In-N-Out Double Double Cheeseburger Copycat

Have you ever had In-N-Out or do you live somewhere where In-N-Out isn't accessible? I live on the east coast now and In-N-Out hasn't made it this far out yet.... haha but being a true Cali girl, I love my In-N-Out and every time we go back we enjoy some. But once a year sometimes isn't enough, so I took matters into my own hands and made my own at home. Surprisingly, the flavors were not that far out from the original In-N-Out Double Double and could be made to taste exactly the same with just a few extra steps. So if you want to make your own In-N-Out Double Double, then follow the step by step guide below or watch the video tutorial here:

Step 1: Ingredients and Tools

Ingredients (makes 1 Double Double)

1 Hamburger Bun
4 oz. Ground beef (25-30% fat if available) (2 ounce per patty)
Salt and Pepper
Thousand Island dressing (or In-N-Out official spread)
1 large Tomato slice
1 large Lettuce Leaf
1 whole Onion slices
2 slices real American Cheese

Tools

Step 2: Form Patties

Begin by preheating a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Make four patties by rolling 2-ounce portions of beef into balls and weigh it out on the kitchen scale. In-N-Out uses a 25-30% fat beef patty which is not easily available at a local grocery store, in many cases it would have to be ground by hand. I used a 20% which was available at my local grocery store.

Step 3: Form Patties

Forming them slightly larger than buns. I do this by placing the 2 ounce beef in between 2 pieces of parchment paper then taking my large cast iron skillet and applying a little force to smash the beef into a patty. You will want to form them into a perfect circle with your hand if they do not come out right after the initial smash.

Step 4: Season

Salt and pepper one side of the patty now, the other half will be done when grilling.

Step 5: Toast Buns

Lightly toast the both halves of the hamburger bun, face down in the pan. Set aside.

Step 6: Cook

Set the patty seasoned side down on the skillet, salt and pepper each patty and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side. Flip the patties over and season with salt and pepper and immediately place one slice of cheese on each one. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side. (Cook an extra minute or 2 to make the patty well-done.)

Step 7: Chop Onions & Tomatoes

For the "authentic" feel you want to get a large onion and a large tomato, then slice a large slice from the middle to use on the hamburger. (This step can be done before cooking the patty)

Step 8: Assemble

Assemble the burger in the following stacking order from the bottom up:

bottom bun
thousand island dressing (if you can get ahold of In-N-Out spread, the taste would be even more authentic)
tomato
lettuce
beef patty with cheese
onion slice
beef patty with cheese
top bun

Step 9: Enjoy!

All that's left to do is enjoy this copycat double double! To be honest, this was impressively close to the real taste. I would definitely make this one again.