what is actually in the house sauce

The list — Mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, dill pickle brine, finely diced dill pickle, and a large amount of black pepper. That's it. No paprika, no relish, no ranch, and nothing that comes in a packet.

The ratio — Roughly four parts mayo, two parts ketchup, one part mustard. Then brine to loosen it until it runs slowly off a spoon rather than sitting on it. The diced pickle goes in last so it stays crunchy.

The step that matters — We make it the day before. Sauce mixed to order tastes like three separate condiments sitting next to each other. After twelve hours in the cooler the mustard mellows, the brine spreads through the mayo, and it tastes like one thing. This is the whole trick, and it's the part people skip at home.

On the pepper — We use more black pepper than most recipes call for, cracked coarse rather than ground fine. It's the only thing standing between this sauce and the version every other burger place makes.

Why we tell you — Because you're going to make it once at home, decide it's a lot of work for a condiment, and come back. And because a recipe isn't what makes a burger good — the grind, the griddle, and the timing are. The sauce is the easy part.