How To Make Smash Burgers (Basically Your New Favorite Hamburger)

This is probably your favorite hamburger recipe, even if you don’t know it yet. The smash burger method is the secret to crispy, craggy burger edges and a seriously juicy center. It’s so simple. You will never go back! Make it for 4th of July!

Eric looked in the fridge the other day and said, “I’m not going to tell you how many tubs of sour cream are in our fridge right now.”

So I counted…5. Five sour creams. And one of them was a huge 3 pound tub from Costco. Sour cream is the thing at the store that I’m always like, “Hm, do we have any sour cream at home? Probably not.” And then I add it to the cart. (Five times.)

The reason I bought the huge one from Costco was because of Taco Tuesday. A few weeks ago I read an article on Kitchn called “5 Rules for Hosting a Crappy Dinner Party (and Seeing Your Friends More Often.)” Basically the idea is to stop worrying so much about fancy food and clean houses and focus on just hanging out. Somebody mentioned in the comments that they have a standing Taco Tuesday at their house. So we are trying it out! It’s been a lot of fun and hasn’t been too overwhelming. (Read: no cleaning allowed.) But apparently people don’t eat sour cream like I do, so we still have 4 unopened tubs of sour cream.

But I don’t have a taco recipe for you today. (In fact for Taco Tuesday my rule is NO SPECIAL RECIPES. Just regular ol tacos. Less stress.)

Today we are talking SMASHBURGERS. Look at this beauty. Have you had one? Of course you have. You may not have known it. But probably any burger that you have eaten and thought to yourself, “That was exceptional,” it was made using this method. They are incredibly juicy, not too thick, and have perfectly crispy edges that are the star of the show. You get this effect by throwing some 80% ground beef on a hot pan, sprinkling with salt,  and smashing the heck out of it.

Two years ago my mother-in-law came to visit and told me that she wanted to try a new hamburger recipe for dinner. She smashed these up and I’m not kidding you, we have never gone back. Every burger that has come from my kitchen since that day has been a smash burger.

Here are the basic rules for Smash burgers:

• You need something to smash the burgers with, obviously. A heavy spatula will do, but a grill press works even better I think. Here’s one for sale that is similar to the one I have pictured here, but here’s the kind I wish I had; it’s round and the perfect shape for a burger. You can see that some of the burgers I made today are a bit oval.

• The less you mess with the meat, the better. You want really loose ground beef. The more you mold it, the more packed it will become. (No bueno.) Don’t round off those edges; craggy, crispy edges are what you’re going for.

• This isn’t meatloaf. You don’t need a bunch of seasonings to get a great burger. Salt is all you need. Burgers are great because beef is great. Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec says it best: “It’s a hamburger made out of meat, on a bun, with nothing. Add ketchup if you want, I couldn’t care less.”
• You need to buy 80% ground beef. That’s 20% FAT, my friends. Fat is flavor. Say it with me now: Fat=flavor. Don’t you forget it.
• Ditch the grill. A cast iron skillet or griddle is what you want. All the fat drips into the fire on a grill, and remember what fat is? So instead we are cooking the meat in it’s own juices, which is the secret to getting those delightfully crispy edges. You can cook this in a skillet on your stovetop, but I actually like to cook it on the grill so that I don’t heat up the whole kitchen. Like this:

I have a flat griddle, but I’m thinking of buying this one from Lodge. It is nice and big so you could fit a bunch of burgers at once, and it has raised edges so all the fat doesn’t drip into the grill. It would be great for making bacon when camping too, I’m always starting grease fires with a flat griddle.

• You need mayonnaise. I didn’t say you might want some; I said you NEED IT. (again: “add ketchup if you want, I couldn’t care less.”)

• American cheese melts better than cheddar cheese. Don’t turn your nose up at me. It is the best. (Read this article if you’re not convinced.) I got mine from the deli at the grocery store. (My friend Tawna told me the other day that she’s never gotten anything from the deli. NEVER. This is crazy, right? Or do I just go to the deli a lot.)
• Get yourself some nice soft buns. Not too big.

I think that’s about it. It really is simple. If you are grilling for 4th of July next week you seriously have to try this out! If you don’t have any cast iron, now is the time. It’s a game changer!

Update: The day after I published this recipe my cousin Alice texted me…”Karen, I read your post about the sour cream. I went to the fridge and counted how many open jars of pickles I have. 6.” HA!

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Two years ago: Tomato Tart with Blue Cheese
Three years ago: Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Spicy Honey Bacon Glaze
Five years ago: Baked Black Bean Taquitos

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Smash Burgers

Serves 4     adjust servings

The smash burger method is the secret to crispy, craggy burger edges and a seriously juicy center. It's so simple. You will never go back!

Ingredients

• 1 pound 80% ground beef
• vegetable oil, to brush the pan
• salt
• 8 slices American cheese
• 4 buns, not too soft
• mayonnaise. LOTS. not optional.

Topping ideas

• ketchup
• mustard
• lettuce
• tomato
• onions
• pickles

Instructions

1.  Place a cast iron skillet or griddle on your grill. Turn the grill to high heat and close the lid. Let it heat up for several minutes, until it is very hot. (You can also make these on the stovetop; set your skillet over medium-high heat.)
2. Brush the skillet with vegetable oil.
3. Take 1/4 pound of ground beef straight from the package. Loosely shape it into a ball if you need to (depending on the shape of the ground beef you bought, you may not even need to do any shaping. If it came from the store in a nice tall mound, you might just need to grab a hunk.) Do NOT pack. 
4. Place the ball of meat on the oiled skillet. Work in batches if you need to; I can fit 2 at a time on my skillet. (Need to get myself a griddle!)
5. Smash the burger with a metal spatula or a grill press. You want your 1/4 pound burger to be about 4 inches across.
6. Season with a generous amount of salt. Salt is your friend. Add some pepper if you want, but not necessary. 
7. Close the lid of your grill (no need to cover if you're on the stovetop.) Let cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes, until the outer edges are brown.
8. Flip the burger, season with more salt, and place two slices of American cheese on the burger. Cook until the cheese droops, about 1 more minute. This is for medium rare. Remove from the skillet.
9. Serve with a soft warm bun, lots of mayonnaise, and whatever over toppings you want. You really can't go wrong. You could even get crazy and stack 2 patties together for a double decker. (2 thin patties is way better than 1 too-thick patty.)

by The Food Charlatan

Recipe Notes

This recipe is very slightly adapted from Bon Appetit. 

All images and text © The Food Charlatan

If you make this recipe, share it on Instagram using the hashtag #TheFoodCharlatan so I can see it!

More grill material for 4th of July this week!

The Best Hot Dog You Will Ever Eat ( JDawg’s Special Sauce Copycat) << No lie. Try this. You’ll never go back!

Bacon and Goat Cheese Aioli Burger with Crispy Onions

Caprese Burger with Artichoke Pesto Sauce << great way to use up any fresh basil you have from the garden!

More burgers from food blogger friends!

Daddy’s Open Faced Hamburger from Foodiecrush << I’m dying to try these! Made in the oven!
2 Secrets for the Best Hamburger from Oh Sweet Basil
Cast Iron Skillet Cheeseburgers from Brown Eyed Baker
In n Out Burger Copycat from Your Home Based Mom