A smash burger with a difference!
I love a good smash burger. I’m also a big fan of Pakistani chapli kebabs. So much so, I featured a chapli kebab recipe in my cookbook ‘The Curry Guy Bible’.
So today I decided to mix it all up and make a smash burger that was inspired by the flavours of the chapli kebab.
This smash burger is in no way a chapli kebab but I did use the same spices and ingredients while staying true to an authentic smash burger.
Get this down you!
What is the best beef for a smash burger?
Yes, there is a burger chain called smash burger but making a smash burger is all about how you cook the meat. That chain does it quite well but chefs have been cooking smash burgers since the 50s in the US.
The most important part of making a good smash burger is the meat. It must an 80/20% meat to fat ratio and the quality of the meat used is also of course important.
I asked my butcher for a blend of skirt and chuck (braising steak). Staying true to the authentic chapli kebab blend, I also asked him to grind up some beef marrow in the mixture.
What spices go into the meat?
A proper smash burger requires no spicing in the meat.
Unlike a chapli kebab which is full of spices and other aromatic ingredients, it is best to cook a smash burger without any spicing because of the intense heat it is cooked on.
It is seasoned with salt and pepper but even that is added right before topping with the cheese.
In this recipe I added many of the chapli spices to the smash burger cheese sauce and stacked the burger with the fresh ingredients that go into a chapli.
Cooking the smash burger…
I make 70g (2.5oz) beef balls to start with. I usually weigh the first couple of balls and then just eye it up for the rest. This keeps the patties uniform in size.
The beef balls need to be loose and not tightly formed. This makes smashing them in the pan easier and gets better results.
It is also important that you get your pan as hot as possible. A good gas hob or barbecue are best for getting the right heat.
2 70g (2.5oz) beef balls hit the flaming hot pan.
Use a burger press or large flat metal spatula to smash the patties in the pan. Be sure to lightly grease your spatula first so it doesn’t stick to the patties.
DO NOT MOVE THE PATTIES! Let them cook where they are for a couple of minutes until nicely charred on the bottom.
Once charred you can flip and season with salt and pepper before adding the cheese.
Season and the place cheese on top of the patties. Cover the pan so that the cheese melts and then stack the burgers as high as you like.
Which cheese?
Even if you are a cheese connoisseur, please don’t let that get in the way of making your smash burger correctly!
It has to be plastic cheese! The stuff that isn’t really cheese at all but still tastes amazing on a burger.
I used sharp Cheddar for the sauce though.
About the ingredients…
So then, I have stayed true to an authentic smash burger but how is this anything like a chapli kebab?
I used the same spices that I do in my chapli kebab recipe in the cheese sauce. The cheese sauce is of course optional or you could leave some or all of the spices out.
I used about 6 green bird’s eye chillies which you might want to add to taste too.
Other main ingredients in a chapli kebab like onions and tomatoes are all stacked on the burger instead of mixing into the meat.
How I made the caramelised onions…
The onions can of course be added raw which is what many people prefer on a good smash burger.
I like to caramelise mine.
To do this, I cooked a large, sliced onion in butter for about 20 minutes over a low heat. The longer the cook, the sweeter the caramelised onions will be.
Low and slow cooking is important.
I added a pinch of salt to my raw onions which assists caramelisation.
Making the cheese sauce. This is optional but very good!…
Melt two generous tbsp butter and then add a couple tbsp of plain (all purpose) flour to make a roux.
You want to whisk the butter and flour until you have a smooth white roux. Then slowly start adding milk followed by the spice.
Once you have a thick roux, add the cheese and chillies to taste. Set aside and keep warm.
Stacking the smash burger…
You can stack your burger how you like but personally, I prefer to put the veggies under the burger.
For me, that is the perfect burger bite.
Following I show just how it’s done. Don’t forget to toast those buns!
Slather the bottom bun with burger sauce.
The burger sauce…
I make my own sauce. In this case I used 3 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp ketchup, 1/2 tsp white distilled vinegar, 2 pickled jalapeños, finely chopped, 1 shallot, finely chopped, 2 squirts of Tabasco and salt and pepper to taste.
Top with a small handful of coriander (cilantro).
Add some fresh lettuce.
Don’t forget a large slice of tomato.
Top this with raw or caramelised onion.
Place the burgers on top and drizzle with the cheese sauce. I like a bit of mustard on the top bun too.
Dig in!
If you like this smash burger, you might like to try some of these too…
Big Mac Copy
Double Whopper Copy
In-n-Out Double Double Copy
Burger bun recipe
Spicy Smash Burger
Ingredients
- 4 burger buns, toaste in a little butter
- 600g (1lb 3oz) minced (ground) beef (80/20% meat/fat ratio)
- 100g (4oz) beef marrow (available from most butchers and many supermarkets), minced
- 1 tsp oil for greasing the pan
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lime, quartered (optional)
- 8 slices of burger cheese
- 6 tbsp burger sauce, homemade (see above) or shop bought
- 1 large handful of coriander (cilantro)
- A few lettuce leaves
- 1 - 2 large tomatoes, sliced
- 1 large onion, raw or caramelised
- Yellow mustard (optional)
- FOR THE CHEESE SAUCE
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 generous tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
- 300ml (1 1/4 cup) approx full fat milk
- 225g (4.5oz) medium to sharp Cheddar cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 green bird’s eye chillies, cut into thin rings
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Toast the burger buns until lightly browned in a little butter. Set aside.
- To make the cheese sauce, melt 2 - 3 tbsp butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Whisk until smooth and then slowly start adding the milk. Whever the sauce becomes too thick, add a drop more milk. You want this to be really creamy.
- Simmer while stirring for about 15 minutes and be careful not to boil. Once you have a creamy sauce, stir in the minced garlic, chillies and spices and then season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
- Loosely form eight burger balls weighing 70g (2.5oz) each. You will have some meat left over which is what I call the chef's snack.
- Place your pan over high heat and heat it up until it is scorching hot. Cast iron is the best for these burgers. Lightly grease your pan and when smoking hot place a couple of the beef ballls in it. Using a burger press or large flat metal spatula that is lightly greased, flatten the patties in the pan as thinly as you can. Leave the burger patties where the are. Do not move for a couple of minutes until the meat begins to cook through.
- Flip the patties over and you should have a beautfiul sear on the meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and squeeze a little lime juice over the patties if you like. Then top with the cheese and cover the pan to help it melt.
- Stack one pattie on top of the other and keep warm while you cook the remaining patties.
- Stack the burgers however you like but you really should try my way photographed above.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1611Total Fat: 93gSaturated Fat: 42gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 47gCholesterol: 251mgSodium: 3392mgCarbohydrates: 123gFiber: 9gSugar: 28gProtein: 73g