Diary of a Chef · Just Chefn Around

Smash Burgers

30 minutes · 4 servings

By Diary of a Chef

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb ground beef (80/20), never leaner
• to taste Kosher salt and black pepper
• 8 slices American cheese
• 4 soft potato or sesame buns
• 2 tbsp butter, softened (for buns)
• Thin-sliced onion, pickles, shredded lettuce
• Burger sauce (optional): 3 tbsp mayo + 1 tbsp ketchup + 1 tsp mustard + 1 tsp pickle brine

Instructions

1. 1Toast the buns

   Buttered faces down in the dry skillet until golden at the edges. Set aside.

2. 2Heat the pan hard

   Medium-high to high until a drop of water skitters and vanishes instantly. A properly hot pan is the whole recipe.

3. 3Smash

   Ball in the pan, parchment square on top, press down HARD with the spatula until the patty is thinner than you think it should be, edges ragged. Salt and pepper immediately.

4. 4First side

   Do not move them. The edges go deep brown and lacy; juices pool on the raw surface.

5. 5Scrape and flip

   Get the spatula fully under the crust — the crust belongs to the burger, not the pan. Cheese on immediately after flipping.

6. 6Second side

   Cheese melts and drapes; patty is done — thin patties can't undercook, only dry out if left long.

7. 7Stack and build

   Two patties per bun. Sauce on the bottom bun, patties, onion, pickles, lettuce, top bun. Eat immediately — smash burgers punish waiting.