Shake Shack: Recipes & Stories

LOCAL HERO

CHICAGO, IL

The year 1893 was a proud one for both Vienna Beef and Chicago: it marked the company’s founding in the city that hosted the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, where Vienna’s Austrian-Hungarian immigrant founders, Emil Reichel and Sam Ladany, first introduced their family’s hot dog recipe. Fast forward to 2001 when Danny (loyal Midwesterner), convinced that Chicago had the best hot dogs, asked Vienna to send samples for that little hot dog cart in the Park. Vienna’s pure, all-beef hot dogs (from premium lean beef mixed with brisket trimmings—no hormones or antibiotics—and the founders’ original spice blend, smoked over hickory chips, made fresh daily) were a big hit with the initial USHG tasters. They’re still served in all domestic Shacks. Vienna developed a Halal version for Middle East Shacks, and today they send enough hot dogs to those Shacks that if laid end to end, they’d stretch 10 miles beyond the distance from Abu Dhabi to Dubai.

“I eat so many hot dogs, I appreciate Vienna’s even more. It has just the right amount of snap, a perfect blend of smoke and spice that never overpowers the pure beef.”

—MARK ROSATI

PICKLE SPEARS Kosher dill spears traditionally appeared on early 20th-century Chicago dogs and we love them for the garlicky punch they add to the “dragged through the garden” vegetable toppings.

DICED ONIONS We love the way the sweet sharpness of diced Spanish onions (another staple of the classic Chicago dog) counterbalances the saltiness of the Vienna Beef dog.

ROMA TOMATOES Tomato on a hot dog? Another holdover from the Chicago dog, ours are the same Roma tomatoes we serve on ShackBurgers. We love how the warm red half moons give the Shack-cago Dog its signature look.

SPORT PEPPERS Sport peppers always jazzed up the Chicago dog. Ours has a unique texture. Alone, it’s plenty hot, but when it meets the other ingredients, there’s just enough heat to make every bite a taste sensation.

CUCUMBER SPEARS We liven up the garden with a spear of fresh cucumber. We love the cuke’s crunch and color pop. Its refreshing cool lets all the other strong ingredients breathe a bit.

RELISH We abandoned the Chicago dog’s neon relish when we found Rick’s Picks’ locally sourced relish. We love that it's never too sweet.

VIENNA BEEF HOT DOGS We have used Vienna Beef hot dogs since our first cart in the park in 2001. With Vienna’s insistence on the finest ingredients and old-world production, no wonder they’re the original Chicago-style dog.

CELERY SALT We love how celery salt adds an extra vegetal layer of flavor to the dog. We use it, too, as the last sprinkle on a Chile Dog. It’s like a secret ingredient that adds a flavor you can’t name.

POTATO BUNS Traditionally, Chicago-style hot dogs are served on a steamed poppyseed bun. But there we had to part ways and champion a signature Shake Shack eating experience, hence Martin’s Potato Bun, buttered and toasted.

YELLOW MUSTARD No fancy Dijon here. Good old yellow mustard is just what you put on a hot dog. Come on!

Toasting the Bun

We know, we know. The traditional Chicago-style hot dog bun is covered with poppyseeds and steamed! For years we experimented with all kinds of other buns and cooking methods and we weren’t happy until we decided on a griddled potato bun as the proper home for our Shack-cago Dogs.

Brushed inside with melted butter and toasted face down on a hot griddle, this bun adds another layer of culinary delight.

It all started with a hot dog and this is the most iconic of all our menu items. Over the years we’ve refined the toppings of the classic Chicago-inspired hot dog, and made it our own. But we still hold true to the original maxim: No ketchup! Ever!

4hot dog potato buns, buttered and toasted (this page)

4tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

4all-beef, high-quality hot dogs

Yellow mustard

8sport peppers

4cucumber spears, about ¼ inch thick

4pickle spears, about ¼ inch thick

4tablespoons pickle relish

4tablespoons diced onion

4¼-inch slices plum tomato, halved

1teaspoon celery salt

1. Heat a cast-iron griddle over medium-low heat until warm. Meanwhile, open the hot dog buns and brush the insides with the melted butter. A soft brush is helpful here. Place the buns buttered side down on the griddle and toast until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer buns to a plate.

2. Increase the heat to medium and heat the griddle until hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the hot dogs almost in half lengthwise and open them up like a book. Place them on the griddle cut side down. Cook the hot dogs, pressing down with a large spatula, until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the hot dogs, press down again with the spatula, and cook about 2 minutes more.

3. Transfer the hot dogs, cut side up, to the toasted buns. Spoon on the mustard, and add 2 peppers inside each hot dog. Tuck a cucumber spear on one side of the bun and a pickle spear on the other. Spoon relish on one side of the hot dog, and the onions on the other. Top with the tomatoes, sprinkle with celery salt, and enjoy.

We soak sliced or diced onions in ice cold water for 5 minutes to mellow their sharp flavor, then drain and pile them on dogs or burgers.

LOCAL HERO

BROOKLYN, NY

Rick Field grew up in a New England family where pickle-making was as cherished a family value as academics. He worked as a film director in New York for 15 years. Then four things happened: Rick turned 40, lost a job, broke up with a girlfriend, and won a pickle contest. “My therapist told me: ‘The world is telling you to start a pickle company.’” Rick decided to try to make a business of his passion, and took a stand at the Union Square Greenmarket, directly in the path of Danny Meyer’s daily stroll from the original location of Union Square Cafe and his office. It was 2004, just after Shake Shack launched with a Chicago hot dog with the traditional neon relish. “Yellow #5 is not a good ingredient,” says the CEO and Chief Pickler, who’s committed to organic, local, and all-natural ingredients. He made Shake Shack a relish they now use worldwide.

We created this dog for our Theater District Shack to honor the celebrated Deli history of that neighborhood. Your favorite pastrami will play well here.

Follow the Shack-cago Dog method and transfer the hot dogs to the buns. Spoon 2 tablespoons sauce on the hot dogs, then the sauerkraut. Top with the pastrami and serve.

This is one of the original hot dogs sold from that little cart in the Park back in 2001. It’s a tried and true classic, but the star of the show is the homemade Tomato-Simmered Onions. If you’re a fan of ketchup, try using them on burgers, too.

Follow the Shack-cago Dog method and transfer the hot dogs to the buns. Spoon sauerkraut along one side of the dogs and the Tomato-Simmered Onions on the other.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a saucepan. Add 1½ onions, peeled, and sliced ¼-inch thick, and cook until soft. Stir in ¼ cup Champagne vinegar, ¼ cup tomato purée, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, ¼ cup water, ¾ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Simmer until most of the liquid evaporates and the onions are very soft.

A regional Rhode Island classic called the Hot Weiner inspired this dog. Rhode Island chili sauce is a little more watery; ours is thicker and richer.

4hot dog potato buns, buttered and toasted (this page)

4all-beef, high-quality hot dogs

4tablespoons mustard

1cup Mark’s Rhode Island–inspired Chili Sauce, warm

4tablespoons diced onion

Celery salt

Follow the Shack-cago Dog method and transfer the hot dogs to the buns. Spoon mustard on the hot dogs, then the chili sauce; scatter the onions on top, sprinkle with celery salt, and serve.

Taking time to make this luscious cheese sauce and to seek out a great smoky bacon will transform this hot dog into a show dog.

Follow the Shack-cago Dog method and transfer the hot dogs to the buns. Spoon 2 tablespoons sauce on the hot dogs, scatter bacon on top, and serve.

“The question is, how much style and how much verve can you bring to the form?”

Garrett Oliver has a long relationship with Union Square Hospitality Group heightened in 2006 when Gramercy Tavern launched a vintage beer list that promoted craft beer way before it went mainstream. When Gramercy asked Garrett to come teach their staff about beer, it was only natural that this relationship would spill over into other USHG restaurants, like Blue Smoke, where Brooklyn brewed an Original Ale. Garrett knew Randy from his days running Tabla. So when Randy took over Shake Shack, the obvious step was to brew a special Shack beer. “The thing about Randy,” Garrett says, “and what makes his gung ho spirit culturally worthwhile, is that the overall driving spirit, the ethos behind it, is that the thing you’re providing is hospitality. The result is for the guest.”

Bringing style to the form, Garrett says, “In beer making, just like in the movies, there are basically three plots and the outcome depends on the flair and imagination you bring to it. The most familiar thing is a hamburger; how can you possibly make it something to get excited about? Well, Shake Shack did, and that was our challenge in brewing a beer for them: We’re going to make an IPA, but there are 10,000 IPAs in this country. How do we make ShackMeister Ale step out there?

“What does this beer need to be? First, it had to be firm enough to stand up to the ShackBurger’s big flavors. A burger is salty and sweet and acidic at the same time, not the easiest combination to pair with. I always ask, ‘What am I cutting through, and what am I holding on to?’ What I’m holding on to is caramelization, the char of the meat, and the browning of the bun. I’m cutting through fat, and sugar, and for that I need bitterness, enough so that the beer never completely disappears. But you want to leave with a clean palate that doesn’t have any odd flavors hanging around. It needs enough minerality to be bitter enough to be cleansing and it needs to finish dry. It had to be something that a craft beer drinker would like and respect, but also not turn off those who haven’t, how shall I say this, made it that far past Heineken yet.

“We nailed it! The most surprising thing about the process was that when Randy and I tasted the burger with the ShackMeister Ale, I think he was kind of shocked. Because we were both, like, ‘Bingo!’ I think he thought there was going to be a lot of back and forth. I think he was even looking forward to the interplay. And what happened, was, well, I just threw a strike!”

“These Shake Shack guys, they’re like ‘There’s only 10 of us and we’re gonna take that hill!’ Randy looks you in the eye with this galvanizing idea of pure intention. That spirit makes the organization run.”

Garrett Oliver on the banjo, hot dogs, and what to drink with both…

I feel about hot dogs the same way Steve Martin does about the banjo: “It’s such a happy instrument, you can’t play a sad song on it.” A good hot dog never plays a sad song either. As soon as the aroma reaches your nose, it makes you smile. And as soon as the snap of the dog hits your mouth, and the salt and spices light up your tongue, what you want is a beer.

• Hot Dog with German-Style Pilsner. With the classic all-beef Vienna dog, it’s hard to beat a German-style pilsner. Clean, sharp, straight as an arrow, it plows right down the center of your tongue, melding with mustard, dancing with the extra cheese sauce, putting its soft malts together with the toasty bun. Not a lot of bells and whistles, but if you get a really good pilsner, you don’t need them.

• Bratwurst with ShackMeister Ale. Aromatic pale ales like the ShackMeister we brew for Shake Shack work so well when you ramp things up with a gutsy Bavarian Bratwurst.

• Shack-cago Dog with IPAs. Now it’s time to go big. With all those dragged-through-the-garden flavors—relish, onion, pickle, cucumber, tomato, sport pepper, celery salt, and mustard on your dog—it’s pretty clear that you’ve left moderation behind. Time to roll out the IPAs. India Pale Ales are bold, racy, sharply bitter, and explosive with massive floral and citrus flavors. Now you need the IPA flavor riot, as well as the cutting power of hops.

That clean, mineral burst of bitterness, paired with cleansing carbonation, is like a Zamboni for your tongue. Our Shack X IPA, a beer we made for Shake Shack’s 10th Anniversary, was definitely the bomb with the Shack-cago Dog, but you can roll with any good full-rigged IPA. Or step it up to a “double IPA,” the nickname for beers that are even stronger and bolder than the already hopped-up standard.

We bring out corn dogs as our salute to summer. Corn dogs get a bad rap because the ones served up at state fairs are usually too sweet and too greasy. So we reimagined this classic, bringing more balance and spice to the cornbread batter. Now, we must admit, our corn dogs are pretty irresistible.

For the batter:

1¾cups cornmeal

¼cup all-purpose flour

3tablespoons sugar

2½teaspoons kosher salt

1teaspoon baking powder

¼teaspoon baking soda

Pinch cayenne

¼cup buttermilk

½cup canned creamed corn

4teaspoons diced onion

2teaspoons diced jalapeño

4teaspoons rice wine vinegar

1teaspoon Tabasco Green Jalapeño Sauce

4long wooden skewers

4all-beef, high-quality hot dogs

1cup flour

Canola oil for deep-frying

1. Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cayenne in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Put the buttermilk, corn, onion, jalapeño, vinegar, and Tabasco in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and blend until smooth. Transfer the batter to a covered container container, and refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to a few days.

2. Insert a long wooden skewer into the center of each hot dog, making sure it goes through the length of the hot dog with enough of the skewer on the bottom to act as a handle. Set aside.

3. Stir the prepared batter well, then fill a tall, narrow glass three-quarters full with some of the batter. This will be used for dunking the hot dogs, so you’ll have to replenish the glass with batter.

4. Put the flour on a large plate. Dredge each hot dog in the flour shaking off any excess. Set aside.

5. Pour the oil into a heavy, deep, wide pot to a depth of 6 inches. Heat over medium-high heat until the temperature of the oil reaches 350°F on a candy thermometer.

6. Working with 1 floured hot dog at a time, dunk the hot dog into the batter, coating it evenly. Pull the hot dog out of the batter, let the excess batter drip off. Then quickly submerge the battered hot dog into the hot oil, holding it by the wooden skewer to keep the hot dog suspended in the oil so it does not stick to the bottom of the pot.

7. Once the batter begins to form a crust, about 30 seconds, release the corn dog into the oil. It should float. Fry the corn dog, turning it halfway through, until the crust is deep golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Curry is prized in Europe where curry sauce on sausages is such a thing; it’s sometimes served on top of French fries, too. Our version has plenty of sauce, and to add that crispy crunch, we go for fried shallots, marinated in our ShackMeister Ale. ’Cause beer and sausages is a thing, too.

Follow the Shack-cago Dog method but cook the sausages 3 minutes per side. Transfer the sausages to the buns. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sauce onto the sausage, top with the fried shallots, and serve.

Smoked paprika adds a wonderful depth to this classically inspired ketchup-based curry sauce. Lemon juice adds a welcome brightness.

2teaspoons canola oil

2tablespoons diced onions

⅛teaspoon kosher salt

1½teaspoons Madras curry powder

½teaspoon smoked paprika

1cup ketchup

½teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the curry and paprika and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in ½ cup water, ketchup, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for about 1 week.

Fall is bratwurst weather at Shake Shack, and our annual Shacktoberfest celebration features variations of the smoky brats, served with an assertive, grainy mustard, and sauerkraut, or our version of German-style slaw.

Follow the Shack-cago Dog method but cook the sausages 3 minutes per side. Transfer the sausages to the buns. Spoon lots of slaw onto the sausages and serve.

What if slaw was made with sauerkraut instead of raw cabbage and ShackSauce not mayo? Wunderbar!

Mix the sauce, mustard, honey, and lemon juice together in a medium bowl. Add the sauerkraut and stir until well combined.

LOCAL HERO

MILWAUKEE, WI

Shake Shack has a tradition of choosing venerable family-owned American businesses to supply quality foodstuffs. And since Danny grew up in St. Louis on Usinger’s bratwurst and braunschweiger, we’ve used their products since day one. Currently run by fourth-gerneration Fritz Usinger, the company began when Fritz’s great-grandfather Frederick (who learned sausage-making, appropriately enough, in Frankfurt, Germany) moved to Milwaukee in the late 1870s, married the niece of a butcher shop owner, and launched the dynasty that still bears his name. We roll out Usinger’s smoky veal and port bratwursts, with their snappy natural casings and tender interiors, every fall at Shacktoberfest celebrations in special editions that include Bavarian Brats, Cheddar Brats, and Currywursts.

The pork sausages Publican Quality Meats make for us are made in the refined style of Southwestern France, with fresh thyme and white wine, and lightly smoked just for Shake Shack. Most neighborhoods have artisanal butchers who turn out similarly fine sausages.

Follow the Shack-cago Dog method but cook the sausages 3 minutes per side. Transfer the sausages to the buns. Spoon on 2 tablespoons of the cheese sauce, scatter the fried shallots on top, and serve.

LOCAL HERO

CHICAGO, IL

Paul Kahan had a great deal to do with changing the contemporary dining scene in Chicago, founding a company with his partners called One Off Hospitality that makes each of his restaurants feel special, of its time and place: from the unpretentious and excellent Blackbird, launched in 1998, to Big Star Tacos, from the small plate wonder Avec to the award-winning bar The Violet Hour.

“Their restaurants,” says Eater.com’s national restaurant critic Bill Addison, “whether they lean fine dining or casual, hit big with diners but never spiral into kitsch or ubiquity.” Publican is Kahan’s German-inspired beer hall, and right across the street is the group’s butcher shop, Publican Quality Meats. There, Paul and his chef de cuisine, Cosmo Goss, make flavorful pork sausages like those at our Chicago Shacks, finessed with fresh herbs and white wine.

• Shack-cago Dog with Rosé. The phrase “Chicago dog” conjures hilarious memories of Bill Swerski’s Super Fans and Chris Farley in a grass skirt. It means pairing a wine with a food that’s salty, sweet, pickled, and mustardy (NEVER ketchup). That tall order is readily met by a glass of rosé. Yes, real rosé from Provence, or even better, our Frog’s Leap La Grenouille Rougante “Pink.” With its high acid and bright strawberry-meets-rhubarb fruit flavors, this unlikely combo of the manliest of foods and the most delicate of wines is such an odd and stellar pairing that it could even make Mike Ditka forsake his beloved Polish Sausage!

• Corn Dog with Chenin Blanc. The question of what to pair with a Corn Dog has haunted me for years. A Corn Dog is a symphonyof flavors: the sweet cornbread coating, the crispy exterior harmonizing with the salty, meaty snap of the dog. And the wine that pairs well with these attributes? The oft-overlooked Chenin Blanc! In 2015, for the first time, we made Shack White from Chenin Blanc. This wine is floral and fruited, high-toned and bright, matching the Corn Dog note for note.

—Jonah Beer, Frog’s Leap