Bring Shake Shack into Your Kitchen

Shake Shack shares its recipes for The ShackBurger, 'ShroomBurger, and Cheese Sauce for Cheese Fries.

Rather than wait on line for what feels like hours, you can make the NYC chain’s customer favorites at home.

The ShackBurger

Okay, here’s our sacred cow!

Makes 4

Most likely the reason you have this book in your hands—our version of the great American cheeseburger. Like all deceptively simple things, it took us years to get it right, but now you can master burger perfection in five minutes.

Ingredients

4 hamburger potato buns
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 tablespoons ShackSauce
4 pieces green leaf lettuce
8 ¼-inch slices ripe plum tomato
1 pound very cold ground beef, divided into 4 pucks
½ teaspoon Our Salt & Pepper Mix
4 slices American cheese

Directions

Heat a cast-iron griddle over medium-low heat until warm. Meanwhile, open the hamburger buns and brush the insides with the melted butter. A soft brush is helpful here. Place the buns buttered side down on the griddle and toast until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Transfer buns to a plate. Spoon the ShackSauce onto the top bun. Add a piece of the lettuce and two slices of tomato.
Increase the heat to medium and heat the griddle until hot, 2-3 minutes.
Evenly sprinkle a pinch of Our Salt & Pepper Mix on top of each puck of meat.
Place the pucks on the griddle, seasoned side down. Using a large, sturdy metal spatula, firmly smash each puck into a 1/3-inch-thick round patty. Pressing down on the spatula with another stiff spatula helps flatten the burger quickly. Evenly sprinkle another big pinch of Our Salt & Pepper Mix.
Cook the burgers, resisting the urge to move them, until the edges beneath are brown and crisp, and juices on the surface are bubbling hot, approximately 2½ minutes. Slide one of the spatulas beneath the burger to release it from the griddle and scrape up the caramelized browned crust. Use the other spatula to steady the burger and keep it from sliding. Flip the burgers. Put the cheese on top and cook the burgers 1 minute longer for medium. Cook more or less depending on your preference.
Transfer the cheeseburgers to the prepared buns and enjoy.

‘Shroom Burger

Makes 4

We knew that our idea of a community gathering place meant we wanted to offer our vegetarian guests more than just fries to munch on. We set out to create a vegetarian experience even meat eaters would crave. Hence the ’Shroom Burger’s crispy mushroom halves surrounding a creamy, cheesy filling. After it became so popular, we created the Shack Stack, piling a ’Shroom Burger atop a ShackBurger, so our meat-loving friends can get in on the ’Shroom action.

For the mushroom caps:

4 4-inch portabello mushroom caps
¼ cup canola oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups flour
3 eggs
2 cups panko breadcrumbs

For the filling:

1½ cups grated muenster
½ cup grated cheddar
½ teaspoon minced onion
1/8 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon flour
1 egg yolk
1 pinch cayenne

To cook and assemble the mushroom burgers:

Canola oil for deep-frying
Kosher salt
4 tablespoons ShackSauce
4 hamburger potato buns, toasted
4 pieces green leaf lettuce
8 ¼-inch slices ripe plum tomato

Directions

For the mushroom caps, preheat the oven to 375°F. Put mushroom caps on a medium baking pan. Rub caps all over with the oil, then season both sides with the salt and pepper. Arrange mushrooms gill side down in a single layer and roast until tender, 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Slice mushrooms in half horizontally.
Put the flour in a wide dish, beat the eggs in another wide dish, and put the panko in a third wide dish and set aside.
For the filling, mix together the muenster and cheddar cheeses, onion, garlic, flour, egg yolk, and cayenne in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
Shape the filling into four equal disks, ½ inch smaller in diameter than the mushroom caps. Place cheese disks on gill side of each mushroom cap, cover with other half of cap, cut side down, and gently press together to secure the filling.
Dredge the stuffed mushroom caps in the flour, then dip in the beaten egg, coating them completely, then dredge in the panko. Set prepared mushrooms on a plate and refrigerate while heating the oil to deep-fry them.
To cook the mushroom burgers, pour the oil into a deep, wide pot to a depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 350°F on a candy thermometer. Deep-fry the prepared mushrooms, one or two at a time, until golden brown and crisp all over, 3-4 minutes. Transfer mushrooms with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Season with salt.
Spoon the ShackSauce onto the top bun. Add a piece of lettuce and two slices of tomato.
Transfer the mushroom burgers to the prepared buns. Enjoy!

Cheese Sauce

Makes approximately 6 cups

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
½ onion, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick
6 thin slices jalapeño
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons white wine
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups grated American cheese
2 cups grated cheddar

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, jalapeños, peppercorns, and salt, and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and wine, and cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the cream. Remove the pan from the heat and let the cream steep for 30 minutes to build flavor.
Return the saucepan to the stove and heat over medium heat until very warm (don’t let it come to a boil).
Meanwhile, put the American and cheddar cheeses into a large heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream through a strainer (to remove the solids) over the cheeses, stirring until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth, approximately 3 minutes. Sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to one week. You can easily reheat the sauce in a microwave or over a pot of gently simmering hot water.

Our Salt & Pepper Mix

We mix ½ cup kosher salt with ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper and use that mixture to season our burgers as they cook. You’ll see we call for a pinch or two of the mixture in every recipe.

ShackSauce

Makes approximately ½ cup

Long ago we threw away the key to the secret recipe for ShackSauce; but we promise to get you really close with ingredients easily found in your kitchen.

Ingredients

½ cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon Heinz ketchup
¼ teaspoon kosher dill pickling brine
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions

Put all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Sauce will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Reprinted from Shake Shack. Copyright © 2017 by Shake Shack Enterprises, LLC. Principal photographs copyright © 2017 by Christopher Hirsheimer. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Find Cooking Classes for Kids Near You