SEATTLE — It may not be on your calendar but Wednesday, September 18 is National Cheeseburger Day! And as much as fake holidays can annoy us, this one has our full support. We asked Seattle chef and restaurateur Ethan Stowell to show us how he makes the perfect cheeseburger. We met up with him at The Victor Tavern in South Lake Union.
"I'm a classic Americana diner-style cheeseburger fan, which means you're cooking on a griddle or a flat top, and you're kind of cooking it all the way through," said Stowell. “But there are a few steps you really have to follow."
WHERE’S THE BEEF
"First and foremost is the ground beef you're working with. I love the 80/20 grind from Oregon Country Natural. It's a grass-fed, grain-finished ground beef, which I think sears up perfectly, it's super delicious, and has the right amount of fat in it."
LET'S COOK
"When you're cooking the meat, you want to make sure you press it down into the griddle to make sure it has really good surface contact, so it really renders properly, gets nice and crispy."
SAY CHEESE
"After the second side is seared and nice and brown, you want to add a slice of American cheese, which I know some people have questions about American cheese. I think it's the perfect cheese for a hamburger. It creates its own sauce. It melts perfectly. But you put that on this after the second sear, put a lid on top so it creates a little bit of steam, so it melts evenly and gives your burger a nice coating."
NICE BUNS
"As far as the bun goes, my favorite bun is the Grand Central Bakery potato bun. It has a great mouth feel. It's not too dense, it doesn't fall apart.”
TOP THIS
"As far as the accoutrement or the condiments on my burger, I like to keep it pretty simple. We make kind of our version of a burger sauce, which is just Best Foods mayonnaise, French's mustard, Heinz ketchup, and some sweet pickle relish."
DIG IN
"A great cheeseburger, in my opinion, is really simple,” said Stowell. "You end up with just a great thing that's just very American, very delicious, very rich, and is just fun to make."
This Wednesday at all Victor Tavern locations they'll be running a special on a cheeseburger called, "The Vic Mac." It's a playful, upscale take on another American classic burger.
Here are a few more local spots celebrating National Cheeseburger Day:
Washington state's oldest fast food drive-through restaurant, Eastside Big Tom's in Olympia.
In Tacoma the retro-restaurant, Shake, Shake, Shake serves up great diner-style burgers.
If you are heading towards Stevens Pass, a stop at the iconic Zeke’s Drive-In along Highway 2 is a must-stop for burger lovers.
For the non-meat eaters, Juicy J's in Poulsbo makes delicious plant-based cheeseburgers.
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