Smash Burgers — Crispy Edges
Craving a burger with maximum flavor and crispy edges? These smash burgers deliver a fast and satisfying fast-food experience, elevated.
20 min active, minimal dishes
Smash Burgers — Crispy Edges
Craving a burger with maximum flavor and crispy edges? These smash burgers deliver a fast and satisfying fast-food experience, elevated.
20 min active, minimal dishes
Key move
Smash the burger hard once at the beginning for maximum surface contact and crust formation.
Cook mode keeps your place
Larger text, ingredients in reach, and saved step progress while you cook.
The Setup
- Griddle
- Spatula
The Mise en Place
5 of 10Your prep station before cooking begins
The Protein (0/3)
The Aromatics (0/1)
The Pantry (0/3)
Burger is sticking to the griddle.
The griddle may not be hot enough or may not have enough oil.
Burger is not getting crispy edges.
Make sure you are smashing the burger hard enough and that the griddle is hot enough.
Chef's Notes
Don't overcrowd the pan; cook burgers in batches if needed to ensure a good sear.
Press down firmly with a spatula for the first 30 seconds to maximize surface contact and crispiness.
Serve immediately with your favorite toppings and a side of fries or a crisp salad.
The Method
PREHEAT
Preheat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until smoking hot. Add vegetable oil (2 tbsp).
Overheating oil: If the oil turns dark or smells acrid, it has passed the smoke point; wipe the pan clean and start over.
Griddle is smoking hot and has been oiled.
DIVIDE
Prep aheadDivide ground beef (900 g) into 8 equal portions (about 4 oz each). Gently form into loose balls.
Overworking the meat: Compacting the meat too much will result in a dense, tough burger rather than a tender, crusty one.
Ground beef is divided into 8 loose balls.
SMASH
Time-sensitivePlace a ball of beef on the hot griddle. Immediately smash down with a stiff metal spatula as hard as you can, creating a thin patty with lacy edges. Season with salt (1 tsp) and pepper.
Sticking to spatula: If the meat sticks to the spatula, use a second tool to hold the patty down while you peel the spatula away.
Beef ball is smashed into a thin patty with lacy edges and seasoned.
COOK
Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the edges are deeply browned and crispy.
Premature flipping: Flipping before the crust fully forms will leave the best parts of the burger stuck to the griddle.
Burger edges are deeply browned and crispy.
SCRAPE
Scrape the burger from the griddle with the spatula and flip. Top with a slice of American cheese (8 slices).
Tearing the crust: If the burger resists, wait a few more moments; pulling too early will leave the best part of the crust stuck to the griddle.
Burger is flipped and topped with cheese.
COOK
Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the burger is cooked to your desired doneness.
Overcooking: Because the patty is thin, it can dry out rapidly once the cheese melts.
Cheese is melted and burger is cooked to desired doneness.
ASSEMBLE
Place the burger on a toasted bun. Top with sliced onion, dill pickle chips (1 cup), ketchup (4 tbsp), and mustard.
Soggy bun: Avoid placing wet ingredients like pickles directly on the bottom bun; layer them over the meat.
Burger is assembled on a bun with toppings.
SERVE
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Soggy bun: Do not let the burger sit too long after assembly, or the juices will soak through the bottom bun.
Burger is served.
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