Smash Burgers

Name: Smash Burgers
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds ground beef; 3/4 cup mayonnaise; 1/4 cup ketchup; 2 tablespoons sweet relish; 1 tablespoon yellow mustard; 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar; 4 hamburger buns; 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed; Salt and pepper; 8 slices Cheddar cheese; Pickle slices, shredded iceberg lettuce and thinly sliced red onion, for serving

By Farideh Sadeghin

Published Aug. 7, 2024

Total Time: 45 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(382)
Comments: Read comments

Smashburgers get their name from just that: smashing the meat onto a griddle using a metal spatula or burger press, resulting in a thin burger with seriously charred edges. Use ground beef that has a 20 percent fat content, roll the meat into balls, then chill for at least 30 minutes before cooking to keep the fat solid. The result? Juicy burgers with brown, crisp edges. Unlike a typical burger that you might throw on the grill, thinner smashburgers cook best on a griddle or cast-iron skillet. Smear some mayonnaise on the insides of the buns before toasting them; the fat leftover from the mayo should be just enough to slick up the griddle to cook the burgers, but you can use a touch of oil in between batches as needed. Top your burger how you like: Finely shredded lettuce, homemade pickles and thinly sliced red onion are enough to make this fast food staple feel fancy. A simple combination of mayo, ketchup, mustard, relish and vinegar creates the perfect sauce, but fry sauce would also hit the spot.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1½pounds ground beef
¾cup mayonnaise
¼cup ketchup
2tablespoons sweet relish
1tablespoon yellow mustard
½teaspoon white vinegar
4hamburger buns
2teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed
Salt and pepper
8slices Cheddar cheese
Pickle slices, shredded iceberg lettuce and thinly sliced red onion, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Cut eight (5-inch) square pieces of parchment paper and set aside.
Step 2
Divide the ground beef into 8 equal balls. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (preferably for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight).
Step 3
In a medium bowl, mix together ½ cup mayonnaise with the ketchup, relish, mustard and vinegar. Refrigerate sauce until ready to use.
Step 4
Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high. Spread about 1½ teaspoons mayonnaise onto the insides of each of the buns and toast the insides of the buns until golden, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
Step 5
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in the skillet. Add 2 of the balls of meat and place a square of parchment over each ball. Using a burger press or large metal spatula, smash the burgers directly onto the skillet until about ¼-inch thick. Remove and discard the pieces of parchment and season the burgers with salt and pepper.
Step 6
Cook the burgers, without pressing or fussing with them, until a nice crust has formed, about 2 minutes, then flip and season with more salt and pepper. Add a slice of cheese to the top of each burger and cook until the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes more. Stack the burgers on top of one another and place inside a bun. Add the reserved sauce to the inside of the bun and top the burger with pickles, lettuce and red onion. Top with the top of the bun. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to form 4 burgers.

Ratings

5 out of 5

382 user ratings

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Comments

K A Tate10 months ago

You can get virtually the same effect under the broiler in the oven too and it's less messy. Smash the burgers, chill them till ready to cook, and put them under the broiler for 5 mins on a rack set in a foil lined pan. Cut the heat, add cheese, let it melt, eat. It's great, charred edges and all but I season the meat before I make the burgers. Makes all the difference, in my experience.

Llebles10 months ago

No way 3oz takes 4 minutes to cook. MAYBE if the patties are 1/2” thick and 3” in diameter which is an odd size for burgers. I worked at McD when they flipped burgers, a 2oz frozen patty too 2 minutes and 12 seconds start to finish. I make them all the time. Either 2 or 3 oz…I make double cheeseburgers. My son likes more meat..so 2 3oz patties for him. With not frozen meat…it’s about 30-45 seconds and flip. Another 20-30 and they are done. Ready to flip when juice starts coming to the surface.

Stephan Ford10 months ago

couple of suggestions. try using more than salt and pepper to season. i would suggest garlice powder and or onion powder. i recommend american yellow cheese as the best cheese for burgers. for the buns you can toast them but don't use mayonnaise. I suggest buttering the buns first with salted butter. you can use the salted butter to oil the griddle and skillet as well. do these steps as the added salt/seasoning from the butter and cheese bring out the flavors of the other ingredients.

Amelie1 week ago

My apartment does not have a good enough vent fan to make these without the whole place filling with smoke 😬 will have to try the broiler method next time.

Lauren C1 week ago

Easy and yummy yummy

Mary Ann3 weeks ago

I followed this recipe exactly with the exception I only made 2 burgers. This technique chilling the raw beef in balls for at least 30 minutes, using parchment paper to squish the patties in a very hot cast iron skillet worked really well, the edges of the burgers were nicely crisped and the interior just rare was perfect. I tried other recipes for Smash Burgers and found this one to be the best and the easiest one.

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