Smashburger

What is a Smashburger?

The idea behind a Smashburger is that instead of letting a big, fat burger languish on the grill to cook, you add the burger meat to a rip-roaring hot skillet or griddle and smash it as it cooks for the first few seconds. The heat plus pressure combo results in a crispy and well-browned burger that cooks very fast.

SERVINGS: 4 Servings

YIELD: 4 Burgers

INGREDIENTS

For the copycat smash sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons pickle juice
1 tablespoon diced pickle

For the burger seasoning mix

1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt

For the smashburger

1 pound 80/20 ground chuck
4 potato hamburger buns
2 tablespoons butter, divided

For the toppings

1/2 head green leaf lettuce, washed and dried
1 medium tomato, sliced
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
6 slices of American cheese

PREPARATION

Make the copycat smash sauce: In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard, pickle juice, and diced pickles. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble your burgers.
Make the burger seasoning mix: In another small bowl combine the kosher salt, black pepper, and seasoned salt.
Prepare the burgers: Loosely divide the ground beef into four even balls. Season the balls of beef with a 1/8 teaspoon burger seasoning mix. Don’t worry about completely covering them. You can add more seasoning when they are cooking.
Cook the smashburgers: Wrap a heavy skillet (cast iron works well) with some foil, you will use this to smash the burgers. I use a smaller 8-inch cast iron skillet, but any smaller size will work. Turn on the fan over the stove and open a window to help with the airflow. In a large skillet or griddle (I do not recommend using non-stick) set over medium-high heat and add one tablespoon of butter. Once the butter has melted, add the beef balls. Place the foil-wrapped skillet or a spatula over the beef balls and smash them into flat disks. Smash each burger for 10 seconds, one at a time, applying a lot of pressure to it. Repeat until all the burgers are smashed.
Season burgers with more mix and continue to cook: Season the smashburgers with another 1/8 teaspoon burger seasoning mix. Allow them to continue to cook for about 90 seconds until the juices start to bubble from the burger. Use a sturdy metal spatula to flip the burgers, being sure to scrape up any caramelization.
Add cheese to the burgers: After you’ve flipped the burgers, add cheese (I like 1 1/2 slices per burger) and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, until burgers are cooked to desired doneness, usually medium. The burger is so thin that there’s no need to check the temperature. It will be done if the burger has a good caramelization on the outside. You can continue to cook for another 30 seconds if you want a very well-done burger.
Toast the burger buns: While burgers cook, toast the buns. In a large skillet over medium heat add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the buns, cut side down, and toast for 30 seconds, until golden. Repeat until all buns are toasted. If you have a griddle, you can toast the buns alongside the burgers.
Build and serve the smashburgers: Build a smashburger by adding some sauce, approximately 1 tablespoon, to the bottom of the burger bun. Add lettuce over the top of the sauce, then add a smashburger, and finally top with sliced red onion and tomato. Continue until all smashburgers are assembled. Serve immediately with fries and a cold drink.