Make a homemade smash burger. They are the best!
By smash burger, I don’t mean only those made by the hugely popular burger chain though they are amazing.
Try this smash burger recipe and give it your own touch.
This is the basic smash burger recipe but you can do to it what you like. If it sounds good, do it! I like to add roasted green chillies to mine.
These are so easy to make and great for serving a crowd of burger fans.
The secret to a good smash burger…
So today was my youngest daughter’s 18th birthday. When I asked her what she wanted for her party, I had already predicted what her answer would be. A smash burgers of course!
I’ve been making them since I was a kid just like this and my family is now truly addicted. There are really few things better.
The secret to making this smash burger recipe is getting the beef blend right. You’ll need to find a good butcher and they’ll be happy to do it for you.
The essential beef mixture…
I always ask for a blend of lean rump. chuck and skirt blended with fatty cuts such as brisket and short rib.
It is important that the meat to fat ratio be approximately 70% meat to 30% fat. I sometimes use an 80%/20% mix when needs must.
I know this sounds like a lot of fat but these burgers are better for it. They ooze juiciness and that’s just one thing that makes them so delicious.
Lean steak mince, though very nice in some recipes just won’t do here!
My special smash burger sauce…
I’ve made a lot of different burger sauces. In fact, I think I must have copied most of the best ones out there.
The recipe below, however is my own blend which I strongly recommend giving a try. Out of all the burger sauces I’ve tried, this one is the best by far.
Where most sauces have a lot of ketchup in them, mine only uses a little. This keeps the smash burger more on the savoury than sweet side.
The recipe is revealed below but for now, you can see how easy it is from the photo.
I usually make some of the sauce with a good squirt or two of hot chilli sauce for those who like a bit of a kick to their burger.
That smash sauce!
OK… There are lots of good burger sauce recipes out there.
I have a few but this is my favourite.
Grate one onion.
Mix it with 125ml (1/2 cup) mayonnaise and add 1 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp yellow mustard, a few good squirts of Worcester sauce, hot chilli sauce (to taste and if you like) and salt and pepper to taste.
That’s it! Easy but amazing.
Getting that smash right…
Using a good burger smasher like the one in the photo below helps make these burgers super easy to make.
I recommend getting one but you could just use a flat metal spatula or similar.
To make things easy on yourself, you will also want to pick up some inexpensive burger patty papers . These are really convenient but you could just use some grease proof paper.
Using burger patty papers makes it easier to remove the burger smasher when you smash the burger down.
Now this is important! When you smash your burger down, you need to leave it for at least 10 seconds before lifting. This helps ensure the juices from the burger remain in the burger and don’t get lost on the hot plate.
How do they get that cheese so melty?
If you are a cheese burger fan like me, you might also like to pick up a melting dome.
These are great because they have a handle but you could just use a metal bowl of some sort.
Step by step photos of cooking the best smash burger!
Form loose balls of beef. I weigh mine so that they are exactly 85g/3oz for uniformity. Be sure not to form them into tight balls.
I recommend toasting the buns first while your grill is heating up. Just spread a bit of soft butter on them to brown.
When your cooking surface is flaming hot, place a few beef balls on it. No need to add oil. These burgers have plenty of delicious fat in them already.
Smash each beef ball down and hold it for ten seconds
Ass the burgers cook, you will see the juices rising through the meat. Sprinkle each with my burger salt blend below. Then scrape them off the surface with a sharp metal spatula to flip.
My Salt Blend Recipe…
You could just season with salt and pepper. I use a mixture or salt, pepper and garlic granuals all in equal amounts.
When you flip the burgers, you will see that beautiful char that these burgers are famous for.
Flipping the smash burgers…
When I flip my smash burgers, I use a sharp metal spatula like this one.
Any sharp spatula will do the job though. I take the burger at a 45 degree angle and really press the spatula hard against the metal cooking surface.
You don’t want to leave any of the amazing char behind so be sure to scrape as you flip!
Add the cheese slices and let them melt a bit while the burgers are cooking through.
When the cheese is beginning to melt and the burgers are obviously just cooked through, Place one patty on top of another for the most awesome double burger.
Cover with a melting dome or similar so that the cheese melts to perfection.
You can build the burgers to your liking. I use a lot of that burger sauce on the bottom bun and then add the veg before the burgers.
I think you get the idea.
You are going to love this one!
If you like this smash burger recipe, you might like to try some of these too…
Spicy Smash Burger
In-n-Out Double Double
BK Whopper with cheese
Big Mac
Smash Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 hamburger buns, buttered generously
- 680g (24oz) minced beef 70% - 30% meat to fat ratio
- Burger seasoning (see above)
- 8 slices of yellow burger cheese
- 1 batch burger sauce (see above)
- Veg such as shredded lettuce, tomato, pickles for building the burger
Instructions
- While the cooking steel, plancha or pan is heating up, toast your buttered buns to your liking and set aside.
- Divide the meat into 8 equal sized, loosely formed balls.
- When the pan is flaming hot, place your burger balls in the pan. This may need to be done in batches depending on the amount of cooking surface you have.
- Place a piece of grease proof paper on one of the burger balls and smash it down with a burger smasher or similar. Hold it down for at least 10 seconds. Repeat to form the remaining patties.
- As the meat cooks, you will see it cooking through from the bottom. When it is just a little pink on top, season with the burger seasoning (see above) and flip the burger. It is important to press down with your spatula against the cooking surface when flipping so that none of that amazing char gets left behind.
- Top each patty with a piece of yellow burger cheese. When if begins to melt, place the patties on top of each other to make double burgers. Then cover with a melting dome or metal bowl so that the cheese melts to perfection.
- Slather some of the burger sauce on each bottom bun and then add lettuce, tomato etc. to your liking.
- Place the cooked burgers on top and then cover with the top bun to serve.