Shake Shack Burgers at Home

Say that again? Yes, Shake Shack burgers in your own home!

Shake Shack, if you don’t already know, is a burger stand that serves burgers, dogs, milkshakes & fries made from fresh, high-quality ingredients. The first, and best restaurant is located at Madison Square Park in NYC, though they now have restaurants all over the world (even Baltimore, yay!). Dining at the Madison Sq. Park location is a chilled out way to spend a summer evening. There are lights strung from the trees and tables scattered around the restaurant in the middle of the park. It’s a nice way to relax for the night while enjoying a burger, some fries and a beer.

Shake Shack – Madison Square Park

For a long time, the only Shake Shack’s were in NYC, so everyone else was out of luck. J. Kenji López-Alt changed all that. I’ll forever be thankful to him for coming up with a home-version of my favorite Shake Shack burger, the Shack Stack. A Shack Stack is quite the sandwich. A cheeseburger, ‘shroom burger, lettuce, tomato and ShakeSauce served on a Martin’s potato roll. As you can imagine, nothing tastes quite like it, which used to give me major cravings. Not anymore… being able to make them at home is pretty much one of the best things that ever happened.

The ‘Shroom patty is the draw in this burger. To make them portobello mushroom caps are hollowed out, steamed and filled with muenster and cheddar cheeses. Then the cheese-filled mushroom cap gets breaded and deep fried until golden and crisp. When you bite into the crispy mushroom burger, salty melted cheese comes bursting out like a mini volcano. The mushroom has a meaty texture that holds up well to the gooey cheese. The outer shell is crisp, salty and crunchy, it’s a perfect compliment to the cheeseburger and soft roll.

I initially thought this would be a difficult feat to pull off but I was completely wrong. The homemade Shack Stack is easy, fast and a game changer for people with no access to a Shake Shack. The taste is nearly identical, I hope you give it a try and enjoy the burger bliss!

Homemade Shake Shack
Adapted from Serious Eats

1 lb beef, divided into 4 loosely formed balls
4 portobello mushroom caps, 4 inches across
4 oz grated muenster cheese
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
4 slices American cheese
2 Martin’s potato rolls, toasted
2 leaves green leaf lettuce
2 slices of tomato
2 tablespoons shack sauce or other condiments
salt + pepper
oil, for frying

Divide beef into four loose balls, put in refrigerator. Slice tomatoes and clean lettuce. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Steam mushrooms for 8-10 minutes. After steaming, press with paper towels to remove any excess water. You can also cook these in the microwave for about 4 minutes between 3 layers of paper towels, sandwiched between two heavy bottomed plates. Be careful removing plates from microwave, they most likely will be hot. Once the mushrooms are cooled, press between paper towels to remove any excess water.

Grate cheese and roll into two ball shapes. Stuff each cheese ball between two mushroom caps. Using plastic wrap, press the mushrooms together by twisting the plastic wrap as if you were wrapping candies. The mushroom should form a little puck. Place in fridge.

Put flour, panko and egg wash in three separate bowls. Dredge mushroom patties in flour, egg wash and panko. Repeat with egg wash and panko breadcrumbs for a second dip. Let the patties rest in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes before frying. Fill oil about half way up in a cast iron skillet and preheat to 375 F. Fry mushroom patties for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown on one side before flipping. Cook the other side for 2 minutes before removing from pan. Salt and drain on a wire rack.

While the mushroom is cooling, heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Season burgers with salt and pepper and place, seasoned side down, on the hot griddle. Using a flat spatula, flatten the burger to form a thin patty. Flattening with the spatula also creates a nice crust on the burger. Cook for 1-2 minutes before flipping. Since these burgers are thin, they cook fast. After you flip the burgers, season the top with salt and pepper then place a slice of cheese on each patty. Cook for 1-2 additional minutes.

Remove burgers from pan and stack it on some Martin’s potato rolls, add your ‘Shroom burger along with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce and you’ve got yourself a homemade Shack Stack!