Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef, or 8 quarter pound burger patties (See Notes)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
8 slices American cheese
4 brioche hamburger buns
4 slices red onion
8 slices cooked bacon

Optional Toppings:
tomato slices
romaine or green leaf lettuce
mayonnaise
ketchup
mustard
dill pickle chips

Directions

Divide ground beef into 8 sections and form into patties, or use ready-to-cook patties. Sprinkle salt and pepper over hamburger patties.

Heat a skillet or griddle to medium high heat. If using cast iron, be sure to allow enough time for the skillet to heat completely. Place two generous pats of butter into the pan (they should melt almost immediately) and place two beef patties on top of the butter. You can add extra butter to the pan – we will use the butter and grease in the pan to toast up the buns later.

Sear hamburger patties, pressing down on them with a spatula to reduce the amount of shrinking that naturally occurs while cooking. When the burgers are browned on one side, flip them over.

Place a slice of American cheese on each burger to melt while the second side is cooking. Burgers are done when both sides are browned (about 2 minutes on each side.)

Add additional pats of butter to the pan and continue cooking all of the burgers.

To toast the buns, melt some additional butter in the pan and place buns in the pan to toast. This takes only a minute.

To assemble, top each toasted bun with condiments of your choice: mayonnaise, mustard, and/or ketchup. Place pickles, red onion slice, lettuce, and tomato slice on the bottom bun. Stack two cooked burger patties with two slices of bacon between them, and place on the prepared hamburger bun. Add top of toasted bun and serve.