The Unexpected Cooking Method Alton Brown Swears By For Burgers

"If I found out the world was about to end, I'd calmly walk into the kitchen and make this cheeseburger" (via Pinterest). That's what Alton Brown says about his favorite burger recipe – that's about as ringing an endorsement as you could ever get. So what makes this burger so good? If you were to be served it, you might not necessarily be able to tell what the secret to its crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside patty is.

Well, wonder no longer: It's deep fried. Deep fried? Yes, admittedly it's an unorthodox technique (and the all-American cheeseburger is an exercise in doing the simple things well), but the deep-fried patty actually has a long history — and makes for a fantastic burger.

You might think that deep frying your burger will make for an oily end product. But that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, the intense heat on all sides results in an incredibly crispy crust, which keeps all those delicious juices sealed inside the burger. It's the same principle as making smash burgers.

In that case, forcing the patty down onto a flat top means that the burger essentially fries in its own fat. When deep frying, the intense heat forces water vapor out (which stops the frying oil from getting in), allowing the sugars in the meat itself to caramelize and form a perfect golden brown crust (all hail the mighty Maillard reaction, which is not the same as caramelization). As far as burger upgrades go, it's up there with the best.

Alton Brown's method is simple but (like much of his innovative approach to cooking) precise and scientific. When it comes to making his patties, he prefers to grind his own meat (per YouTube). While you don't have to do this step yourself, it'll definitely make for the best-tasting burgers possible. It'll also allow you to control the fat content of your burgers more effectively — and remember: Fat means flavor. If you're skipping this step and buying pre-ground beef (which is totally fine, by the way), make sure you use ground beef that has a content of at least 20% for the most flavorful burgers. However, even lean meat will turn out a tasty product — that's the beauty of deep frying, after all.

Brown uses a scale to weigh out five ounces, for thin, uniform burgers (via YouTube). While this is a great method, you can achieve similar results at home simply shaping your patties by hand, using your palm as your guide.

Just make sure to get the meat as thin as possible (it'll shrink back to a more manageable size as it cooks) so that it can cook through before it has a chance to burn on the outside. Smashing your burgers like this will also result in those uneven, crispy, spindly edges characteristic of smashburgers. These will get extra crisped up, verging on crunchy, and deliver an intense kick of savory flavor and crunchy texture.

Temperatures are crucial in cookery — but especially so when it comes to deep frying. No double fry method here (though it works a treat for Japanese style fried karaage chicken) — you get one shot at these burgers. For the most precise temperature readings, use a candy thermometer. You're going to want to aim for a steady temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit when making these burgers.

Gradually bring the oil (choose something high-heat like peanut, canola, or avocado oil) to temperature, but keep an eye on it, especially when you're frying. As each patty goes into the oil, it'll cool it ever so slightly. To help negate this, fry each patty one (or at the most two) at a time. Try and maintain as close a temperature to that golden number of 350 as you can — a few degrees off is okay but make absolutely sure that it doesn't drop below 300 degrees.

It's not just the temperature of the oil that matters either. Take the time to chill your freshly formed patties in the fridge prior to frying them. It'll keep them fresh while you do the rest of your prep, and if you make them in advance (and place them on a wire rack for a few hours), the circulation of cold air will dry out the outside of the patties, making for an even crisper crust that'll provide your burger with a serious textural upgrade.