Pub Cheeseburger

1. 1Divide the cold mince into four and shape each loosely into a patty about 2.5 cm thick and slightly wider than the bun — it will shrink and thicken as it cooks. Handle it just enough to hold together and no more; every extra squeeze compacts the meat towards meatloaf.
2. 2Press a shallow dimple into the centre of each with your thumb. Patties swell in the middle as they cook, and the dimple is what keeps them flat rather than domed.
3. 3Season the outsides only, generously, just before they go in the pan. Salt mixed into the meat dissolves the proteins and gives a springy, sausage-like bite.
4. 4Get a heavy frying pan or griddle very hot with the oil. Lay the patties in and leave them completely alone for 4 minutes — no pressing, ever. Pressing squeezes out the fat and juice that you are cooking them for.
5. 5Flip once. Cook another 3 minutes for medium-rare, or until a thermometer reads 54°C. Add the cheese, splash a tablespoon of water into the pan away from the meat and cover for 30 seconds — the steam melts the cheese without overcooking the patty.
6. 6Rest the patties on a warm plate for 3 minutes. Burgers need resting as much as steak does.
7. 7Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast them face down until deep gold.
8. 8Build from the bottom: sauce, lettuce, tomato, patty, pickles, top. Lettuce under the patty keeps the juices off the base and is the difference between a bun and a wet flannel.

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