American Triple Smash Burger
Three thin patties smashed on a screaming-hot skillet, each with crisp lacy edges and melted American cheese, stacked on a potato bun.
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total
- 18 min
- serves
- 2
- level
- medium
The smash burger technique comes out of the American Midwest, with Freddy’s Steakburgers in Kansas among its early homes, and Shake Shack took it global. Pressing the meat hard onto a hot surface maximizes browning, which is where the flavor lives.
This is the triple: three thin 2.5 oz patties per burger, each with its own slice of American cheese and its own crispy edge. A simple diner-style secret sauce pulls it together.
method
Divide the meat into 6 equal 2.5 oz balls. Keep them cold until you cook.
Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle until it is smoking hot.
Place a meat ball on the hot surface and immediately smash it thin, to about 1/4 inch.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the edges brown.
Scrape the patty up, flip it and add a slice of cheese right away.
Cook for 30 to 45 seconds more.
Stack three patties per burger.
Serve on toasted buns with the sauce.
chef's tips
- Smash once, right at the start, and leave it. Pressing later just squeezes the juice out.
- Use a stiff metal spatula and scrape hard when you flip. The crust is stuck to the pan, and you want all of it.
- Cold meat holds its shape until the smash. Keep the balls in the fridge until the pan is ready.
- Mix the sauce first. The patties cook too fast to do anything else once they hit the pan.