FEEDS 80 OR MORE
Fat Jack’s was a small burger joint in the San Fernando Valley when I was growing up. My buddies and I all considered ourselves burger aficionados, and agreed that Fat Jack’s was the best Los Angeles had to offer. I always ordered one that came with avocado, pickles, onions, Jack cheese, and a “secret” sauce on a good sesame seed bun. Fat Jack’s burger was made with two thin patties instead of one, and the patties really tasted like beef. Re-creating those burgers was one of my great personal victories as a chef.
Because the patties for these Fat Jack–style burgers are patted out thin, the result is a medium-well burger. That’s the style of it, and that is as rare as you can cook a patty that thin. If you want a medium-rare burger, make your burgers with one thick patty instead of two thin. It won’t be a Fat Jack’s burger, but hey, it’s a free country and I want you to be happy.
This recipe makes enough for 80 burgers, but since it calls for 80 of just about everything, it’s pretty easy to see how to scale the recipe up or down to fit the size of your party. For a very large party, I suggest you put out platters of about 15 finished burgers—dressed, wrapped, the works. Then get back to your grill because the next batch of burgers are going to be wanted before you know it.
The patties can be shaped and flattened up to several hours in advance of party time. Or freeze the patties for up to several weeks; transfer them to the refrigerator to thaw the night before the party.
You’re going to need a lot of salt and pepper, so I suggest you have a bowl of each by your grill. You need to grind the pepper beforehand, as there isn’t time to do it directly on the burger when you’re cooking this many.
40 pounds GROUND BEEF (preferably ground yourself; see The Beef on Ground Beef
160 slices good CHEDDAR OR JACK CHEESE (about 10 pounds)
Eighty 1/4-inch TOMATO slices (from 10 to 15 big red tomatoes)
80 big ICEBERG LETTUCE leaves (from about 6 heads)
320 DILL PICKLE chips (about 3 quarts)
20 AVOCADOS, halved, pitted, peeled, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
8 recipes NOT-A-SECRET BURGER SAUCE
KOSHER SALT and freshly ground BLACK PEPPER
80 quality sesame seed HAMBURGER BUNS
21/2 pounds BUTTER, melted, for brushing on the buns