CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland has given the world many signature dishes and culinary icons, but perhaps none are quite as stacked, juicy and over-the-top as the Fat Doug Burger by beloved chef Michael Symon.
This behemoth burger—an unapologetic love letter to meat-on-meat excess—made Symon a legend not just in his hometown, but on the national food stage.
Named after his friend and business partner Doug Petkovic, nicknamed “Fat Doug” (ironically, Doug himself is pretty lean), the burger was never meant to be subtle. It was engineered to dominate.
At its heart, the Fat Doug started with Symon’s custom burger blend, a mix of sirloin, brisket and short rib that delivered just a balance of beefy richness and fat.
Patties were seasoned simply—kosher salt and black pepper—but grilled hard, fast to a perfect medium-rare with a charred crust outside and juicy center within.
From there, Symon piled on sautéed pastrami and melty Swiss cheese, creating a decadent combo that, like so many of his dishes, pays homage to Cleveland’s deep Eastern European food roots.
What cuts through all that richness was a tangy, crunchy slaw: napa cabbage, garlic, red onion, jalapeño, champagne vinegar, Dijon, mayo, sugar, Worcestershire and Cleveland brown mustard. Later, it was a dose of Symon’s own invention, ShaSha Sauce.
That sauce — crafted from hot banana peppers, garlic, mustard, and vinegar — brought sweet heat to balance a meat avalanche. All of it was stacked onto a buttered-toasted brioche bun, which has just enough heft to hold it together for those first glorious bites.
The Fat Doug wasn’t just a Cleveland favorite; it was a national sensation: Symon repeatedly took home the People’s Choice Award at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s famed Burger Bash with this burger, winning in 2010, 2011, 2012 and again in 2014.
Judges and festival-goers alike fell in love with the unapologetic approach, careful attention to texture, fat content and bold flavors. Symon even tweaked it once with Havarti cheese and still walked away with the prize.
The burger was crowned again and again as one of the best in the country, proof that Cleveland’s Iron Chef had created a classic.
Back home, it became the star of Symon’s beloved B-Spot Burgers restaurants. On menus crowded with creative concoctions, the Fat Doug always stood out.
It was the one people ordered when they wanted the full Symon experience. For years, it was the most popular menu item across all B-Spot locations, the kind of burger diners drove across town for.
And when the B-Spots eventually closed their doors, it was the Fat Doug that people who write to the “Classic CLE Eats & Drinks” desk seem to miss the most, the burger fans remembered as the signature of the brand.
Sitting down to one (with several trips to Symon’s condiment bar, which deserves a shout-out, if not its own column!) was always a delight.
To this day, Fat Doug remains a touchstone of modern burger culture. It’s indulgent, playful, deeply rooted in Cleveland flavors and proof that sometimes more really is more. In the world of Michael Symon, meat is king and the Fat Doug will always wear the crown.
Is this enough lobbying to land it on the Mabel’s BBQ menu? Hard to say.
If you’re bold enough to try your hand making them at home, the recipe lives on Food Network’s home page: foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-symon/fat-doug-burger-recipe-2125732
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