How to Make Shake Shack at Home
I am an absolute trash for grilled cheese, and I prefer smooth creamy sauce over elastic melted strands. Shake Shack makes a good cheese sauce, but I rarely eat there because I live in Oregon and we don’t (yet) have it. Plus, I’m not leaving the house right now (yeah). Others are avoiding the chain because they are angry that the company did not pay back the $ 10 million loan quickly enough. We all have reasons not to go to Shake Shack right now, that’s what I’m saying, but we can still enjoy their cheese sauce at home.
Good news: this sauce is fucking. The good news is I now have almost a pound of cheese sauce in my fridge, which is actually half of what the video above tells you. (If you have a “family” or something like that, maybe make a complete recipe.) No bad news (except that I don’t have a family).
I love this recipe because it is simple and tastes good, but I love it because it is very reefy and you know how I love to reef. You start by sautéing onions, jalapenos, and peppers in a little oil, but you can also easily add garlic, Thai chili, cumin, or any other onion or spice you like easily. Then you add some white wine vinegar and white wine, but no one gets mad if you choose, say, champagne vinegar and sherry. You can even go crazy and replace half of the cheese, although I would leave the American alone because you want everything to melt and stay smooth. The video can help you with this process, but I’ve also typed in some instructions if you’d rather read the recipe.
To make two full pounds of Shake Shack cheese sauce, you will need:
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup chopped onions (like half a small)
- 2 tablespoons pepper
- 6 thin slices of fresh jalapenos
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (The original recipe calls for half a tablespoon, but I chose 1/4 teaspoon for half a batch and it was salty enough. Do what you want with it.)
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups American cheese (I used Velveeta)
- 2 cups grated cheddar
Heat oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the onions, chili peppers and jalapenos and cook until the onions are completely tender. (I allow browning around the edges, although the video doesn’t talk about it.) Deglaze the pan with wine and vinegar, let it shrink until it is syrupy and almost evaporates, then pour the cream on top, remove the pan from heat, cover and let it brew for half an hour …
After half an hour, strain the solids, then return the cream to the skillet and heat on a medium-low setting until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the skillet. Add cheese, cook and beat until it turns into a delicious sauce. Serve with corrugated fries, burgers or – I don’t know – broccoli or whatever.