How to Make a Smashburger

The humble hamburger started out as an easy way to feed busy workers, but today the smash burger is one of the hottest ways to update it. Serving up a platter of freshly grilled smash burgers provides the perfect centerpiece to bring everyone to the picnic table.

Become the hero of your next backyard barbecue by practicing your skills a few times in the kitchen first. Smash burgers taste great whether they’re sizzling from the grill or feature an even sear from the cast iron pan. Here’s how to make these popular hamburgers at home, including with all the fixings you prefer.

What is a Smash Burger?

The term is used by a number of restaurants and burger chains, but the name simply refers to the method of preparing the patty. There’s no need to get your hands dirty each time patting the ground beef into shape before you plop the patty in the pan.

Instead, you roll a number of medium-sized balls of ground beef all at once. Then you wash your hands and toss a ball of ground meat into your cast iron pan. As it begins to sizzle, you press down with a flat metal device known as a meat or burger press.

This flattens the meat into a thin patty while creating an uneven edge that crisps and browns up. Many people love smash burgers for the edge most of all. It’s also traditional to use bacon grease or butter to cook the burgers for even more flavor.

If you want to use a grill, you’ll need a surface for smashing the patties. Trying to place or press out a ball of meat on a grate will only lead to a mess. You can purchase a specialty two-part burger press that creates a smashed patty for you, or you can use the regular press and a cast iron pan.

Grease the pan but leave it cold and sit it next to the grill. Lift the flattened raw patty off after pressing it and transfer it to the hot grill, then press another patty and continue the process.

The Best Beef for a Smashburger

Not all ground beef offers the same dining experience, especially when making burgers. You want a relatively lean cut of beef since the patties will shrink and curl too much if there’s a lot of fat in the mix.

You can combine ground beef with ground pork, chicken, or turkey to create different flavor combinations. For a pure beef burger, stick with ground sirloin or ground skirt steak for the best results. Both 80/20 and 70/30 meat to fat mixtures will work fine, but the lower fat content is better when available.

Burger Topping Ideas

No smash burger is complete without a wide range of toppings. In addition to the traditional toppings listed in the recipe below, consider some fun ideas like:

• A fried egg, which is especially popular when left a little runny
• Fried or pickled jalapenos
• Sweet and smoky bacon jam
• Pickled red onions
• Kimchi or sauerkraut
• Guacamole
• Pickled beets
• Caramelized onions
• Grilled pineapple slices
• Fried sport or cherry peppers
• Spicy hummus or creamy tzatziki sauce.

Smash Burger Recipe

Making a good smash burger doesn’t require a lot of specialty ingredients or cooking skill. You only need salt, pepper, and garlic powder to season your patties. While the burger sauce and toppings listed below are optional, they’re highly recommended to round out the flavor of the meat.

Ingredients

Smash Burger Patties

• 1 lb of ground sirloin or ground skirt steak, or a mix of different ground meats that equal 1 lb
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Cracked black pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder

Burger Sauce

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of sweet relish
• 1 tablespoon of dill relish
• 2 tablespoons of ketchup
• 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon of Montreal steak seasoning
• ½ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika

Toppings

• 6 leaves of lettuce, preferably Iceberg or shredded romaine
• 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced thinly
• Yellow mustard
• Ketchup
• Pickles or relish
• Large potato or brioche hamburger buns
• Sliced cheese, such as Cheddar, Havarti, Muenster, or Pepper Jack.

Instructions

Portion Beef Patties

Mix the ground beef with the seasonings. Separate the meat in half, then half each section. That gives you four equal balls that are about four ounces each. If you want thicker patties, double the recipe before separating the meat into six balls.

Prep Toppings and Buns

Wash your tomatoes and lettuce, slicing the tomatoes and sprinkling them with a little salt to draw out excess water. Slice your cheese if it is not already sliced so you can place it on the patties during the last few minutes of cooking for a full melt. Toast the buns lightly with a little butter in the pan.

Cook the Patties

Heat a cast iron pan on the stove and add a little bacon grease, butter, or high heat oil. Heat the pan slowly if using butter so it can brown without burning. Add a ball of meat to the pan, then press it with a heavy meat press until it is flat and thin.

Cook each patty for around 5 minutes per side, or until 160 degrees F in the center. If you’re using the grill, get the grill up to medium heat and then press the patties on a pan and transfer them to the grill.

Assemble Burgers

Place each patty on a toasted bun and add your favorite toppings. Add liquid condiments like ketchup or mustard either to the patty or the bun first. Add loose ingredients like lettuce or tomatoes last so they don’t slide.

How to Wrap a Burger

Want to wrap up your backyard burgers like they’re from a restaurant? All you need is some parchment or waxed paper. Start with a square of food-safe paper about 12 inches square, or a little bigger if you make big burgers. Fold it in half diagonally to make a large triangle.

Place over the burger, folding the long ends of the triangle under the burger’s bottom bun. Take the third point of the triangle and fold it under as well. This gives you a good grip and keeps the toppings from sliding out as you bite into the burger.

Conclusion

There’s no need to head out to the nearest burger joint to get that irresistible smash burger flavor. Order your own burger or meat press and experiment with new seasonings and toppings to create a burger that will become the talk of your neighborhood.