Dead Meat Society
Smash Burgers

Smash Burgers

When you press that ball of ground beef onto that hot griddle, the sound of it sizzling is unlike anything else. The visual of the crispy, almost lacy edges is wholly unique in grilling. And you don’t need to go to a burger joint to do it. Here’s how you can make drool-worthy smash burgers at home!

Time:
20 minutes
Yield:
4

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 73% ground beef (you can use 80/20, but don’t go any leaner)
  • Kosher salt
  • Brioche burger buns (you can also use potato buns)
  • Butter for toasting burger buns
  • Favorite toppings (I used mayonnaise and American cheese)
  • Oil for the cooking surface (I use vegetable oil)

Instructions

Smash Burger Recipe

When you press that ball of ground beef onto that hot griddle, the sound of it sizzling is unlike anything else. The visual of the crispy, almost lacy edges is wholly unique in grilling. And you don’t need to go to a burger joint to do it.

Here’s how you can make drool-worthy smash burgers at home!

Equipment

  • Flat top grill (I used my Blackstone, you can use a cast iron skillet or griddle on a grill as well)

  • Burger press (or two sturdy spatulas)

  • Wide spatula

  • Infrared thermometer for checking surface temps (like this one from TempPro, formerly ThermoPro)

  • Parchment paper

  • Kitchen scale

How To Make Homemade Smash Burgers

  1. Preheat your griddle to 500°F.

  2. Divide your ground beef into 2oz portions for double smashburgers, 4oz portions for single smashburgers.

  3. Form the portions into loose balls of ground beef.

  4. Tear parchment paper into squares slightly larger than your burger press.

  5. Oil the cooking surface.

  6. Place the ground beef balls one at a time onto the cooking surface, then cover with the parchment paper and smash the burgers down. They should be roughly 1/8th to ¼ of an inch thick. If you’re making the larger burgers, ¼ of an inch should be fine.

  7. Remove the parchment paper and salt the burgers.

  8. Let the burgers cook until they naturally come loose from the grill top, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and cover with cheese if desired.

  9. Remove burgers from the grill after another minute or two.

  10. Butter the burger buns and toast.

  11. Serve with your desired toppings!

FAQs:

Question: What Should I Serve With My Smash Burgers?

Answer: I’m always a fan of French fries, the classic. You can put a bit of a twist on it by serving with sweet potato fries or even your favorite potato chips. If it’s a summer cookout, you can’t go wrong with potato salad, either.

Question: What Are The Best Toppings For A Smash Burger?

Answer: I firmly believe that American cheese is the nostalgic cheese for any cheeseburger, and it’s perfect for the smash burger. Don’t believe me? Check out the July 30th edition of Dead Meat Spam to see Food And Wine’s rankings.

However, cheese isn’t the only topping for smash burgers. I like mayonnaise spread thinly on the toasted bun. Most people will add dill pickles. You can also make the Oklahoma onion smash burger, where you thinly slice onions and press the ground beef ball directly into the onions.