This is Bruce’s take on the classic White Spot Triple “O” deluxe burger (lettuce and tomatoes make it deluxe; cheddar and bacon make it a “BC” burger).
The White Spot burgers are something like a 70:30 beef blend on a soft bun. I believe they use preformed patties these days, but I’ve found that at home a smashed 115–140 g (4–5 oz) patty works better, as you can get a nice crust on it.
The sauces and build of these burgers have changed a lot over the last 50 years, but if you turn back time they were a drive-in burger made from readily available ingredients. The Triple “O” name comes from the carhop order tickets: when a customer asked for extra sauce, relish, and mayonnaise, the carhop marked the slip with three “O”s. The mark lasted: it was still in White Spot’s point-of-sale system as late as 2010. Accounts of the sauce itself disagree, but these days there are two: a red sauce that, in home testing, is close to the relish and chili sauce blend below, and a white sauce, an enriched, sweet mayo.
Triple “O” (red) sauce
- 2 parts Bick’s Red Relish
- 3 parts Heinz Chili Sauce
Stir together. In home taste tests, this is close enough to work well.
The red sauce has likely changed a lot over the years, but there are stories that it was produced by a local Vancouver supplier from repackaged bulk ingredients, an evolution of an earlier in-house secret sauce made mostly from off-the-shelf products. In recent samples from White Spot, the red sauce and mayo are applied separately.
White Spot mayo
Makes enough for about 8 burgers.
- 375 ml (1½ cups) Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise
- 1 pasteurized egg yolk
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¾ tbsp honey (one “blop”)
- 1 tsp cider vinegar or lemon juice
Stir everything together thoroughly.
White Spot’s mayo is a bit sweeter than normal, has fine flecks of red, and has a yellow tinge. My guess is that it’s a more 1950s-style mayonnaise, which was typically richer and more flavourful than today’s manufactured mayos.
Patties
- About 500 g (1 lb) fresh medium-grind ground beef, 70:30 (regular)
- Salt, pepper, and Accent
- Fat or oil, for the pan
Split the beef into 115–140 g (4–5 oz) portions and form into loose meatballs. Don’t pack them tight; some irregularity helps the smashed patty form a better crust. Set aside while you prepare everything else, and hold off on seasoning until you cook.
Heat a large, heavy pan or flat-top over medium-low, then turn it up to medium-high shortly before cooking.
Add oil to the pan and drop in a meatball. Season it, then smash it with a spatula (or a smash press) to 3–6 mm (⅛–¼ inch) thick. Work quickly, then leave the patty alone until liquid pools on top. Repeat with the rest, keeping the pan from cooling down. A square of parchment between the meat and the spatula stops it sticking.
Flip each patty once a deep crust has formed. Add the cheese shortly before the patties come off.
Burgers
- 4 soft buns (brioche or soft kaiser)
- Iceberg lettuce, loosely shredded
- Tomatoes (big, red, and fresh), sliced
- Kosher garlic pickles, sliced lengthwise
- Cheddar, sliced (real if you have it)
Toast the cut sides of the buns in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat until golden, while the burger pan heats.
Build from the bottom up: bottom bun, Triple “O” sauce, patty, cheese, pickles, tomato, lettuce, sweet mayo, top bun. For authenticity, lay the pickle over the bun and wrap.
To serve
Salad or fresh-cut fries.
Notes
- The mayo has a raw yolk. A pasteurized yolk is safest, since the batch is made ahead; with an ordinary yolk, use it the same day.