Food - Drink
The Ultimate Rule For Saucing Hamburgers
By JOHN TOLLEY
Though you can add all kinds of spices and flavorings to a hamburger, there’s nothing wrong with a super simple all-beef patty, especially when paired with a great condiment. One of the easiest ways to elevate a burger is to add a sauce or spread, but the application is almost as important as the condiment itself.
If your sauce is creamy or loose like mayo or ketchup, spread it on the burger bun, since extra exposure to the heat of the patty can make them too runny. “Jammy” sauces (like bacon jam) should go right on top of the cooked patty, so that the heat from the burger can melt the sauce a bit and bring out its flavors.
If you want a sauce that provides a tart bite to cut through a flame-grilled burger, try something like Shake Shack’s signature sauce, which has a briny and tart flavor. Rachel Ray’s go-to burger sauce flips the script and uses sour cream or yogurt in place of mayonnaise, which lifts the sauce and makes it a little brighter.