Husk Cheeseburger Charleston SC originally published on Food and Fond Memories on September 6, 2016 by sandyaxelrod 0 Comments (Edit)
Husk Cheeseburger Charleston SC
The Legendary Husk Cheeseburger
Hungry for a really great cheeseburger? Then a trip to Husk Restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina is a must. Their Husk Cheeseburger is legendary.
Steve and I are fortunate to have a great reason to visit Charleston often. Our son and daughter-in-law live there! That means we get to enjoy the fabulous food and Southern hospitality whenever we want. At the top of our list of places we have to go to each trip is Sean Brock’s Husk. On our last visit we decided to go for lunch just so we could try the much talked about Husk burger. The last time we went to Husk we had drinks at the Husk Bar which is next door to the restaurant. All around us people were ordering the burger and just raving about it. But we were waiting for our table in the restaurant so we promised to have the burger on our return. And, well, you should never break a promise.
Waving from the front porch of Husk Restaurant in Charleston, SC
Garden in front of Husk Restaurant in Charleston, SC
Far too often when a dish is hyped a lot we are disappointed in the actual menu item. Not this time. What was promised was what was delivered! The huge burger was juicy and beefy and cheesy and cooked to perfection. As I understand it the ever evolving process of creating the perfect burger had become an obsession for chef Sean Brock. After a good bit of taste testing meat combinations the chef settled on a perfect combo of beef along with a sneaky twist. Benton’s bacon ground right into the patties. The success of the Husk cheeseburger starts with a basic foundation of two thin patties, American cheese and squishy bun. So here is how it’s built:
1. The Bun
The Husk bun is all about squish. Brock decided on the house-made buttermilk and benne (sesame) seed bun because it stayed moist and soft. The buns are steamed first. Then sliced buns get a spread of butter and beef fat and are quickly toasted on the griddle so they have a crisp exterior with that perfect squishy interior. The bun is not only critical to the burger’s structural integrity but must readily soak up the juices from the burger without falling apart.
2. The Patties
The two Benton’s bacon-infused patties on the Husk cheeseburger Charleston SC are what makes this burger legendary. In his quest for the perfect burger Chef Brock used to use a ribeye-brisket-chuck blend but now he has switched purveyors and is now using 100% chuck. The patties are seared on an incredibly hot griddle which is what gives the burgers their crust, and when the burgers are finished they are scraped off the griddle “diner style.”
Sean Brock’s inspiration in grinding hickory-smoked Benton’s bacon into the beef came from his frustration with the bacon strips always falling off a burger when they are placed on top. He went with the supremely smokey Benton’s bacon because he wanted the elemental Southern flavors of wood, charcoal and smoke. Cooking the burger over charcoal would add smokiness but wouldn’t create the crust he was looking for. So he opted to add the smokiness by adding roughly 5% bacon to the total mass of the patties.
3. The Cheese
There is only one rule at Husk: No other cheeses besides American cheese will ever be served on the cheeseburger. Ever. American cheese simply has the best meltability of any cheese. Three slices of gooey cheese grab onto the patties without falling off into a pool of liquid.
4. The Toppings
As with every element of the Husk cheeseburger, the toppings are vital to the burger’s structure. White onions are shaved onto one of the patties after it’s been flipped, and are then steamed below two slices of American cheese which leaves them somewhere between raw and cooked. A third slice of American cheese holds the two patties together. By the time the burger gets to the diner, the onions, cheese, and patty have become almost like one. Bread & butter pickles give the burger an extra acidic note. The pickles are made in house and are first drained of brine and then held in straight white vinegar before being added to the bottom bun of the burger. Even the placement of the pickle on the bottom is critical because of the squeeze factor. The pressure exerted by the diner’s four fingers on the top of the burger can cause pickles to slide off, but the thumbs holding the bottom of the burger don’t squeeze as hard, keeping the pickles in place. And lastly, when, and only when, local lettuces and tomatoes are in season, they are added to the burger as well.
5. The Sauce
Brock created his own “special sauce” which was inspired by the classic secret sauces of burger masters like In-N-Out and Shake Shack. The sauce is basically every condiment he wanted on a burger including (but not limited to): ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, and jalapeños. A “tiny bit” is added to each side of the bun, leaving you with a burger that needs no additional condiments.
Deconstructed aka no bun Husk Cheeseburger
Ingredients and Sources at Husk Restaurant in Charleston, SC
At Husk Chef Sean Brock has some rules about what can go on the plate. “If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the door”. As he explains, the resulting cuisine “is not about rediscovering Southern cooking, but exploring the reality of Southern food.”
Husk Restaurant
76 Queen Street
Charleston, South Carolina
843-577-2500
