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Smash Burgers - Recipe

Bruce Williams
Admittedly, the cooking process for smash burgers is a bit different from regular burgers. Instead of focusing on making nicely shaped, well-cut, rounded patties, here you can be a bit casual. The meat shouldn’t be smoothed into a ball. Instead, you want aragged-shaped beef that’s loosely held together- more on this below.
Now that you have the ingredients and tools you need for your smash burgers, we can head on to the cooking process. Keep in mind that you don’t have to be a professional to try this on your way. That’s why we have divided the cooking process into sections to keep it as simple as possible.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Calories 730 kcal

Equipment

  • Stainless steel, carbon steel, or cast-ironskillet
  • A large, firm metal spatula or bacon press
  • Griddle skillet or pan
  • Parchment paper
  • Cuttingboard
  •  Apron

Ingredients
  

  • 1-1,5 lbs. ground beef 80/20. 
  • 4-6 slices cheese
  • 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1/8 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
  • Salt and pepper  to taste
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 4-6 burger buns
  • 3 cups iceberg lettuce
  • 1 large tomato
  • 1 red onion
  • 3 pickles

Instructions
 

  • Portioning beef patties.
    The beef you use should be ground beef, with an 80/20 percent ratio. The fat has to be up to 20% because you want enough fat that can oil up the patties and make them easier to scrape.
    Divide the beef patties into 8 or 4 portions. If you want the patties even, you can use a kitchen scale to measure the size. Once you’re done portioning, each patty should be around ¼ pound depending on if you went with the 8 or 4 sectionings. Ensure you don’t flatten the balls immediately but rather mold them into loosely formed balls. The more lose they are, the more likely you’ll get that crusty brown edges that smash burgers are known for. Next, cover the patties and refrigerate until you’re ready to start cooking.
  • Preheating a griddle
    Start by preheating the skillet over high heat for about 2-3 minutes. Like most other grilling or baking processes, preheating your griddle helps you avoid sticky patties. It also ensures you achieve a brown, crispy crust. Besides, preheating ensures the griddle is evenly hot, making sure your patties will cook at the same time and rate.
  • Preparing toppings and buns
    • Lettuce: slice one of two lettuce leaves to your taste. It’s better to slice the lettuce thinly to achieve that restaurant-style smash burger.
    • Tomatoes: Choose large-sized and fleshy tomatoes and slice or cut them into round, ring shapes. Be careful not to slice it too thick. When the tomatoes slices are too thick, it adds too much cold moisture, which destroys the balance between the meat and toppings ratio. The same process goes for the onions. When the onions are too thick, it upsets the flavoring, and you don’t want to end up with an overwhelming onion flavor.
    • Onions: You should also slice your onions into rings instead of dicing them to avoid falling off.
    • Pickles: Pickles are not a must, but they can be an excellent addition to the toppings if you’re a fan. Like the rest of the topping, you’d have to slice the pickles too.
    • Mayonnaise: This is one of the essential parts of your toppings. It adds that dripping, moist, juicy taste to the burger. You only need about ¼ cup mayonnaise to make the perfect smash burger.
    Asides from the toppings, another thing you need to prepare is the buns. The buns are naturally the foundation of any great smash burger. To prepare the bun, slatter some mayonnaise on the bun and allow it to cook on the griddle for some seconds, about 10 to 15 seconds, till it turns slightly brown. Don’t forget to pay close attention, so it doesn’t get burnt.
  • Cooking the patties
    Use the parchment paper to cover each piece; you have to be fast about this. Once you’ve placed the parchment paper, smash the meatballs into a thin patty with a spatula or a burger press. Hold the patty down firmly until you get a thin patty.
    Once the first side is cooked and the juices start coming out, you can flip to the other side to let it evenly cook- this will take about a minute. Make sure you flip at a 45˚ angle to ensure you get all the crusts and caramelized parts, and add the cheese immediately after flipping.
  • Assemble burgers in a proper restaurant style
    • Add a meat patty
    • Add about 2 to 3 slices of pickles
    • Add your shredded lettuce
    • Top with tomatoes slices and onions if so desire
    • Add another meat patty
    • Cover with top bun
  • Wraping the burgers
    • Cut out a parchment paper into a square shape.
    • Then fold in half to make a triangle.
    • Place the burger halfway into the parchment and flip the burger to tuck in the sides
    • Tuck the under flap too

Nutrition

Calories: 730kcal