Burger Class with Gasoline Grill

I recently joined a club called The Hungries and it’s the only kind of club I’m visiting these days (ha!). But that’s fine because this club is So. Much. Fun. The Hungries is a membership club for food lovers all over the world. We chat daily on Discord and, once a month, we all tune in for Zoom events. Last month we listened to the winemakers from Gut Oggau wax poetic about natural wine. This month’s class was taught by burger wizard extraordinaire Klaus Wittrup. Klaus is the founder of Gasoline Grill, which has grown into an empire of burger shops in Copenhagen.

Klaus tried his first American-style burger when he was an exchange student in the United States. It was love at first bite. Klaus became obsessed with burgers and ate every burger he could get his hands on (not his exact words, I’m paraphrasing). When he returned to Denmark for university his burger craving grew so strong he decided to make them himself. Years later, Klaus opened Gasoline Grill, which quickly became a mecca for classic American burgers in Copenhagen.

Part of what makes Gasoline Grill burgers so special is the high quality ingredients. Everything is organic from the all-natural beef to the fresh lettuce. The beef, which is a combination of chuck and short rib, contains 25% fat at minimum. This makes for a juicy, succulent burger that doesn’t require extra oil or butter. And the buns! Oh my gosh, I loved the buns. Klaus provided us with a scaled-down recipe for their famous potato buns so we could make them at home. Butter and Yukon gold potatoes made for a bun that was (a) tastier (b) sturdier and (c) richer than any other hamburger bun recipe I’ve tried. Now, to be completely honest my buns looked nothing like his. His buns were made by professional bakers at Andersen Bakery whereas my buns were made by… me! His buns had a pillowy, poofy top and mine were… smooth. Despite these obvious differences they tasted great.

During the Zoom class I followed his cheeseburger recipe to a tee. First we lightly toasted the homemade potato bun. Then we smashed the fatty patty until it formed a crunchy, salty crust. On went a slice of cheddar that got nice and melty. The crowning glory was four pickle slices. No more, no less. The rings of red onion were cut to *exactly* 3 centimeters, which is neither thick nor thin. It was just right. This is the Goldilocks of hamburgers. The final touch was a “secret sauce” made of ketchup, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, Dijon mustard, and finely chopped pickles.

In the end, the Gasoline Grill-style burger I made at home was delicious. The buttery bun, juicy meat, and rich cheddar cheese was perfectly balanced by the bright crunchy pickles, tangy creamy sauce, and the sharp bite of red onion. And, at five ounces per patty, the Gasoline Grill burger was smaller than the American honkers I’m used to. It was indulgent but not incredibly heavy. It was just right. Didn’t I say this was the Goldilocks of burgers?!

It was so fun to watch Klaus toast, smash, flip, and grill the ingredients with a deft hand that only comes from cooking thousands of burgers. He’s a master, that’s for sure. If you live in Copenhagen go eat his burgers immediately!! And then tell me how you like them! Also, if you love food - eating it, cooking it, daydreaming about it - then you will love The Hungries. Kaitlin Orr and Anders Husa are the bloggers behind this platform and they’ve made this club so active, informational, and fun. I’m really enjoying being a member. Joining The Hungries has honestly been one of the best decisions I made this year. Go join!