Photo by Geoffrey Kutnick

My hands are shaking. Minutes ago, I just executed the greatest idea my mind, and geography, would ever let me come up with.

I combined the iconic burgers of Shake Shack and In-N-Out to create quite possibly the greatest quick-service burger of all time. And of course the only place in the world to implement this sacrilegious act would be in the city of sin: Las Vegas.

A quick search of Shake Shack locations will show you that its Strip-side location at the New York-New York Hotel is not only the farthest west the restaurant group has ventured, but it’s also the only city in the world that also contains an In-N-Out location. To top it off? Google Maps will show you that there’s an In-N-Out location on Dean Martin Drive, less than one mile from the Shake Shack on the strip. You COULD walk it, although Vegas locals have told me about how the truck stop kitty-corner to the In-N-Out is hooker headquarters. But if you’re in a bind, you can walk it no problem.

I decided to get Shake Shack first for a few reasons. First, I didn’t have any FOODBEAST crew members with me. So sending out multiple squads wasn’t an option. Secondly, I wanted to make sure I got Animal Style on the In-N-Out Burgers, and the special sauce destroys those buns real quick. So as much as I enjoy both thousand-island-y sauces, I put Shake Shack’s on the side. The sauce was the only thing I added after the fact.

Within 10 minutes, thanks to the car and driving of a Vegas local, I had four Shake Shack burgers in tow arriving at the In-N-Out location: two Single Shack Burgers, one Double ShackBurger and a ‘Shroom Burger. The immediate goal was to pair the Double ShackBurger with the Double-Double, the Single ShackBurger with the Cheeseburger and a ‘Shroom Burger with the Cheeseburger. It crossed my mind to pair a SmokeShack, but I didn’t want to overpower the combination with bacon and cherry peppers since there would be layers of flavor already. Some of you will think that this is a mistake. I also got Animal Style, solely because that’s what I wanted. So sue me.

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Double ShackBurger x Double-Double Animal Style

Photo by Geoffrey Kutnick

From the top bun to the second patty down is Shake Shack. From the third patty down to the bottom bun is In-N-Out.

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Single ShackBurger x Cheeseburger Animal Style

Photo by Geoffrey Kutnick

You’ll notice the slight difference in buns and Shake Shack uses a leafier lettuce. Same as before. Top half = Shake Shack. Bottom Half = In-N-Out.

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‘Shroom Burger x Cheeseburger Animal Style

Photo by Geoffrey Kutnick

For those really looking to taste something different—look no further than this combination. Even though I’m a carnivorous meat-eater, I’ve always loved the ‘Shroom Burger at the Shack. This was next level.

Overall, I was ecstatic about all the taste combinations. For future trips, I would definitely try to send multiple groups to different locations to better time the warmth and freshness of the burgers. But even if you went to one location at a time like I did, I was eating my burgers within about 20 minutes of each other. Albeit it was on a Monday night after Super Bowl weekend at 11pm. If you end up making your own custom creation in Vegas, especially one that may also include the newly opened White Castle, make sure to tag #foodbeast so I can see your monstrosities. Godspeed.