I had a Big Mac craving, so I needed to get in the kitchen. I'll show my burger in this post.

But first let's talk about pickles.

It's really hard to find the right pickles to satisfy your McDonald's craving. So I came across this fermented dill recipe.

https://steemit.com/food/@beggars/mcdonald-s-style-pickles-copycat-recipe

I made a batch, and they are really good, a very close clone to the classic MacDonald's burger pickles.

The next thing to talk about is the MacDonald's secret (used to be secret) sauce. What the heck is it anyway? Some say Thousand Island dressing, some say Ketchup, mayo and relish all stirred up.

But what is in the sauce according to MacDonald's?

Soybean Oil, Pickle Relish (Diced Pickles, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Spice Extractives, Polysorbate 80), Distilled Vinegar, Water, Egg Yolks, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Onion Powder, Mustard Seed, Salt, Spices, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Mustard Bran, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Vegetable Protein (Hydrolyzed Corn, Soy and Wheat), Caramel Colour, Extractives of Paprika, Soy Lecithin, Turmeric (Colour), Calcium Disodium EDTA (Protect Flavour)

Well, I don't know about you, but I don't have Polysorbate 80 in my kitchen, and I think we can do better, with real ingredients, it won't have the preservatives in it, and will taste like a better Mac sauce.

1 cup Mayo
1/4 cup sweet relish
1 1/2 tblsp yellow mustard
1 tsp Apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tblsp finely diced or pureed white onion.

All into a bowl, and we mix.

Next is the beef patties. I made a batch of 12 and froze them on a baking sheet, then I put the frozen patties into a container to keep fresh. 2 of the patties, I made thinner than normal, just for this Better Mac.

Now building the burger.

It's all about the layers with a big Mac. And the bun needs to be toasted in a frying pan. I spread butter on them and panfry till nice and toasty.

Layers as follows. Bottom to top.

Bun, sauce, diced onion, shredded lettuce, patty American cheese slice, middle bun, sauce, diced onion, pickles, lettuce, patty, top bun.

I may not be a photographer, but I sure can build a delicious burger.

Cheers.