Easy Smash Burger Recipe

Hey, I’m John Canel and today we’re making some easy, delicious smash burgers. So, let’s get started. First off, grab one and a half pounds of ground beef. You want an 80/20 mix for this. It shouldn’t be too lean. You need the fat to make this extra delicious. You’re going to divide this into eight equal portions. I’m doing six because I didn’t get enough beef at the supermarket. Okay. Now, with your clean hands, we’re going to roll these into balls and place them onto a plate or small baking sheet because these guys have to chill for 20 minutes. You can chill these for up to six hours. The chill time is just going to help the patties hold together when we cook them. And if you haven’t had a smash burger, who are you? Smashburgers are burgers that have a thinner patty that’s smashed down during the cook. And the benefit to this is it gives you really more surface area for caramelization. Like all those delicious parts on the outside are magnified. Once your patties are rolled out, we’re going to cover this up and pop this into the fridge for 20 minutes or up to 6 hours.

Prepare the Toppings and Sauce

While your patties are chilling, it’s time to grab your toppings and get things prepped out. You can keep it simple or add tons of favorites. I’m gonna have some very thinly sliced red onion. Of course, I’d like some fresh tomato. I have some thinly sliced cheddar ready to go. You could use American cheese or any of your favorites will work in this. These guys just melt really well. Iceberg lettuce. Grab some pickles if you want them. And I’m also going to make an easy burger sauce for this. It comes together in a minute and I just really prefer the taste. Into a small bowl, I’m adding 1/4 cup of mayo, a tablespoon of ketchup or so, a teaspoon of mustard. I’m also going to add my favorite relish, a teaspoon to a tablespoon or so. Give that a good mix. And you’re going to have a great sauce. That’s enough for about four burgers. If you’re making eight burgers today, double the sauce.

Toast the Buns

Towards the end of your chill time, grab a big cast iron skillet or your griddle. We’re going to place that over medium high heat. Warm it up and then you have an option here. You can go straight to smashing those burgers or you can toast your buns. I always like to toast the buns. So, cut them and they’ll go face down for a nice little toast. It also helps soften the bread. Today I’m just using some store-bought brioche buns, but I have a delicious and easy recipe for burger buns on the blog. Once the pan is warm, we’re going to brush the cut sides with some melted butter. I have a few tablespoons here. And then they go onto the pan for about a minute. After about a minute, we’re going to pop these onto a baking sheet just to hang out. Oh my gosh, the color looks so nice. They smell great. My buns are all toasted. My sauce and toppings are ready. So now we’re going to smash these burgers.

Smash and Cook the Patties

Grab them out of the fridge. You’re going to cook two to four at a time. It depends on the size of your pan or griddle. And I would do even numbers if you’re choosing to do two patties per burger, which is what I’m going to do. Okay. Grab your burger patty onto your hot pan. Now we’re going to use a spatula and give it a smash. These can be hard to smash, so feel free to grab a can of something and that’ll help you just press down. The original smash burgers were actually smashed with cans of beans and I can see why—it makes it so much easier. Season the tops of your burger patties with salt and pepper. Cook these for 1 to 2 minutes. And I will point out, you should not overcrowd them. The joy of a smash burger is that crispy edge, and you don’t want to have them overcrowded and steaming. It’s been about 2 minutes, so I’m going to give these a flip. Flip them over. Season with salt and pepper once more. And you’re going to cook these for 1 to 2 minutes again until they’re cooked through. Grab one slice of cheese if you’re doing a double-decker or two slices if they have singles. Continue this process with your remaining burger patties.

Assemble the Burgers

While these are cooking, grab your toasted buns. We’re going to spread some sauce on so they’re nice and ready to accept our patties. About a tablespoon per bun, and you’ll be good to go. If your patties are sticking, just loosen the edges a bit, and that’ll help them stay intact when you lift them with your spatula. There’s a ton of debate on who had the first hamburger. Louis Lunch in Connecticut claims they served the first one in 1900, but there’s also Dairy Cheer in Appalachia, which had the first smash burger smashed with a can of beans. And honestly, you could ask a 100 different people and you get a 100 different answers for who had the first burger. I’m not going to claim Connecticut. I’m just saying some people say. Pile those toppings on. I have some thinly sliced onion, my beautiful tomatoes with a little bit of salt and pepper on top. You could add pickles and the lettuce could be shredded or torn. It’s totally up to you. Give it one last press. And just like that, it’s ready to enjoy. That is simply delicious. I hope you get a chance to make this recipe.