I’m going to be real with you here… I don’t think there’s a real best answer to this question: What is the best way to stack a burger? However, I do have a couple of my own best ways. I’ll lay them out; you tell me what you think. Would you make your burgers any other way?

For American food enthusiasts, burger addicts, or people who just like to think critically about what they cook, this is a valid question.

There are several things to consider when developing the perfect burger stack. Let’s dig into them.

The Principles of Burger Stacking

Moisture Inhibition: Ingredients like lettuce, tomato, pickles, and certain sauces release water, potentially compromising the texture of the bun and other ingredients. Techniques such as toasting the bun, layering ingredients strategically, and using barrier ingredients like cheese or a spread can help inhibit moisture and maintain the burger's overall integrity. And this definitely plays a role in what you want most directly touching your top and bottom buns.

Presentation of Flavor: This concept confuses some people, but basically this is the order in which the flavors of your burger present themselves. Most cheap burgers taste primarily like bread and ketchup, but a good burger should be very beef forward. Flavor presentation involves arranging the ingredients in a way that maximizes the overall flavor experience of the burger. Each component should complement the others. For example, you will never find me putting lettuce on the bottom bun of my burger (even though some people swear by it) because I want my burger above all to taste like beef and burger spread, not like salad.

Texture Distribution: Texture is an important aspect of the eating experience, and a well-stacked burger should offer a satisfying mix of textures. The most important thing to remember here is you don’t want all your crunchy elements in one spot and all your soft elements in another spot. This will give you a lopsided eating experience that can often end in having a big mouthful of vegetables and nothing more.

Structural Integrity: A well-stacked burger should hold together without falling apart or collapsing during consumption. I’ve had a handful of drive-thru burgers and diner burgers that fall apart as you eat them, and it’s disappointing to say the least.

So What’s the Best Burger Build?

This depends. Are you making a classic diner-style burger, or are you like me and prefer a two-patty burger with a pair of super thin, crispy patties? Let’s talk about both:

Single-patty burger: Take your bottom bun and smear it with a creamy sauce (like mayo or fry sauce). This will inhibit moisture leakage. Believe it or not, it’s at this point I prefer to put on some thinly sliced onion. It complements the upcoming patty well and does a great job of distributing some crunch to the bottom of the burger. Patty goes on top of that, then cheese. Next up are the rest of the veggies, which in order of bottom to top are pickles, tomato and lettuce.

However, do you want my honest opinion? Unless it’s tomato season, you can usually forego the tomato entirely. Out-of-season tomatoes are usually just very watery, and I don’t know why we think that’s tasty on a burger. And second off, I love some good, thin, leafy butter lettuce or no lettuce at all. Iceberg lettuce damages your burger’s structure more than anything else and tends to add just a bunch of water anyway.

There are some clear examples where you want really good tomatoes and lettuce on your burger, but I think those are the fortunate exception, not the norm.

Double-patty smashburger: Oh, baby. Make this correctly, and I will commit crimes to get it off a plate and into my head as quickly as possible.

It starts the same as a single-patty burger: spread a thin layer of something creamy (I’d go with my everything sauce). However, onion doesn’t go on the bottom like on my single-patty burger. Instead, throw down your first patty with some cheese, then your tomato (salted of course), then your onion, then your second patty and cheese. After that throw on your pickles and lettuce if you want any. Laying things down in this way gives you the perfect texture distribution and flavor presentation. There’s a satisfying crunch all through the burger, and your most flavorful vegetables are wrapped in gooey, beefy goodness.

If you disagree with my burger genius, let me know in the comments below. We’re totally allowed to disagree as long as you admit that I am right and you are wrong.

Go forth and eat burgers.