Five Guys' Method For Perfectly Juicy Burgers Is Just 3 Steps
Five Guys may be pretty expensive, there's no doubt about that, but the company will tell you that you pay such a high price because you're getting only the very best. In fact, Five Guys not only charges a premium because it's so confident in the quality of its burgers and fries, but it also institutes a three-step process to ensure you're getting the absolute juiciest burger possible.
The process was detailed by employee Maezion Henix to Insider in 2021. First, the cold burger meat is placed on the ripping hot grill and cooked for about one minute. The second stage involves flipping the burger over and then smashing the meat down with the use of what Henix describes as a specialized "tool," before allowing the burger to cook for approximately two more minutes. In the third and final stage, the beef patty is moved to a special section of the grill where it finishes cooking. Henix also notes that the burger is moved from stage two to stage three when it starts to bleed, or release blood from the beef, which indicates that the meat remains juicy but isn't quite done just yet.
Now that we have some idea of the stages, what are the benefits of each stage? How does this three-step process result in a better, juicier burger?
Each step is designed to lock in flavor
If you've ever made a burger before, you'd probably say you don't go through a three-step process of making it like Five Guys does it. Perhaps you should, considering that each part of the process is meant to retain as much juice inside the burger as possible while still maintaining that tender, moist exterior.
If Five Guys' process was simply "throw the burger on the grill, smash it flat, and then cook it until dark on all sides," chances are you would be eating a leathery, dry piece of meat. By letting the burger "par-cook" on one side without smashing it down, that trademark crust starts to form. During the second stage, the burger is smashed but not until it's completely flat. The burger is instead "shaped" in such a way that it develops that same crust on its edges without all of its juices being squeezed out. At stage three, the patty moves to that aforementioned special section of the grill, where it can cook all the way through undisturbed instead of being flipped or squeezed.
In short, Five Guys' process is mainly about retaining the maximum amount of juice while still fully cooking the burger. It may be a bit more complex than how you cook burgers, but Five Guys would argue that it's worth it.
This process also means Five Guys' burgers are always well-done
Five Guys is known for promoting burger customization, and they boast a "secret menu" filled with dozens of ways to build whatever burger you desire. But while Five Guys will make you any burger you want, don't expect that you could ask your burger to be cooked any way outside of well-done.
The two-fold reason for the strict adherence to the burger being cooked one way? It's for both food safety and it keeps the whole process going smoothly. Since Five Guys doesn't have freezers and its meat starts chilled instead of frozen, the burger must be cooked until totally well-done, not raw or pink in the middle, to destroy any bacteria that may be present on the meat. If a customer asked for a burger that's medium-rare in the center, that would also throw a wrench in the whole three-step process.
Instead of all burgers being cooked uniformly and in adherence to the process, the employee must take extra time to make sure this one particular burger is cooked medium-rare. It's just easier and safer to cook all the burgers one way: well-done but as juicy as can be. And, just as your burger can only be cooked one way, so too are your fries, in order to give them that perfect texture to complement your burger.