America
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Here's what makes the Shack Burger so delicious. Shake Shack chose to pair their world-famous Shack Burgers with pillowy potato buns
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For Shake Shack's chefs, it's all about texture. Culinary director Mark Rosati also had this to add
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We want the bun to be nice and soft and tender. If you're wondering how Shake Shack's buns get so soft
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the burger company owes it to Martin's Famous Pastry Shop, a family-owned bakery based in Pennsylvania
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The Shake Shack chefs stick to what they know best and let the professionals handle their buns
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And what's great about this bun is that it doesn't fight you as you're eating it
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Shake Shack also butters and toasts their buns to add another layer of textural variance to each
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side of each half and toasting it face down on the skillet. In doing this, according to Rosati
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you get a nice, soft bun on the outside while also creating a crispy interior
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I'm gonna get a cheeseburger, a Shaq burger? Shaq burger. Shaq burger, sorry. Many home chefs know there are numerous benefits to cooking with a cast iron pan
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From its long lifespan to its ability to maintain high temperatures, cast iron pans are a versatile tool for all your searing needs as Shake Shack cooks can attest The Shack Burger is made using a cast pan instead of a grill
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While diehard grillers may be offended by this choice, Mark Rosati insists that using a cast-iron pan to cook your burger will yield an evenly browned patty
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The rich flavor of the Shack Burger can largely be attributed to this technique
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By creating a seared crust around the meat, the juices get trapped inside
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Where grills only allow for a few points of contact between burger and heat
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a cast iron pan connects the entire surface of the burger with the hot pan
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And the more contact the burger has with the pan, the better the crust. According to Mark Rosati, there's a reason for this
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The crust you're developing is where all the flavor is. The most essential element of Shake Shack's Shack Burger is, of course, the meat itself
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Shake Shack uses only the best beef, sourced from Pat La Frida meat purveyors
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According to Mark Rosati, culinary director of the burger chain, the most important factor in meat selection is the fat content
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As notable chef Samin Nosrat writes in her book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, fat imparts flavor into any dish, so it is an important factor in developing meat with a robust taste
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When asked about the type of meat used in the Shack Burger, Mark Rosati had this to add
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We looking for good fat content For us that somewhere around 2080 20 fat to 80 lean If you really want something amazing go a little higher Go about 22 fat Shake Shack exact ratio is kept a secret as is the specific cut of meat from which the
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Shack Burger is formed. But Shake Shack's CEO, Randy Garudi, confirmed on Today Food
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that his company's burgers are 100% beef, with no hormones or antibiotics
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One of the most important parts of the Shack Burger process is the smash
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Shaq burgers are thin but unbelievably flavorful, due in large part to this technique
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The Shaq burger recipe requires pressing the meat directly onto the hot pan to sear the meat
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and create a beautiful crust that locks in all the juices. One of Shake Shaq's tricks for cooking
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their burgers perfectly is to limit the smash to a single window of time. The meat should be pressed
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thin to about half an inch immediately after placing it on the pan. If you smash it again
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as many assume is necessary after the flip, the juices that have gathered in your burger will get
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squished out, and you'll lose the flavor. The other trick? A super-secret smasher
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According to Epicurious, it took the Shake Shack team five years to create the perfect
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tool to ensure their signature meat crust. Unfortunately, they're not sharing. Like many great burgers, the meat is not the only star of the show
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as Shake Shack's secret sauce carries its own weight in the Shack Burger's flavor
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When Mark Rosati and CEO Randy Garudi appeared on The Today Show they gave away some but not all of their secrets What do you think is in the secret sauce I don care It doesn matter It amazing
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The secret sauce is a combination of many ingredients you probably have in your kitchen
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right now. Mayonnaise, ketchup, and Dijon are mixed together along with a dash of cayenne
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pepper for heat and some of the liquid from a jar of pickles, which adds a unique acidic flavor
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to the sauce. This recipe will get you close to the real thing, but Shake Shack keeps its
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secret ingredient under wraps. But if you're looking for a way to get the taste of Shake
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Shack in the comfort of your home, this version of the secret sauce makes it easy
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Shake Shack keeps its recipe simple to allow the natural flavors of its carefully sourced
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ingredients to shine. To season Shaqburger beef, Shake Shack cooks use just a sprinkle
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of salt and pepper on each side of the burger. According to the New York Post, a half cup
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of kosher salt to a half teaspoon of pepper is the magic ratio that Shake Shack uses on all their
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burgers. The seasoning is added before the burger is smashed, allowing the meat to absorb the flavor
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as it cooks. Once it's flipped, on goes another sprinkle of salt and pepper, and to top it off
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a slice of cheese is added to the seared side of the patty. Then, the burger is finally ready to
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take its rightful place on a pillowy potato bun beneath a slice of tomato, a lettuce leaf
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and a dollop of secret sauce
#Cooking & Recipes
#Fast Food
#Meat & Seafood