Smash Burgers

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Beef, Burgers, Comfort Food

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Servings:

Calories: 477kcal

Author: Marilyn

These smash burgers have crisp, lacy edges, juicy centers, and melted cheese tucked into soft toasted buns. They bring classic diner-style burger flavor to the stovetop in 25 minutes, with the kind of browned crust you only get from a hot pan and loose ground beef.

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Ingredients

4 soft hamburger buns
Burger toppings and condiments such as lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise
16 ounces ground beef (80/20)
Kosher salt
4 slices cheddar cheese or American cheese, or another good melting cheese.

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Instructions

Toast the burger buns and set aside. Prepare toppings and condiments and arrange them near the buns.
Using your hands, form the ground beef into 4 equal balls. Do not overwork the ground beef. Season them generously on all sides with salt. Cut a sheet of parchment paper into 4 (4-inch) squares.
Heat a large stainless-steel skillet over high heat for 2 minutes. Place two hamburger balls in the pan and place the parchment on top. Using a stiff metal spatula, press the patties until they are an inch wider than the burger bun. Make sure to thin the edges. Use a soup can or a similar weight to put pressure on the spatula if needed. Remove the parchment.
Cook the patties about 1 minute or until they are well browned and the tops start to turn a pale pink-gray in spots. Using the stiff metal spatula or a bench scraper, carefully scrape the patties from the pan, working around the edges before scraping up the center and flipping.
Immediately place the cheese on top of the patties. Cook for about 15 seconds or until the cheese is melted. Transfer to the prepared burger buns. Serve. Repeat with any remaining patties.

Notes

To make double smash burgers, form ground beef into eight 2-ounce balls. Cook 2 at a time, at least. In step 5, place a slice of cheese on top of each patty. Stack them on top of each other before transferring to the burger bun.

Cook's Tips

Toast the buns and have all toppings ready before starting to cook the burgers.
Do not overwork the ground beef. Loosely form them into balls. Overworking creates tough burgers.
Salt only the outside of the burger ball.
Use high heat to brown the patties for maximum flavor.

Nutrition