Cast Iron Burger (Pan fried skillet burger)

A burger on a wooden board with melted cheese, tomato and lettuce.

5 from 1 vote

Cast Iron Burger (Pan fried skillet burger)

No more ready-made burger patties. It's time to be blown away by these superbly flavourful 15-minute pan-fried cast iron skillet burgers.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 612kcal

Author: Helen

Equipment

Ingredients

Burgers

500 g ground beef (Note 1)
1 tsp salt
4 burger buns (Note 2)
15 g butter (Note 3)
4 slices cheese optional (Note 4)

Burger Sauce (optional)

2 tbsp mayonnaise (Note 5)
4 tsp ketchup
3 tsp pickle juice (gherkin juice)
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp mustard

To serve (optional)

Lettuce
Tomato
Pickles
Onion

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the optional burger sauce by mixing the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Preheat your pan or skillet to medium-high heat.
In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and salt. Gently mix them together until well incorporated, being careful not to overwork the meat.
Divide the ground beef mixture into 4 equal portions and shape them into round patties, ensuring they are slightly larger than the size of the burger buns, as they will shrink slightly during cooking.
Add the butter to the preheated skillet. Add the burger patties and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes on one side and flip
Add the cheese if using, place a lid on the pan and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Remove the burgers from the pan and leave to rest on a wooden board for 5 minutes.
Place the burger buns in face down and toast for 1-2 minutes until the bottoms are light brown and crisp. Remove and set aside.
Assemble the burgers. Spreading the sauce on the bottom of each bun, add a cooked burger patty followed by other toppings including lettuce, pickles and tomato and serve immediately.

Notes

Ground beef: For a juicy and flavourful burger a meat-to-fat ratio of around 80% lean meat to 20% fat is what you need. Ground chuck is a great choice. If you prefer your burgers medium-rare I recommend buying fresh beef that was ground on the same day. I tend to buy mine from a local butcher.
Burger buns: This comes down to personal preference. I like a seeded bun, and brioche is also a popular choice. Other options include pretzel buns and whole-wheat or gluten-free buns.
Butter: Used for frying instead of oil to add a little extra richness to the burger patties and toasted buns.
Cheese: This is optional and also a matter of personal taste. Cheddar is often my go-to, but feel free to choose what you fancy. Blue cheese, Monterey Jack and Red Leicester all work well.
Mayo: Can be full of low fat.

Storage:

Burgers taste best when they're freshly cooked and left to rest for 5 minutes. You can store uncooked patties in the fridge for up to 2 days and freeze for up to 3 months. Once cooked, the burger patties can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheated on the stove or microwave. Storing and reheating assembled burgers is not recommended.

Top Tips:

Burger patties shrink a little during cooking, so it's best to make them a little wider than your buns.

Wait for the pan to get hot before toasting the buns and cooking the burgers. Otherwise, they'll absorb the butter and become soggy.

Place a lid on the pan if you want the cheese to melt fully.

Nutrition