The Best Smash Burger Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to smash burgers? ›

Smashing ground beef firmly into an ungreased pan increases contact points, delivering maximum crust and maximum flavor. We use a stiff spatula or a bench scraper to scrape the burger up from the pan, making sure to get every last bit of tasty brown crust.

Using the Best Beef

Smash burgers require a higher fat percentage than the average burger, so the best bet is to grind your own. If that isn't an option, use 80/20 or fattier. Choosing a lean beef mixture is likely to give you dry, tough burgers. A mixture of chuck, brisket, and sirloin makes for an ideal burger patty.

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.

To create the best smash burger at home, you'll want a loose ball of ground beef, preferably 80% beef, 20% fat. The fat is crucial for flavor and the recipe only needs salt and pepper to make beef sing.

Adding the yellow mustard will add flavor to the patty as well as helping it to caramelize on the flipped side of the patty since it won't cook on this side as long.

Smashing down on the burger patties within the first 30 seconds of hitting a hot skillet ensures maximum juiciness and a flavorful, well-browned crust.

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.

Leaving The Crust On The Pan Or Griddle

With the meat being thinner than a usual burger, there's more chance of the thin patty breaking apart when you flip it.

Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a separate small bowl. Set aside. Loosely form the beef into 4 balls; set aside. Working in batches, lightly brush the griddle with butter and toast the buns cut-side down until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes.

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.

Why do my smash burgers puff up? ›

The center of the burger has nowhere to go but out.

So even though it does lose some thickness as it cooks, the cinching up of the sides of the patty compensate by squeezing and forming the bulge. Since a pan-seared burger heats only from the top and bottom, the sides don't cook much, and the bulging is not an issue.

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.

If you eyeball four loosely packed balls, they will be close in size. You'll buy one pound of meat for this recipe so each burger should be four ounces. This will end up giving you a nice thin patty. Season the outside of your balled meat with the burger seasoning mix.

Selecting the best meat for burgers

A good basic mixture would be to use 50% chuck (the cheap and lean), 25% rib plate (the fatty parts) and 25% brisket (the fatty and beef flavor). Alternative cuts that make a damn good burger without emptying your wallet are round (lean) and navel (the fatty beef belly).

To make good smash burgers, it's important to: Use ground chuck, or 80% lean ground beef; anything leaner will make the burgers dry. Be sure the patties are very cold before cooking. Smash the burgers immediately when you put them in the pan, and don't smash them again.

Rather than shaping the meat into a hamburger, use your hands to mold the ground beef into meatball shapes. By pushing, pulling, and rolling it, the meat will stick together more easily, and that means it's less likely to fall apart when you smash it.

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.

Remove your burgers from the fridge or freezer and sprinkle them with kosher salt and pepper. Place about 3 to 4 balls in the skillet, leaving room for them to be smashed down. After 30 seconds of searing, smash them all the way down until they can't be smashed anymore, with a large heavy skillet.