The Menu’s Burger Recipe: We Tried It

After finishing The Menu, I wasn’t dreaming of fancy hors d’oeuvres or carefully-crafted main courses. Instead, I was craving a good old-fashioned cheeseburger.

The film, now streaming on HBO Max, centers around Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) who is a mysterious cook at an elite island restaurant putting together an avant-garde lineup of dishes for his guests. One of his more hesitant diners, Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), soon becomes privy to the deadly twists at the dining experience. Like me, all Margot really wants to eat is a burger, and the scene of Slowik making it for her results in the film’s stand-out, most drool-worthy dish.

John Benhase, a consulting chef on The Menu, shared pointers with PEOPLE for making the buzzy burger. And one thing’s for certain — in The Menu and in real-life kitchens — simplicity always wins.

Making the backyard classic was impossibly easy and quick. According to Benhase, “burger balls are key.” While he says freshly ground beef blend is best, any 80/20 ground beef works just fine. Using ground sirloin, I divided one pound evenly into eight balls. Benhase says to work the meat “as little as possible” since it’s “important to not emulsify the fats or warm them up.”

Next, I placed the beef balls onto a cast iron skillet, using a square of parchment paper as a buffer between the spatula to avoid sticking. “A sturdy steel flipper is key for pressing and flipping,” Benhase says. To achieve an on-screen-worthy result, I pressed down on the balls so that the patties became very thin.

“Season the newly flatten sides and add shaved yellow onion on the raw side after seasoning,” Benhase advises next. “Watch the beef fat do its thing and the edges get crispy.”

The shaved yellow onions on the patties is what makes this recipe stand out. I made sure to slice the onions super thin so that they were able to cook down enough.

Benhase adds: “When flipping, you want to really scrap to make sure you don’t lose any of the crispy bits. When you flip, the shaved onions will get trapped under the patties and start to steam and cook in the beef fat.”

Just like any classic burger recipe, Benhase calls for American cheese. “It starts to give you those ‘fried egg’ edges as it melts,” he says.

When it comes to toasting a sesame seed bun, he recommends toasting it with clarified butter. I used melted butter, which still brought a delightful, nutty element to the dish.

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I put plenty of pickles on the bottom of the bun, per Benhase’s instructions, and opted for a dollop of ketchup. “Scrap whatever sauce you want on the top,” he says.

“Lastly, stack the patties making sure not to lose the wonderful onions underneath or all the crispy cheese bit. Give the final product a good press and see all the wonderful juices flow.”

My final result was absolutely delicious. Cooking the crisp, yet tender sweet onions into the actual burger perfectly complemented the bite of the tangy pickles. It’s a genius method I’ll definitely be using again once it’s warm enough to host a summer barbecue.

While I typically opt for a slab of cheddar, the melted American cheese worked wonders, enveloping the patties into a melty, tasty complete package.

As a forever McDonald’s fan, I say this in the best way possible: The film’s effortless burger was reminiscent of the chain’s staple menu item with its quintessential, thin components, yet elevated with gourmet flavor and ingredients.

In the words of Margot, “now that’s a burger.”

The Menu is now streaming on HBO Max.