Smash Burger
The American diner classic. Thin, crusty smashed patties with melted cheese, pickles and burger sauce on a soft toasted bun.
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total
- 25 min
- serves
- 2
- level
- easy
A smash burger is about surface area. Press a loose ball of beef onto ripping hot cast iron and you get a ragged, lacy crust you can’t get from a thick patty. That browning is where the flavor lives.
The discipline is simple. Don’t knead the mince, smash once, and have everything ready before the beef touches the pan. From first smash to table takes under ten minutes.
method
Make the sauce. Stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and pickle brine. Set it aside.
Divide the mince into four 100 g balls. Handle it as little as you can. Loose beef makes a lacy crust, kneaded beef makes a hockey puck. Keep the balls cold.
Halve the buns and toast them cut side down in the butter until golden. Spread both halves with sauce. Line the bottoms with pickles and a tangle of raw onion.
Get a cast iron pan properly hot, just starting to smoke. Place two balls in the pan and smash each one flat and thin with a firm press of a heavy spatula. Season the tops with salt and pepper.
Leave them alone for about 2 minutes, until the edges are deep brown and lacy. Scrape each patty off the pan with a thin spatula, flip it, season it, and lay a slice of cheese on top.
After 45 seconds, stack one patty on the other and slide the pair onto the bottom bun. Repeat with the last two balls.
Crown with the top bun and press gently. Rest for one minute, then eat. A smash burger waits for no one.
chef's tips
- Smash once, at the very start. Pressing later squeezes the juices out.
- A thin, stiff spatula is the only special tool you need. The crust will fight you for the patty.
- Stay at 20% fat. The fat carries the flavor and keeps a thin patty from drying out.