Classic Smash Burgers
Thin beef patties smashed onto a screaming hot pan for a lacy browned crust, stacked with melted cheese and a two-minute burger sauce.
A smash burger is not a thinner version of a pub burger; it is a different technique aiming at a different thing. Pressing a loose ball of beef onto a very hot surface forces the maximum amount of meat into contact with metal, and what comes back is a dark, crisp, lacy crust that a thick patty can never produce. The whole cook takes about ninety seconds a side, so everything else needs to be ready before the beef goes near the heat.
Watch
Video coming soon
How to make Classic Smash Burgers
Ingredients
Quantities scale automatically. Cooking times stay the same.
For the patties
For the burger sauce
To assemble
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet or flat griddle
- Stiff metal spatula
- Small bowl for the sauce
- Square of baking paper
Method
-
1
Mix the sauce
Stir every sauce ingredient together in a small bowl and refrigerate. It is better after ten minutes and keeps for a week.
-
2
Portion the beef
Divide the beef into 8 loose balls of about 3 oz / 85 g each. Handle them as little as possible and do not season them yet. Compacted, pre-salted meat sets into a dense patty instead of a crisp one.
-
3
Toast the buns
Butter the cut sides and toast them face down in a dry pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until golden. Set them aside and have every topping laid out within reach.
-
4
Heat the pan properly
Wipe the skillet, add the oil and heat over high until it is just beginning to smoke. This is hotter than feels reasonable and it is the single thing that decides whether you get a crust.
-
5
Smash and sear
Lay two balls in the pan, cover each with a square of baking paper and press down hard and flat with a stiff spatula for a full 10 seconds, until roughly 1/4 inch thick. Peel off the paper, season the tops, and leave them completely alone for 90 seconds until the edges are dark and lacy.
-
6
Flip once and melt
Scrape under each patty with the spatula so the whole crust lifts, flip, and top immediately with a slice of cheese. Cook 30-45 seconds more, then stack one patty on the other. Repeat with the remaining beef.
-
7
Build
Sauce both bun halves, add lettuce if using, then the double patty stack, the raw onion and the pickles. Press the lid on gently and eat straight away.
Cook’s tips
- Fat is not optional. 80/20 chuck renders as it sears and is what fries the crust; anything leaner than 85/15 gives you a dry, pale patty.
- Season after smashing, never before. Salt draws moisture to the surface and dissolves the proteins, and both work against browning.
- Cook two patties at a time at most. A crowded pan drops in temperature and the beef steams in its own juices instead of searing.
Variations
- Add the sliced onion to the pan and smash it underneath the patty for an Oklahoma-style onion burger.
- Swap the sauce for equal parts mayonnaise and gochujang, with a squeeze of lime.
- Use ground lamb with a teaspoon of ground cumin and serve with a garlic yogurt sauce.
Storage and make-ahead
Smash burgers are a cook-and-eat dish and do not keep well; the crust softens within minutes. The sauce, however, keeps in the fridge for a week, and raw portioned beef balls can be covered and refrigerated for a day before cooking.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 782 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 43 g |
| Carbohydrates | 36 g |
| Fat | 51 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Sodium | 1080 mg |
Nutrition is estimated from ingredient averages and will vary with brands and portioning.
