The Speakeasy Double Wagyu Cheeseburger
Chapter 4: Beyond the Steak
There are burgers, and then there are magnificent, unapologetic monuments to excess. This is the latter. Born in the shadowy, leather-bound booths of the city’s finest chophouses, this towering architectural marvel demands your utmost respect. It requires the deep, buttery fat of American Wagyu, the unabashed melt of deli-counter American cheese, a lacquered slab of maple-glazed pork belly, and a perfectly runny farm egg. Do not flatten it. Do not cook it past 130 degrees. Surrender to the rhythm of the steakhouse and let the yolk run down your chin.
Ingredients
- premium mayonnaise1/2 cup
- tomato ketchup2 tbsp
- Worcestershire sauce1 tsp
- fresh lemon juice1 tsp
- cayenne pepper1/4 tsp
- thick-cut smoked bacon4 large
- maple syrup2 tbsp
- coarsely ground black pepper1 tsp
- American Wagyu ground beef1 1/4 lb
- kosher salt2 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- clarified butter2 tbsp
- brioche buns2 large
- red onion1/4 cup
- dill pickle slices8 small
- American cheese4 large
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- pasture-raised eggs2 large
- fresh chives1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Whisk the Marie Rose sauce.
In a small bowl, vigorously combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire, lemon juice, cayenne, and a pinch of kosher salt until pale and salmon-pink, then refrigerate to let the flavors marry.
- 02
Lacquer the bacon in a hot oven.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and bake the thick-cut bacon on a wire rack set over a foil-lined sheet for 15 minutes. Brush generously with the maple syrup, dust with the coarse black pepper, and return to the oven for 5 to 8 minutes until entirely candied and crisp.
- 03
Form the Wagyu patties with cold hands.
Working quickly to keep the fat solid, gently press the divided beef into four pucks just slightly wider than your buns, pressing a shallow dimple into the center of each to prevent them from doming during the sear.
- 04
Toast the buns in clarified butter.
Heat a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium heat, melt the clarified butter, and toast the bun halves cut-side down for about 2 minutes until deeply golden and crusted. Slather both halves with the Marie Rose sauce, and press the minced red onion and fanned pickle slices into the top buns.
- 05
Sear the patties in a smoking-hot skillet.
Crank the skillet heat to medium-high until the dry cast iron is smoking. Generously season the tops of the patties with salt and pepper right before placing them in the pan, pressing gently just to ensure maximum surface contact without smashing the precious fat out.
- 06
Flip, melt the cheese, and probe for a perfect medium-rare.
After exactly 3 minutes of undisturbed searing, scrape under the patties with a sharp metal spatula to retain the crust, flip, and immediately drape with American cheese. Insert an instant-read thermometer horizontally into the meat—you are pulling these at exactly 130°F, doming the pan briefly if the cheese needs a push to melt, then resting the stacked patties on a board for 2 minutes.
- 07
Fry the sunny-side-up eggs in metal ring molds.
Lower the skillet heat to medium-low, wipe out the burnt bits while leaving a sheen of beef fat, and melt a sliver of unsalted butter inside two metal ring molds. Crack an egg into each and fry gently until the whites are fully set but the yolk remains a fragile, unbroken liquid.
- 08
Assemble the towering burger.
Place the double-stacked, cheese-draped Wagyu patties on the sauced bottom bun, layer with two slices of the maple-pepper bacon, and carefully slide the egg on top. Garnish the yolk with flaky sea salt and the minced chives before crowning with the top bun and serving immediately.