Smash Burgers
Smash burgers are about crust. Loose 2 to 3 oz balls, a steel ripping at 500 to 550F, smash to 1/4 inch for 60 to 90 seconds until the edges go lacy and brown. Salt, flip, cheese, 30 to 45 seconds. Toasted potato bun. A wide spatula and a hard scrape are the whole game.
- Method
- Griddle / flat-top
- Total time
- 15 min
- Target internal temp
- cooked through, thin patties
- Gear
- Flat-top or cast iron, stiff spatula
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb ground beef, 80/20, loose 2 to 3 oz balls
- Kosher salt
- 4 to 8 slices American cheese
- 4 potato buns
- Butter for the buns
The Cook
- 01
Roll the beef into loose 2 to 3 oz balls. Do not pack them. Loose meat smashes flatter and crisps better.
- 02
Get the steel to 500 to 550F. It should be too hot to hold your hand over.
- 03
Toast the buttered buns face down, then set them aside.
- 04
Drop a ball, lay parchment on top, and smash hard to 1/4 inch with the spatula. Do this in the first few seconds or it will not flatten.
- 05
Cook 60 to 90 seconds until the edges are lacy and deep brown. Salt the raw top.
- 06
Scrape under it with a firm push to get every bit of crust. Leaving the crust on the steel is the failure point.
- 07
Flip, lay on cheese, and give it 30 to 45 seconds to melt.
- 08
Stack on the toasted bun. Double it up if you want.
Doneness
Thin patties cook through in about 2 minutes total. You want a dark lacy crust on the smash side and fully melted cheese.
Pro Tip
Do not flip until the crust releases on its own pull. Wedge the spatula flat under the patty and scrape hard so the browned crust comes with it, not stuck to the steel.
Questions
Cooked By Our Readers
Real cooks, real fire.
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