Many of us will take off early today to jumpstart Labor Day weekend. Whether headed to the lake, the beach or your backyard, let’s celebrate the American workforce this weekend with a classic American favorite – the burger, of course.

One of our favorite burgers in town is at Hunky Dory, where chef Richard Knight and his team grind the meat in-house, make the bun from scratch and keep the fixings ultra simple. We got in the kitchen with Knight, and he showed us how the make the perfect burger.

HUNKY DORY’S DOUBLE-PATTY BURGER

For the patty
2 parts chuck, ground
2 parts brisket, ground
1 part beef fat, ground
1 part beef tongue, ground

For the burger
1 potato roll
slices of American cheese (2 per burger)
pickles
sliced red onion

METHOD: Combine the ground meats together in a bowl. (If you can grind the meat yourself, that’s even better.) Form two 4-ounce patties for each burger. Gently pat the meat together by hand and form into a flat circle. Salt and pepper both sides of the patties and place on a flat-top griddle. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Two minutes into cooking on the second side, top each patty with a slice of American cheese and let melt. Slice the potato roll and toast on the griddle. To assemble, layer pickles on the bottom bun, add the two patties with cheese and top with red onion slices.