The hamburger is the US national dish and is beautifully simple. The humble hamburger is traditionally a juicy beef patty grilled to perfection. Snuggled between a fluffy bun, toppings like ketchup, mustard, mayo, onion, and tomato added for flavor. Undoubtedly, meat-eaters of the world love a good burger, and it is also perfect convenience food. Whether it’s enjoyed at a fast-food joint or on the go, burgers are stunningly easy for delicious food! So how can a burger possibly get better? Smash burgers, that’s how!
What Are Smash Burgers?
In hindsight, smash burgers seem like a typical fast-food burger, consisting of grilled ground beef, fluffy buns, and add-ons like lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles. However, the secret behind its great flavor lies in its beef patty, which is beautifully caramelized upon grilling. Despite its simplicity, there’s a bit of technique behind the smash burger!
The crusty beef patty makes a smash burger unique, which has great caramelized texture and flavor from grilling, usually at a high heat on a flattop grill. While cooking the patty, no “cooked bits” are left behind! Therefore, the cook must ensure that they capture all the sear from the patty’s caramelization. The patty is also smashed with a tool and parchment paper to flatten it. Furthermore, the patty is only seasoned on one side with a simple sprinkle of pepper and kosher salt!
- Did You Know? The technique of “smashing” burger patties originated was commonly used at “pressed-chuck” burger restaurants along the Great Lakes Region. However, other people argue that the technique was developed 50 years ago in Kentucky by Dairy Cheer Hamburger owner Bill Culverstone. He used a bean can to smash the meat while grilling. Like many great food debates of the 21st century, the origins of the smash burger are a little confusing!
The “Smashburger” Way
In 2007, restaurant veterans Rick Schaden and Tom Ryan opened Smashburger, a fast-food joint dedicated to the iconic burger. Their first location opened in Denver, Colorado, and since then, they have spread dozens of chains across North America. On average, they open 20 stores every year across the continent. Dedicated to creating a “better burger”, Smashburger’s motto is “every bit a better burger.” The chain fast-food joint has an array of smash burger varieties to appeal to every junk food lover. Besides their signature smash burger, customers can enjoy a smoked bacon brisket burger, bacon smash burger, and even a black bean smash burger!
Smashburger’s burgers start with 100% Angus Beef, which is supposedly always fresh and never frozen. On a high-heat grill, the fresh burger patty is cooked for two and a half minutes on each side. Before flipping, the cook smashed the burger for approximately 10 seconds. To season the patty, a sprinkle of salt and pepper is added to one side only with another seasoning he calls “a little magic.” Though he won’t share this magic with curious cooks, the seasoning is supposedly all-natural (though top-secret)! The burger is always made-to-order, which is added alongside American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, ketchup, and a toasted bun. All smash burgers at the fast-food chain are topped with the restaurant’s signature “Smash Sauce,” which may contain a mixture of mayonnaise and mustard.
- Did You Know? According to Tom Ryan, there’s a little technique to flipping the burger patty. The cook must orient their slotted turner (or grill spatula) at a 45-degree angle. This sounds silly, but cooks can capture sear stuck to the grill while cooking by doing this. Upon flipping, the patty should have a crusty brown, caramelized surface.
Making A Smashburger At Home
Thanks to chefs and cooks who created their rendition of the iconic burger, enjoying a smash burger has never been easier. Those who want to recreate the smash burger can easily find a great recipe online. Binging With Babish's Smash Burger (with potato buns) or The Food Charlatan's Smash Burger Recipe have great renditions of the iconic burger. Regardless of the recipe, these are some helpful tips when crafting the ultimate smash burger:
- Stick with high-quality ground beef that is 80% lean. This means that 20% of the meat will be pure fat, the magic ingredient to great flavor.
- Cook with a pan that can cook the burger at high heat, like a cast-iron skillet (that's cleaned and cared for properly)!
- When cooking the burger, because it will be cooked with such high heat, use an oil or fat with a high smoking point, like butter or canola oil.
- Ditch the complex seasoning—sprinkling salt and pepper on one side of the patty is more than enough.
- When flipping your patty, don't forget to scrape up all the crust sticking to the pan—a caramelized patty is the signature trademark of a good smash burger!
- There's no need to flip the patty more than once.
- The common misconception is that the juices will leave the meat by smashing the burger patty, creating a dry patty. However, when crafting a smash burger patty, it will cook very fast, sealing in the juices of the meat due to the high heat.
The smash burger is deliciously simple and can be enjoyed at many fast-food joints selling burgers. However, it's easy for cooks to recreate the yumminess in the comfort of their kitchens!
