McDonald’s burgers are famous worldwide, but customers rarely get a glimpse of how they’re actually cooked behind the counter. A former corporate chef, Mike Haracz, has gone viral on TikTok for sharing the step-by-step process, giving fans a rare glimpse into what really happens on the grill. If you have ever wondered how that famous beef patty is made, read on!
Who is Chef Mike Haracz?
Mike Haracz isn’t just another TikTok creator from nowhere. He actually spent years as a corporate chef at McDonald’s, helping design and oversee menu items before leaving the company. These days, he uses social media to share insider knowledge about the chain’s food, from revealing Big Mac sauce details to handy hacks like ordering a steamed bun for a softer burger.
What is Really in McDonald’s Burgers?
McDonald’s doesn’t hide the ingredients of their iconic burgers. In the U.S., all their burger patties are made with 100% USDA-inspected beef, with no fillers or preservatives, just real beef. Once the patties hit the grill, they are sprinkled with a combination of salt and pepper, no secret sauce or spices.
According to McDonald’s, their hamburger, cheeseburgers, McDouble, Big Mac, and even the Quarter Pounder, contain no artificial preservatives, artificial flavors, or added colors, with only one exception: the pickle. This includes an artificial preservative, and fast-food fans can skip it if they like.
Additionally, the Quarter Pounder patties use 100% North American fresh beef, cooked right when ordered in U.S. restaurants.
How McDonald’s Burgers Are Made?
Mike Haracz shared a clip walking through the step-by-step process. He praised a worker for following procedure, pointing out their use of blue gloves for handling raw beef patties, something he says is a strict food safety rule.
The patties are placed on the grill, and according to Haracz, even if some restaurants use different grills and sizes, this particular setup was like “a big old George Foreman.” The grill cooks both sides at once and gives you that juicy patty.
Each burger gets one measured shot of the chain’s salt-and-pepper mix, made up of 86% salt and 14% pepper. “Then you scrape them off and stack them in piles of four, like so,” he added, before saying the grill is cleaned down for the next batch.
Once cooked, the patties are moved into Universal Holding Cabinets (UHCs), which keep them hot until an order is placed. Staff then press a button, pull out the patty, and make the burger.
The video, captioned “How McDonald’s burgers are cooked”, has already been viewed thousands of times, with fans fascinated by the no-nonsense process that keeps every burger consistent worldwide.
What People Are Saying
The comments on the video showed just how curious people are about what goes on behind the counter. Some users said the video finally explained things they’d noticed in their own orders. "This explains why when I order the burger with no salt, it takes longer. They legit gotta make it, haha," one person wrote.
Others compared McDonald’s to rival chains, with one asking: “So, it’s always frozen? Wendy’s claims 'fresh, never frozen.” Do we think that’s true?”
And some long-time customers looked back on how the food has changed over the years. One former worker commented: "I worked at McDonald's back in the 70’s we made everything fresh, nothing went into a warming bin. Their food taste like shit these days."
Whether people were impressed, skeptical, or nostalgic, the video sparked a huge reaction because McDonald’s burgers are such a global staple. For decades, fans have speculated about what really happens in the kitchen, and now a former chef has given them a close-up view.
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