Over the last few months I have developed a technique that I really like for smash burgers. They have been turning out beautifully. I’m sharing my approach because I wish someone had told me about this when I was a BBQ beginner.
How have I been doing these? Let me describe what I did today.
I use my gas grill with GrillGrates flat-side up. I heat the heck out of them, to the point where a coat of oil immediately smokes and dissipates. I scrape the surface of the grates to get them fairly clean, but I don’t want to go so hard that I expose raw aluminum.
I use store-bought ground beef for this. I know home-ground is better but I think in the context of smash burgers you really cannot tell the difference. I use 3 ounce / 85 gram patties and I pre-form them into little golf balls. Unseasoned. Keep them refrigerated until the grill is ready.
Other typical ingredients are American cheese - it has to be American as the melting point is nice and low, so it spreads beautifully on the burger. I’ve tried Kraft Singles but I have found that the Organic Valley white colored American slices taste the best and behave well on the burger. I use standard brioche burger buns available from Whole Foods Market.
What works best for me is to arrange the patties on a plate which I put on a baking sheet, along with a mise-en-place of salt, ground pepper, and grape seed oil. I also take two paper towels, tongs,a second plate, and a big flat spatula for smashing. Then I go outside.
I start by toasting the buns. This allows me to assess how hot the grill is. My preference is for a very light toasting - sometimes that means I toast them on the “cool” side of the grill but I find it’s just easier to use the “hot” side and just move quickly. Once toasted they go on the second plate.
Okay, now it’s time for the burgers. First, a light coating of oil on the back of the flat spatula. Whether or not this is necessary, who knows, but meat sticking to the spatula is the most challenging part of this process. Then I put my welding glove on my dominant hand because the next step is hot.
With the flat surface ripping hot, I place two to four patties at a time on the surface (with my non-dominant hand) and immediately start smashing them with the spatula. What I have found is that the patties are more likely to stick to the spatula if I use a pulling motion (like I was scraping something off my shoe) than if I use a twisting motion to separate the spatula from the meat. You have to smash them to a diameter that is about 10-25% larger than your bun. Trust me - they shrink nicely. It’s okay if they look mutant or asymmetric because they still eat the same. The ultimate thickness of the smashed patty is about 1/4 inch or 1/2 centimeter.
Once burgers are smashed, I sprinkle with salt and ground pepper and close the lid. This makes the gas grill increase in temperature further. I then remove my welding glove and prep my cheese slices for deployment.
After 30-60 seconds I put the welding glove back on and go back to look at the burgers. They should have signs of doneness - perhaps a little liquid pooling at the top, or maybe edges that look more grey. If so, I slide the spatula under them and flip them.
Once flipped, they should look charred and tasty on the cooked side. Next, I sprinkle again with salt and pepper, and put a slice of cheese on each patty (I have tested single-cheese and double-cheese for a two-patty burger and I really think that two slices is best). Now I close the lid again and count to 30. By the 30 count the cheese should be melted nicely on the patties to the point where I can see the texture on the surface of the patties through the cheese. That’s how I know it’s done.
Slide the spatula under each patty and pile them on to the toasted buns, two each.
Now, toppings. This is a controversial subject, and even I vacillate back and forth on what is best. I recently defaced my burger with lettuce and actually kind of liked it. No matter what, I think mayonnaise is a prerequisite as the acidic snap just makes the whole thing work. But beyond that, everything is fair game. My wife likes pickles and while I think that’s just madness, who am I to judge? My preference is to keep them as unadulterated as possible and if I want vegetables, I can eat a salad. The sharp eyed among you may note that in the accompanying photo, the plate is naked except for the burger, and there’s a glass of rosé in the background. That’s how we roll.
So this is how I make smash burgers, in as much detail as I can muster. This will help me so I remember all of this, but hopefully it will help others as well!
How have I been doing these? Let me describe what I did today.
I use my gas grill with GrillGrates flat-side up. I heat the heck out of them, to the point where a coat of oil immediately smokes and dissipates. I scrape the surface of the grates to get them fairly clean, but I don’t want to go so hard that I expose raw aluminum.
I use store-bought ground beef for this. I know home-ground is better but I think in the context of smash burgers you really cannot tell the difference. I use 3 ounce / 85 gram patties and I pre-form them into little golf balls. Unseasoned. Keep them refrigerated until the grill is ready.
Other typical ingredients are American cheese - it has to be American as the melting point is nice and low, so it spreads beautifully on the burger. I’ve tried Kraft Singles but I have found that the Organic Valley white colored American slices taste the best and behave well on the burger. I use standard brioche burger buns available from Whole Foods Market.
What works best for me is to arrange the patties on a plate which I put on a baking sheet, along with a mise-en-place of salt, ground pepper, and grape seed oil. I also take two paper towels, tongs,a second plate, and a big flat spatula for smashing. Then I go outside.
I start by toasting the buns. This allows me to assess how hot the grill is. My preference is for a very light toasting - sometimes that means I toast them on the “cool” side of the grill but I find it’s just easier to use the “hot” side and just move quickly. Once toasted they go on the second plate.
Okay, now it’s time for the burgers. First, a light coating of oil on the back of the flat spatula. Whether or not this is necessary, who knows, but meat sticking to the spatula is the most challenging part of this process. Then I put my welding glove on my dominant hand because the next step is hot.
With the flat surface ripping hot, I place two to four patties at a time on the surface (with my non-dominant hand) and immediately start smashing them with the spatula. What I have found is that the patties are more likely to stick to the spatula if I use a pulling motion (like I was scraping something off my shoe) than if I use a twisting motion to separate the spatula from the meat. You have to smash them to a diameter that is about 10-25% larger than your bun. Trust me - they shrink nicely. It’s okay if they look mutant or asymmetric because they still eat the same. The ultimate thickness of the smashed patty is about 1/4 inch or 1/2 centimeter.
Once burgers are smashed, I sprinkle with salt and ground pepper and close the lid. This makes the gas grill increase in temperature further. I then remove my welding glove and prep my cheese slices for deployment.
After 30-60 seconds I put the welding glove back on and go back to look at the burgers. They should have signs of doneness - perhaps a little liquid pooling at the top, or maybe edges that look more grey. If so, I slide the spatula under them and flip them.
Once flipped, they should look charred and tasty on the cooked side. Next, I sprinkle again with salt and pepper, and put a slice of cheese on each patty (I have tested single-cheese and double-cheese for a two-patty burger and I really think that two slices is best). Now I close the lid again and count to 30. By the 30 count the cheese should be melted nicely on the patties to the point where I can see the texture on the surface of the patties through the cheese. That’s how I know it’s done.
Slide the spatula under each patty and pile them on to the toasted buns, two each.
Now, toppings. This is a controversial subject, and even I vacillate back and forth on what is best. I recently defaced my burger with lettuce and actually kind of liked it. No matter what, I think mayonnaise is a prerequisite as the acidic snap just makes the whole thing work. But beyond that, everything is fair game. My wife likes pickles and while I think that’s just madness, who am I to judge? My preference is to keep them as unadulterated as possible and if I want vegetables, I can eat a salad. The sharp eyed among you may note that in the accompanying photo, the plate is naked except for the burger, and there’s a glass of rosé in the background. That’s how we roll.
So this is how I make smash burgers, in as much detail as I can muster. This will help me so I remember all of this, but hopefully it will help others as well!
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