Recipe

Ultrabeefy Nacho Cheese Sauce

by Sasha Marx

Classic nacho cheese sauce has a gooey, melty texture but barely tastes like cheese. Aged cheeses, such as cheddar, have rich, complex flavor but make for grainy sauces when melted. At Cook’s Science, we think we’d all be a lot better off if we lived in a cheese sauce world where we didn’t have to choose between texture and flavor—and it turns out, we don’t. In 2011 Modernist Cuisine popularized the use of sodium citrate, an emulsifying salt, to defy cheese logic and make gooey nacho cheese from the good stuff. Check out our sodium citrate explainer for all the geeky science. 

The base of this cheese sauce is a combination of sharp aged cheddar and Swiss cheese. But I didn’t stop there. It’s no secret that we love cheeseburgers here at Cook’s Science. And so of course I wanted to see if I could sneak the essence of a cheeseburger into our superpowered cheese sauce. After all, the ground beef thrown on top of typical nachos is usually a dry, flavorless nuisance, when it should be a rich addition of flavor and texture. What if I introduced actual beef flavor to the cheese sauce itself? I seared some ground beef, rendering all its fat. I then strained out the beef and reserved it (crispy chili!), and I whisked all that delicious beef fat right into our aged cheddar cheese sauce. If you’re into cheese and you’re into sliders, you will be into this dip. Put it on tortilla chips, fries, cheesesteaks, burgers (so meta), and anything else you can dream up. 

Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
900 g 80 percent lean ground beef
36 g plus 150 g plus 250 g water, divided
6 g baking soda
3 g plus 4 g kosher salt, divided
200 g sharp cheddar cheese, grated
100 g Swiss cheese, grated
28 g vegetable oil
9 g chili powder
12 g sodium citrate
2 pounds 80 percent lean ground beef
2 tablespoons plus ⅔ cup plus 1 cup water, divided
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon plus 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
7 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (1¾ cups)
3½ ounces Swiss cheese, grated (¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon sodium citrate
Essential Equipment
Instructions
    • 900 g 80 percent lean ground beef
    • 36 g water 
    • 6 g baking soda 
    • 3 g kosher salt 
    • 200 g sharp cheddar cheese, grated 
    • 100 g Swiss cheese, grated
    Toss beef with 36 grams water, baking soda, and 3 grams salt in large bowl until combined. Set aside for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cheddar and Swiss in medium bowl. 
    • 28 g vegetable oil 
    • 9 g chili powder 
    • 4 g kosher salt
    Line fine-mesh strainer with single layer of cheesecloth or coffee filter and set over heatproof bowl. Spread oil over bottom of 12-inch skillet and spread beef in even layer on top. Place skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon to break up clumps, until fat has rendered and beef is deep golden brown and crispy, about 45 minutes. Strain beef through prepared strainer. Transfer beef to large bowl and toss with chili powder and 4 grams salt; reserve for serving. You should have about 100 grams rendered beef fat.  
    • 150 g water
    • 12 g sodium citrate
    Whisk 150 grams water and sodium citrate together in small saucepan until sodium citrate dissolves. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Whisking constantly, gradually add cheese mixture, about 40 grams (¼ cup) at a time, to simmering water, making sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding next, about 2 minutes. (Mixture will be very thick.)
    • 250 g water
    Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in rendered beef fat. Whisking constantly, gradually add 250 grams water. Scrape down saucepan with rubber spatula and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 45 seconds longer. (Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.) Remove saucepan from heat and either transfer sauce to serving bowl or make it extra-shiny with an immersion blender. Serve warm, with plenty of tortilla chips. And don’t forget to sprinkle on the reserved crispy, seasoned beef. (The sauce and beef can be refrigerated separately in airtight containers for up to 1 week.) 
Instructions
    • 2 pounds 80 percent lean ground beef
    • 2 tablespoons water 
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda 
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
    • 7 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (1¾ cups) 
    • 3½ ounces Swiss cheese, grated (¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons)
    Toss beef with 2 tablespoons water, baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl until combined. Set aside for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cheddar and Swiss in medium bowl. 
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
    • 1 tablespoon chili powder 
    • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
    Line fine-mesh strainer with single layer of cheesecloth or coffee filter and set over heatproof bowl. Spread oil over bottom of 12-inch skillet and spread beef in even layer on top. Place skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon to break up clumps, until fat has rendered and beef is deep golden brown, about 45 minutes. Strain beef through prepared strainer. Transfer beef to large bowl and toss with chili powder and 1½ teaspoons salt; reserve for serving. You should have about ½ cup rendered beef fat.  
    • ⅔ cup water 
    • 1 tablespoon sodium citrate 
    Whisk ⅔ cup water and sodium citrate together in small saucepan until sodium citrate dissolves. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Whisking constantly, gradually add cheese mixture, about ¼ cup at a time, to simmering water, making sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding next, about 2 minutes. (Mixture will be very thick.)
    • 1 cup water
    Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in rendered beef fat. Whisking constantly, gradually add 1 cup water. Scrape down saucepan with rubber spatula and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 45 seconds longer. (Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.) Remove saucepan from heat and either transfer sauce to serving bowl or make it extra-shiny with an immersion blender. Serve warm, with plenty of tortilla chips. And don’t forget to sprinkle on the reserved crispy, seasoned beef. (The sauce and beef can be refrigerated separately in airtight containers for up to 1 week.) 
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