Target Griddle Temp For Smashburgers?

[hoovarmin]

jfmorris Panhead John Uncle Bob and other griddle officianados, what is your target temp as measured by an infrared thermometer for smash burgers?

[Jfrosty27]

Maybe this will help?

[hoovarmin]

Awesome. I was not aware of this resource on the free side!

[Panhead John]

I don’t really have any advice on temps, I never check. I just get my griddle as hot as it’ll go for smash burgers. From earlier tests when I first got my griddle, that would be from around 425* to 500*.

[Jim White]

Surface of the sun.

[hoovarmin]

I can do that

[Huskee]

I shoot for 425, but I don't fret it if it's off a bit. Just like smoking temps, being obsessed with perfection will kill ya.

[hoovarmin]

I think in the past I've gone WAY above where I should be, but I agree with you. I never had an infrared therm before and now I do, so I'm having great fun playing with it.

[Oak Smoke]

At 500 or thereabouts my Chud press will cook a beautiful smash burger. If I press too hard at that temp it makes a weird sound as steam comes shooting out of the patty, but it cooks it right now. I like the flavor of the bark or crust they developed at high temps.

[hoovarmin]

Me too!

[Steve R.]

I shoot for ~500. If it's 550 I don't sweat that either. Always gives me a nice sear on my Blackstone. I toast the buns at a lower temp before cranking it up for the patties.

[jgreen]

I just crank the blackstone up to high and let it heat for a bit. I don’t really check the temp but hotter is better.

[texastweeter]

425°+

[jfmorris]

I’ll be honest and say I don’t bring the IR outside all the time, as I kinda know the griddle now, but when I do, I shoot for 375-400 for hitting the griddle with smash burgers.

[FireMan]

I don’t have the faintest idea. I have been doin em fer a few years now & have never checked any temp & have done them on various cookers. I got it rilly hot & let em rip. No science to it, just cook em!

[holehogg]

I'm creeping towards smashing close on 3000 patties every 20 days now. Bought a second griddle that has a thinner plate (6mm) and the burners are a lot closer to the plate that helps keep the surface from significantly cooling when I'm very busy. I haven't checked what temp it hits but I know the hotter the better. What also helps with a great crust is smashing a very cold meatball.

[hoovarmin]

I love the cold meatball tip.

[Santamarina]

First order of business is sautéing onions, cooking bacon, and toasting buns - which I like to do around 325°F. When all that’s done I crank it on high and smash away. History says my Blackstone gets north of 500°, but like others I haven’t measured the hot temp in a long while. I don’t wait too long before I toss the cold meatballs on (@holehogg does it right!), so I’d venture to guess it’s closer to 400° when the meat first hits the griddle.

[Spinaker]

I just smash them when the griddle appears to be hot. Like Huskee said, shooting for an exact temp will kill you. There is no reason to shoot for a specific temp.

You are grilling such a small mass of meat in one spot, that a super hot griddle really is not needed. They cook really fast anyway. So give the griddle time to heat up, and make sure it is HOT, but do not stress too much about how hot it really is.