They have a proprietary system of smashing their burgers and cooking them quickly. It creates a thin patty, with a caramelized, crispy crust. Top it with cheese and all the fixings and you’re in for a real treat. Living in Denver, I’ve been working on my homemade Smashburger for years now and I’ve even made a version on my own blog a few years ago. This recipe, though, is officially my favorite way to make a homemade burger, especially if you don’t have access to a grill. Smashburgers can be topped in any way you choose, but the classic involves a homemade smash sauce (a mayo and mustard based topping), along with American cheese, tomatoes, red onions, and lettuce. Trust me when I say that once you start making these, you’ll be firmly on team Smashburger. They are the best!
What is a Smashburger?
The idea behind a Smashburger is that instead of letting a big, fat burger languish on the grill to cook, you add the burger meat to a rip-roaring hot skillet or griddle and smash it as it cooks for the first few seconds. The heat plus pressure combo results in a crispy and well-browned burger that cooks very fast.
Maillard Reaction is Key
The Smashburger is cooked over high heat with a lot of pressure, which helps the beef develop a deep, rich crust. The browning process that happens is officially called the maillard reaction. The end result is delicious caramelized flavor and a burger that cooks quickly and doesn’t dry out. Bonus: The burger is pressed at the beginning of cooking so you don’t end up with any football burgers, you know what I’m talking about—the shrunken burgers with a bulge in the center. The hard part of making Smashburgers at home is also a result of this maillard reaction. You want a hot skillet which will create a fair amount of sizzle, steam, and smoke as it browns quickly in butter. You will absolutely want to crank up any over-the-stove fan you have. I even open a window or two when I cook these at home to help with air flow and prevent fire alarms from going off! It’s going to get smoky!
The Best Beef for a Smashburger
The best beef to use for a Smashburger is ground chuck, which should have a fat content in the 15-20 percent range. Using a higher fat beef is nice because as the fat melts it further caramelizes the burger while cooking. Also, fat is flavor! You can use a leaner cut if it’s all you can find, but it’s worth it to ask your butcher to grind up some fresh if you can. That said, perfect is the enemy of good. Any ground meat will caramelize well using this smash method. You can even use plant-based meats with decent results if you are smashing them like this.
How to Make a Smashburger
To make a Smashburger, divide your beef into four loosely packed balls. I wouldn’t bother with a scale for this. If you eyeball four loosely packed balls, they will be close in size. You’ll buy one pound of meat for this recipe so each burger should be four ounces. This will end up giving you a nice thin patty. Season the outside of your balled meat with the burger seasoning mix. Get your skillet or cast iron griddle hot over medium-high heat. Do not use non-stick skillets for this because you won’t get as good of a crust on the burger. Add some butter and spread it around. It will start to brown, which is fine. Add the meat balls to the skillet and immediately add pressure to them. The best way to do this at home is to wrap a second smaller skillet in foil and press down hard on the beef balls for about 10 seconds each until they are very flat and sizzling. Repeat with all the burgers. If you don’t have a smaller skillet to press down don’t worry about it. Just use a spatula. Then let the burgers cook for another 60-90 seconds until the juices start to bubble through the burgers. Season again with a pinch of burger seasoning mix and flip the burgers with a sturdy metal spatula. Be sure to scrape under the burger to ensure you get all the crispy bits. Add cheese and cook for another minute or two. Serve Smashburgers immediately!
How to Make Smash Sauce and Other Toppings
Smash sauce is a classic burger sauce. I make my version with mayo, mustard, a splash of pickle juice, and some finely diced pickles. It’s a burger sauce! Also, prepare any other toppings you’d like before you cook the burgers. They cook so fast, you don’t want to have to worry about slicing tomatoes while you’ve already cooked the burgers.
Other Ways to Dress Up a Smashburger
The burger is really the star of the show here, so I like to keep my toppings minimal, but if you want you can jazz up the burgers with all kinds of toppings. Here are a few ideas:
Sauté mushrooms and use Swiss cheese instead of American cheeseAdd roasted poblano chiles and pepper jack cheese plus a slice of avocadoSkip the smash sauce and use a good thick BBQ sauce with crispy onions
More Great Burger Recipes!
Nacho Burger Juicy Lucy Burger Bacon Cheeseburger Swiss Mushroom Burger Blue Cheese Burgers
1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons pickle juice 1 tablespoon diced pickle
For the burger seasoning mix
1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
For the smashburger
1 pound 80/20 ground chuck 4 potato hamburger buns 2 tablespoons butter, divided
For the toppings
1/2 head green leaf lettuce, washed and dried 1 medium tomato, sliced 1/2 medium red onion, sliced 6 slices American cheese
Turn on the fan over the stove and open a window to help with air flow. In a large skillet or griddle (I do not recommend using non-stick) set over medium-high heat add one tablespoon of butter. Once the butter has melted, add the beef balls. Place the foil wrapped skillet or a spatula over the beef balls and smash them into flat disks. Smash each burger for 10 seconds, one at a time, applying a lot of pressure to it. Repeat until all the burgers are smashed. Serve immediately with fries and a cold drink.
