There is no patty melt more beloved on the planet than Whataburger’s. It’s the Texas chain’s signature specialty sandwich, and Whataburger has perfected the recipe with 2 beef patties, 2 slices of Monterey Jack, grilled onions, and a creamy pepper sauce so popular that they sell it by the bottle.

Because the sauce is crucial to the sandwich's flavor, I dedicated most of my time to perfecting it. I found that pureeing a can of chipotle peppers for the sauce was the best approach, even though you’ll only need 2 teaspoons of the puree, leaving plenty for another recipe. You’ll also need to plan ahead, since the sauce needs about 30 minutes to rest before you use it on the sandwich. 

While researching my Whataburger Patty Melt copycat recipe, I found that the chain claims the burgers are 4 ounces each before cooking. In my kitchen, that produced cooked patties that were much too big compared to the chain's patties, even with beef that’s 20% fat. To stay true to the chain’s recipe, my hack here calls for 4-ounce patties, but I suggest starting with 3-ounce patties if you’d like a sandwich that's closer to the original and that can more easily fit into your mouth.

Try more of my famous burger and sandwich copycat recipes here.