9 Tips For Making Smash Burgers Like A Pro

If you've enjoyed smash burgers at restaurants, you've probably wondered how to replicate those same results at home. The good news is that making smash burgers is actually quite easy as long as you follow a few simple steps. As a cook with years of professional kitchen experience behind the grill, I'm here to help you make smash burgers like a pro.

Learning about the origins of the first smash burger makes one thing clear: This type of burger has been around for a long time, and for good reason. Smash burgers are juicy but crispy, offering the best of both worlds. But how do you cook them, exactly? In short, it goes a little something like this: By applying light pressure and squashing the surface of the beef patty onto the grill, the meat presses flat against the hot griddle, searing its sides and edges. This technique intensifies the beefy flavor of the burger and creates some amazingly delicious texture. But before you go running off to try it yourself, we have a few tips for you to keep in mind that will make the process a whole lot easier and your burgers extra delicious.

Smash burgers don't belong on a traditional grill. Smash burgers belong on a griddle. This is because the beef needs to be squashed as flat and smooth as possible, and beef can't be smashed flat on grill grates. Attempting such a thing would only squeeze the beef through the gaps of the grates, sending chunks of meat down into the fire, leading to an inedible mess. A griddle, however, is the perfect tool for the job. Hot, smooth, and perfectly flat, using a griddle makes cooking smash burgers super easy.

If you don't have a griddle, then you can use a cast iron pan. I've been cooking smash burgers in a 12-inch Cuisinel cast iron skillet for years and it's produced excellent results. Part of the allure of cooking with cast iron is that it retains heat really well, which is ideal for smash burgers because the beef can sear and develop a flavorful crust. The ideal tool for the job, though, is a 28-inch Blackstone griddle, which features a flat metal top equipped with two cooking zones. Having two cooking areas with different temperatures comes in handy when making smash burgers because you can sear in one zone on high heat and then melt cheese in the other zone at a lower temperature.

Forming the patties for smash burgers is a different process than forming the patties for traditional burgers. Traditional burgers tend to be gently formed into a puck-like disc before hitting the grill, while smash burgers are rolled into balls. The ball shape allows the meat to be smashed downward and then spread out across the surface of the grill, which is what gives them their delicious texture.

If you are making several smash burgers, then it's a good idea to roll out the number of beef balls that you're going to need before they go on the grill. For the sake of consistency, consider using a digital scale to weigh each ball so that each burger comes out the same size. When I make smash burgers, I usually aim for 3.5 ounces and the size feels just about perfect. Of course, you can always just eyeball it, but to really make smash burgers like a pro you should strive for uniformity.

It's important to consider the technique that you want to use to smash your burgers on the grill. A lot of people will simply use their metal spatulas to flatten the burgers out on the grill, and while that will certainly get the job done, spatulas aren't exactly ideal for this. You can achieve much better results with a cast iron burger press. Part of the reason that I like this burger press is because it has a good weight and a wooden handle that doesn't get too hot.

A burger press makes it easy to distribute pressure evenly around the patty, so that you can smash the edges nice and thin. Smashing the edges nice and thin ensures that the burger can develop the kind of lacy crust that we're looking for. How well you smash your burgers on the grill will determine how much crust develops on the beef and using a burger press allows you to effectively smash with ease.

The biggest problem people run into when attempting to make smash burgers is the meat sticking to the spatula or burger press, which tears the burger apart. If you aren't careful or don't use enough finesse, the beef will stick to the metal spatula while you're smashing it onto the grill. Then when you lift the spatula upwards, the spatula will tear off chunks of the burger and seriously mess up the patty. The good news is that using some parchment paper can prevent that from happening and save you the headache.

To use parchment paper on your smash burger, cut off a square that's a little bigger than the size you want your burger to be. Before you smash the beef ball down onto the griddle, place the parchment paper on top of the beef, so that it's between your spatula or burger press and the beef ball before you smash downwards. Voilà: The parchment paper acts as a barrier between the meat and metal, allowing you to smoothly smash your burger without any fear of stickage.

One of the best ways to amp up your smash burger is to incorporate onions into the mix. This type of smash burger is often referred to as the Oklahoma onion burger. The trick here is to shave the onions nice and thin so that they cook quickly with the burger. If the onions are sliced too thick, they won't cook through all the way and they'll just end up making the burger patty soggy. But if the onions are sliced super thin, they'll crisp up and caramelize faster and add a lot of texture and flavor.

Another thing to keep in mind here is to add the shaved onions on top of the beef ball before you smash it. That way, the onions get smashed into the beef — and that's where the real magic happens. The onions cook in the beef fat, and when the burger gets flipped, the onions make direct contact with the grill and caramelize. Better yet, the remaining natural water in the onions releases a little steam, providing the perfect opportunity to warm up the bun and melt the cheese. The end result is a delicious smash burger with crispy edges and fried onion strings that's truly mouthwatering.

Most grocery stores typically have a few types of ground beef for sale. There's sirloin, which is leaner and has less fat. The bad news is that ground sirloin is also less tender and can be kind of chewy, so that's not a good option for burgers. There's also ground round, which has a little more fat than sirloin, but it's ground chuck, with its 80/20 meat to fat ratio, that's even better. Ground chuck strikes the perfect balance because it's fatty enough to stay tender but still has enough meat to maintain its structural integrity. Buying ground beef that's fattier than ground chuck is usually a bad idea because the burgers are so fatty that they end up falling apart. Ground chuck also has an intense beefy flavor that's perfect for smash burgers.

If the beef section of your grocery store is out of ground chuck, don't be afraid to ask a butcher in the department to grind up some more. Butchers have commercial grinders that make easy work for tasks like this, so it shouldn't take too long or be much trouble.

It's easy to underestimate the importance of your spatula. It's such a simple tool that its overall design and the material it's made out of may not seem terribly consequential. But as any chef will tell you, the reality is that different dishes call for different spatulas, and when you're dealing with smash burgers, you need a spatula that can withstand high temperatures that also has edges that are sharp and thin enough to slide between the meat and griddle.

When it comes to smash burgers, plastic spatulas should not be used. In fact, using a plastic spatula in this case could be potentially dangerous, considering that the plastic can melt from the heat of the grill or from the hot grease. Once plastic heats up and melts, the chemicals in the plastic can leach into your food. The burger meat will become contaminated and you'll also have a nasty mess of burning plastic on the griddle to deal with. You can avoid all of this by using a sharp metal spatula.

Some people like to top their burgers with strong cheeses like gorgonzola or sharp cheddar. And while I certainly enjoy both of those cheeses, I don't think they necessarily fit the bill for something like a smash burger. What makes smash burgers so alluring is their intense beefiness, which is created by the smashing process. Adding a strong cheese will overpower the flavor of the beef and that's not what we want to do. We want a cheese that will add some gooeyness and flavor while letting the flavor of the beef shine.

American cheese adds the right amount of creaminess while also showcasing a mild flavor. It also happens to melt perfectly. Is it the most luxurious cheese around? Of course not. But we're not building a fancy charcuterie board here; we're making burgers. And when it comes to burgers, American cheese reigns supreme. Save the fancy cheeses for another occasion and keep the cheese simple on your smash burgers.

In order to fully appreciate the textures and flavor of your smash burgers, it's best to keep the toppings light and simple. The problem with adding lots of veggies, toppings, and condiments is that the burger ends up being messy and hard to handle. Shredded lettuce makes the bun soggy and sliced tomatoes often end up sliding out. We want to add condiments and toppings that complement the burger but don't smother it.

My ideal smash burger has onions and a little spread of special sauce. Maybe some pickles when I'm in the mood for a little briny pop. These toppings offer enough variation to add some tasty complexity to the burger without overwhelming it. When you're assembling your smash burger, try keeping the toppings and condiments minimal so that the beef can take the spotlight. Pro-tip: once the burger is totally assembled, wrap it up and let everything steam together for a couple of minutes before unwrapping it and taking your first bite.