The Best Smash Burger Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes a smash burger better? ›

Minced chuck steak is gold for Smash Burger. Secondly, it's the smash that really makes it. When you smash the burgers down on a super-hot grill, the fat has nowhere to go but back up into the burger patty meaning you're essentially cooking your burger in its own beefy juices.

Seasonings – I like to use a combination of salt, pepper, paprika, Worcestershire, and Tabasco sauce. In addition, finely minced bacon makes it into my best smash burger recipe. Cheese – American cheese is used for the smash burger. Buns – Classically, potato buns are used, but I prefer brioche buns.

The mustard caramelizes on the griddle, softening that piquant quality mustard can have, and creating an even crispier crust as the burger patties get smashed. It is truly a thing of beauty.

Use a very thin metal spatula to scrape and get under that edge before flipping. Once flipped, cook the patty on that side no longer than 1 minute, ideally 30 seconds or less, just enough to put cheese(optional) on and melt it. A proper smash burger should be well done in my opinion.

To Make the Patties:

Place a cast iron over medium-high heat. Preheat the pan until hot and then add about a teaspoon or two of oil. Add two patties, spacing them about 4 inches apart, and then smash them flat with a spatula to form patties that are 4-inches in diameter.

Stacked burger patties if smashing before cooking. That's the way Five Guys does it, I just smash right in the pan to save time and energy. If you go to a Five Guys Restaurant you'll see that they smash and stack their smashed burger patties on parchment paper and then stack them by fours.

If you don't want to lose juices, you must smash within the first 30 seconds of cooking. When ground beef is cold, its fat is still solid and its juices are still held firmly in place inside small, chopped up segments of muscle fibers.

Preheat on high heat for 10-15 minutes, looking for a surface temperature of 400-425 degrees F. To test the surface, sprinkle a few drops of water on top of the surface; they should “dance” rapidly across the hot surface, evaporating in moments.

Unlike with regular burgers, you actually want to work this meat a little bit and help it bind together. Some gentle massaging, followed by packing it into two-ounce balls, is all it takes. For cooking, I use either a stainless steel or a cast iron pan, with my preference leaning toward the former.

Do smash burgers taste different? ›

Smashing the burger results in a sear on the outside of the meat, which locks in all of the juices and flavor. This method also helps to prevent flare-ups on the grill or griddle, as there is less surface area for the fat to drip onto the heat source.

Gently roll the meat into a ball, smash it, and grill it. This is key, because overworking the meat can make the proteins too tough, delaying the Maillard reaction and keeping the juices from soaking back up into the burger.

Rule 2: Smash early and smash firmly.

You'll need one to do this properly. Form four to five ounces of meat into a puck about 2 inches high, season liberally with salt and pepper, and place it on the preheated skillet, then smash down on it with the spatula, using a second spatula to add pressure if necessary.

Because nothing melts like American cheese, and with a smashburger it's important to use the cheese as a binding agent to prevent the patties from falling apart. A good smashburger is held together with nothing but love and American cheese.

Ultimate Smash Burger

Use brisket trimmings and run them through MEAT! grinder to make an 80% meat to 20% fat grind for patties. If you have wild game to grind, use that as your meat. Otherwise, grinding fresh beef sirloin is also a great option.