Make The Best Steakhouse Burgers at Home {Better Than Ruth’s Chris}

To make the best Steakhouse Burgers at home, just keep it simple and reverse sear the big burger. For this, steakhouse burger recipe, it is all about the beef and the bun, and it doesn’t need many toppings. The Kaiser bun stands up to the steakhouse style burger with a simple homemade burger sauce, lettuce, tomato and pickles. 

I had the pleasure of having a Prime Rib burger from Ruth’s Chris steakhouse for lunch, and it may just have been the best burger I have ever had! I knew immediately that the Throwdown was on, and a steakhouse burger was on the special weekend menu from Throwdown Kitchen. 

Likewise, I’m a huge fan of steaks, but my favorite for the grill are ribeye steaks. The ribeye steak has a lot of fat marbling which makes for a very tender and juicy steak. For the beef burger we chose black angus ground ribeye beef. For the buns, sturdy Kaiser rolls to hold the weighty 8 ounce steak house burgers would fit the bill.

I’m tired of the smash burger craze. There is no smashing of this burger and crushing the life and beefy juices from it. However, to ensure a caramelized burger crust we reverse seared the burger to a perfect medium rare temperature. That’s called respect for the beef my friends. 

What You Need For A Steakhouse Burger

To make a great copycat version of Ruth’s Chris prime rib burger, you’ll need ground prime rib of beef, sandwich rolls, lettuce, tomato and onion. That’s it. This recipe for a steakhouse burger is all about the technique called reverse searing. 

Brioche is a fine sandwich roll, and it is the one that Ruth’s Chris uses for their prime rib burger. So if you want to be really authentic go for the Brioche roll. However, I feel Brioche is overrated and a little too soft for this 8 ounce sandwich. Typically, for our burgers we use a hearty potato roll for any burger under 6 ounces and a kaiser roll for anything 8 ounces and up. The Kaiser roll is the clear choice for a big steak house burger.

If you want to make your burger buns from scratch? Then check out our favorite burger bun recipe from Foodie Zoolee.

What Is A Kaiser Roll

A Kaiser roll is a deli sandwich roll that has a crusty exterior and a light and fluffy interior. The exterior color is aided by the addition of butter and sugar to the bread dough.  It is  similar to a New Orleans Style French roll and the texture of the roll is ideal for soaking up any of the sandwich juices that may drip down. 

How To Make Steakhouse Burgers {Better Than A Steakhouse}

Start the best steakhouse burger recipe by combining ground prime rib (1 pound), mayonnaise (1 tbsp), and steak sauce (1 tsp), and mixing well. Divide the meat into two equal 8 ounce portions. The burger patties should measure 4 inches across and 1 inch thick. The thick patties will help the burgers stay juicy and allow us to cook them to an internal temperature that we enjoy. I like my burgers medium rare. Refrigerate the patties for at least an hour to let the burger set up for cooking.

While the burgers are in the refrigerator, slice the tomatoes, tear the lettuce leaves and slice the red onions. If you have whole Kosher pickles, then slice a few of the pickles thinly. 

Reverse Sear Method For Steakhouse Burgers. 

What is the reverse sear method? The reverse sear method for a thick burger may change the way you think about cooking big burgers. Starting the cooking process in the oven or smoker at a lower temperature and then finishing the cooking process by searing the meat in a very hot pan. This process gives greater control over the internal temperature of the meat while creating a caramelized exterior crust.

Every home oven temperature is a little different so the best thing to do is use an instant read thermometer for perfecting the doneness of the burgers. Cook the burgers in the oven at 200 degree F until within 10 degrees of the target range. Remove the burgers and immediately sear in for 1-2 minutes per side. I find that a cast iron pan on high heat, with a touch of grape seed oil,  works the best to create that crusty exterior.

Burger Temperature Guide

• Rare: 120 degrees F :

Rare burgers have a slightly cool red center with red juices

• Medium Rare : 130 degrees F :

Medium rare burgers have a warm red center with pink juices

• Medium: 140 degrees F:

Medium burgers have a pink center and clear juices

• Medium Well 150 degrees F:

Medium well burgers have a brown center with hint of juice

• Well Done 160 degrees F:

Well done burgers have a deep brown color and no meat juice present

Signature Steakhouse Burger Sauce

The Steakhouse burger is going to need a signature burger sauce. This is one of my favorite recipes for a steakhouse burger sauce.

Start the sauce in a mixing bowl by combining ketchup (¼ cup), mayonnaise (1 tbsp), Dijon mustard (1 tbsp), honey (1 tbsp), rice wine vinegar (1 tsp), garlic powder (¼ tsp), onion powder (¼ tsp and a pinch of Kosher salt. Mix all the ingredients and transfer to a blender. Puree until smooth. 

Many burger sauces use a combination of mayo and ketchup with mayonnaise being dominant in the burger sauce. The most popular burger sauce in the world is McDonald’s Big Mac sauce, which is  a combination of mayonnaise, pickle relish, mustard and spices. The famous combination makes for a special creamy sauce that is well suited for thin burger patties. 

Step By Step: The Perfect Steakhouse Burger At Home

• Preheat an oven to 200 degrees. 
• Mix the ground beef with the mayonnaise (1 tbsp) and A1 sauce (1 tsp).
• Divide the meat into 2 equal round patties (4 inches by 1 inch each)
• Let the beef patties set up in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 1 hour.
• Season the patties all over with salt and pepper and lightly oil the exterior of each patty with grapeseed oil.
• Put the patties on a rack with a baking tray and cook for 25 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees. 
• Heat a cast iron skillet on high and add 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil.  
• Sear the patties, so that a crust develops, about 1-2 minutes per side. Cook the burgers to medium rare.
• Spread  sauce on the bottom bun and top with 3 pickle slices, then the burger.
• Top the burger with grilled onion, tomato slices and the iceberg lettuce.  Season the tomato slices with salt and pepper. 
• Spread sauce on the bun top and cover the burger. 

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