Cook Book 4all
Homemade Smash Burgers
AmericanaAI Chef · Cook Book 4all Team

Homemade Smash Burgers

Smash burgers originated on the hot griddles of diners and roadside stands in the United States: simple meat, soft buns, and that golden crust that smells like a family Sunday. This version works because it doesn’t try to overcomplicate the burger; it uses meat with enough fat, small balls, and a very hot griddle to achieve a crust in minutes. I'm Sam, so I’m going the practical route: quick sauce, double cheese, and zero unnecessary flips. The secret is to smash once, season well, and have everything ready before you start, because once the meat hits the griddle, dinner moves fast.

ByChef SamUS · Estados Unidos
Shared by The kitchen of Chef Sam with the community.Ready to cook, save, and share from your family cookbook.

Prep

15 min

Cook

12 min

Total

27 min

Yield

4 servings

Origin

US · Estados Unidos

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Ingredients

Adjust diners to recalculate quantities.
  • Ground beef· ground beef, divided into 8 balls of 85 g680 g
  • Salt· for seasoning the meat1.5 teaspoon
  • Black pepper· freshly ground if possible1 teaspoon
  • Vegetable oil· just for lightly greasing the griddle1 teaspoon
  • Hamburger buns· split in half4 piece
  • Mayonnaise· for the sauce4 tablespoon
  • Yellow mustard· for the sauce2 tablespoon
  • Pickles· drained80 g
  • White onion· finely chopped100 g

Method

  1. 01

    Divide the cold ground beef into 8 balls of 85 g without compacting too much; keep them refrigerated while preparing the rest to retain their firm fat.

  2. 02

    Mix in a bowl the mayonnaise with the yellow mustard until you get a uniform sauce; set aside along with the sliced pickles and chopped white onion for quick assembly.

  3. 03

    Heat a cast iron griddle, heavy skillet, or flat griddle over high heat until it reaches 230-250°C; spread the vegetable oil in a very thin layer.

  4. 04

    Place the hamburger buns cut side down on the hot griddle for 1 to 2 minutes, until they look golden and slightly crisp; remove them.

  5. 05

    Place 2 balls of meat on the griddle, wait 10 seconds, and smash them with a firm spatula until they form thin patties of 10 to 12 cm; season immediately with some of the fine salt and ground black pepper.

  6. 06

    Cook the patties for 2 minutes, without moving them, until the edges are well browned and crispy; flip them by scraping the crust, season with more salt and pepper, place 1 slice of American cheese on each, and cook for 1 more minute, until the cheese melts and the meat reaches 71°C internally.

  7. 07

    Repeat the process with the remaining meat, fine salt, ground black pepper, and American cheese, keeping the griddle very hot between batches so that each smash burger browns instead of steaming.

  8. 08

    Spread the mayonnaise and mustard sauce on the bottoms of the buns, stack 2 cheese-topped patties per burger, add pickles and white onion, close with the tops of the buns and serve immediately while the crust is still crispy.

Chef tips

  • If you don't have American cheese, use thin slices of cheddar; it should melt quickly during the last minute of cooking.
  • Don’t smash the meat more than once: doing so after cooking has started squeezes out the juices and leaves the burger dry.
  • Have buns, sauce, pickles, and onion ready before cooking; smash burgers are made in batches of a few minutes.
  • Store cooked patties without buns in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat in a hot skillet for 2 to 3 minutes to regain some crispness.

Classifications

Americanaeverydaydinnerall year

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