A burger sauce adds sweetness, acid, and sharpness, and sometimes fat. There are two ways to get there: keep the condiments separate and let them meet on the burger, or blend them into one spread. Either way, the sauce sits against the bread, where it soaks in, and it shouldn’t drown the onion and pickle.
The variables
- Sweet to sharp. Ketchup brings sweetness; mustard brings sharpness. McDonald’s runs about 11:1 ketchup to mustard, Burger King about 3:1, and diners land anywhere in between. The McDouble recipe settles on 5:1.
- Fat. Mayo carries a blended sauce and softens the mustard. Kewpie adds sweetness and acidity. It also provides a protective layer and the glue for toppings like lettuce.
- Pickle. Diced pickle or relish gives a spread its texture and sourness. Many fast-food pickles are double-sour.
- Special sauces. A blended spread with raw onion or pickle tastes better after an hour in the fridge, once the onion mellows.
Options
| Option | Pick it when | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Ketchup and mustard, separate | Deluxe and fast-food burgers | From 11:1 to 3:1 ketchup to mustard, or the reverse. |
| Bruce’s burger sauce | Swiss or deluxe burgers | 1:1:1 mayo, diced pickle, mustard |
| In-N-Out burger spread | Diner-style griddle burgers | Mayo-based, with ketchup, relish, and a little vinegar and sugar |
| Red sauce and sweet mayo | White Spot burger | Red: 2:3 red relish to chili sauce. Mayo: Hellmann’s, egg yolk, paprika, honey, cider vinegar |
| Mozza burger sauce | Mozza burger | Mayo, sweet pickle or red relish, chili sauce, a touch of Thousand Island or sugar |
| Teen sauce | Teen burger | Mayo (soybean oil, egg yolk, vinegar) with mustard, sugar, and spices; served with ketchup and mustard |
| Mayo and mustard | The Bruce burger; when ketchup is too sweet | Best with grilled onions, as the onions provide the sweetness. |
Condiments
The jarred and bottled condiments the builds use, on their own or as the base of a sauce.
| Condiment | What it brings | Used on |
|---|---|---|
| Ketchup | Sweet | McDouble burger, Fast-food double burger, Smash burger, Teen burger, The Whopper; on the table for the Pub burger |
| Yellow mustard | Sharp | The Bruce burger, McDouble burger, Fast-food double burger, Smash burger, Teen burger; on the table for the Pub burger; alone on the Grilled onion burger |
| Mayonnaise | Fat; carries a blended sauce | The Bruce burger, Pub burger, Big Boy burger, The Whopper (both buns); the base of Triple “O” mayo, Mozza sauce, and Teen sauce |
| Red relish | Sweet, sour, texture | Big Boy burger; with chili sauce in Triple “O” sauce and Mozza sauce |
| Chili sauce | Sweet, tangy tomato | Triple “O” sauce (Drive-in deluxe burger) and Mozza sauce (Mozza burger) |
| Thousand Island | Sweet, creamy, tangy | Big Boy burger, and a touch in Mozza sauce |
| Dill pickles | Sour, crunch | Most builds, sliced thin or lengthwise |
| Double-sour pickles | The strongest sour: dill pickles with a sprinkle of citric acid powder | Drive-in deluxe burger |
Double-sour pickles are difficult to buy in my region and easy to make: add a sprinkle of citric acid powder to ordinary sandwich-style dill pickles and let them sit. They get remarkably close to commercial double sours. On a fast-food double, non-kosher dills with a little citric acid or vinegar do the same job (see McDouble).
How it fails
- Harsh: too much mustard. A squeeze of ketchup or a splash of pickle brine softens it.
- Too mild: lean towards more pickle for brightness.
Notes
- The ratio matters most when the sauces stay separate, like ketchup and mustard. For my tastes I reverse the restaurant ratio, or drop the ketchup and let sautéed onion bring the sweetness (see The Bruce burger).
Recipes
Bruce’s burger sauce, In-N-Out burger spread, Mozza burger sauce, White Spot burger (red sauce and sweet mayo), Turkey burgers (special sauce).