The Chicago Char Cheddar

The char cheddar is one of those burgers where you must get the ingredients and method right or you just don’t have a char cheddar. Unlike the load of ingredients in the Danish bøfsandwich, or the complicated process of the Hawaiian teriyaki burger, this is a very simple burger. And if executed well, it is heavenly.

All the char cheddars I’ve had have been in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, but one of the very best has been at the Des Plaines, Illinois, hot dog stand Paradise Pup. The forty-year-old stand is better known for its quick-serve Chicago char dogs “dragged thru the garden,” but I also go for the burgers.