The Bruce burger
2026
The Bruce burger: a thin, griddled patty seasoned after cooking, under cold lettuce, tomato, two onions, and double-sour pickles, with mayo and mustard.
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Burgers blueprint
A burger is a stack of parts: a patty, how it’s seasoned and cooked, and a build of cold crunch, something sharp, and a sauce, all on a bun. Each part has its own method. A build picks one option for each part and lands on a profile: a drive-in deluxe burger is all cold crunch and sharpness, a fast-food double is salty, sweet, and rich. Every burger recipe here is one build with quantities. For a full encyclopedic view of burgers, see George Motz’s Hamburger America.
All methods →Lineage
Parts5
Each part is its own method. A build picks one option from each.
Builds11
These are the burgers I know and love, not a complete list. There are thousands of variations out there, and the parts above are how you’d build any of them.
Smash burger
1880
The smash burger: cold balls of beef smashed thin on a very hot griddle for a lacy crust, stacked double with cheese between and onion underneath.
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Grilled onion burger
1922
The grilled onion burger: a smashed patty and a pile of onion cooked sweet in the beef fat.
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Big Boy burger
1937
The Big Boy double-decker: two thin patties on a three-part bun, each with its own deck of lettuce and red relish sauce.
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The Whopper
1957
The Whopper: a wide, flame-grilled patty under cold lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles, with ketchup, and mayo on both buns.
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Drive-in deluxe burger
1960
The drive-in deluxe burger: a thin, griddled patty under cold lettuce, tomato, and sour pickles, with Triple “O” red sauce and sweet mayo.
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Teen burger
1963
A&W Canada's Teen burger: a seasoned-salt patty, cheddar, bacon, the full diner set of toppings, and Teen sauce on a toasted sesame bun.
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Mozza burger
1980
A&W Canada's Mozza burger: a beef patty, real mozzarella, bacon, lettuce, and tomato, with a sweet, tangy Mozza sauce on both buns.
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Pub burger
1985
The pub burger: one thick, hand-formed patty, cooked juicy, on a toasted soft bun with simple, savoury toppings. A meal, not a snack.
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Fast-food double burger
1990
The fast-food double: two thin, soft patties with processed cheese melted between them, and the fast-food balance of ketchup, mustard, pickle, and onion.
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McDouble burger
2008
The McDouble: two thin patties, one slice of cheese, ketchup, mustard, pickles, and onion. The value-menu double.
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