Smash Burger Recipe
Published May 25, 2022. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Smash burger is packed with flavor from my secret meat blend, melted American cheese, and a rich dijonnaise sauce, all stacked on a toasted brioche bun. I have it ready to serve in just 30 minutes, and I’m confident that once you try it, it’ll be your new favorite.
If there’s one burger I always crave, it’s a good smash burger. That crispy crust, the juicy, well-seasoned beef, and the way everything just melts together with the cheese and sauce, nothing beats it. This is a family favorite, just like my fried egg burger and this restaurant-quality mushroom Swiss burger.
Smash Burger
While many associate the smash burger with the Smashburger restaurant, its origins trace back to Ashland, Kentucky, at the Dairy Cherry Burger Shop. Bill Cullerton discovered that smashing a burger with a No. 10 can of beans brought out incredible flavor and cooked it faster. Over the past 10 to 15 years, this style has taken off in restaurants across the U.S.
I’ve cooked hundreds of these during my time as a restaurant chef, I can tell you there’s a reason this style of burger is a favorite. It starts with a ball of seasoned ground beef pressed onto a hot griddle, creating a crispy, flavorful crust while cooking quickly. It’s served on a toasted bun with sauce, tomato, onion, pickles, and lettuce.
This burger cooks much faster than a traditional one, and I’ll walk you through my step-by-step process so you can nail it every time. With the right technique, you’ll get that perfect crispy crust and juicy center, just like the ones I’ve made in my restaurant days.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Burger – Use 80/20 fat to lean ration ground sirloin beef.
- Seasonings – I like to use a combination of salt, pepper, paprika, Worcestershire, and Tabasco sauce. In addition, finely minced bacon makes it into my best smash burger recipe.
- Cheese – American cheese is used for the smash burger.
- Buns – Classically, potato buns are used, but I prefer brioche buns.
- Lettuce – Traditionally, iceberg lettuce would be used, but green leaf lettuce is much more flavor green to place on the burger.
- Tomatoes – I prefer the Roma tomato as it is great in the summer and decent all year long. However, in peak season and fresh tomatoes will work.
- Pickles and Onions – I like using dill pickles for their tangy crunch and prefer red onions for their sharp bite, but sweet or yellow onions work too.
- Sauce – The classic sauce combines mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and relish, but I believe dijonnaise brings out the most flavor in the smash burger.
How to Make the Best Smash Burger
Prepare: I slice the tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, and onions, then set them aside until it’s time to assemble the burger.
Mix: I combine the meat with bacon and seasonings, mixing everything together until well incorporated.
Shape: I form 8 equal-sized tight meatballs and place them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, then refrigerate them for 10 to 15 minutes to chill.
Press: I add a small amount of oil to a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium to medium-high heat. Then, I place a meatball on the hot surface and immediately press it down until it’s about ¼ to ½ inch thick.
Sear: I cook the patty for 2 to 3 minutes until juices start to form on top, then flip it over to cook the other side.
Melt: I immediately add the cheese on top and let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it’s fully melted.
Toast: Add the buttered buns and toast with the cheeseburger for 30 to 45 seconds or until toasted.
Assemble: I start with the bottom toasted bun, then layer on lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions. I stack the cheeseburger patties on top, add a generous spread of dijonnaise, place the top bun, and serve.
Chef Tip + Notes
The key to making the best smash burger is to press the patty once and hold it for a few seconds. This ensures maximum contact with the hot griddle, creating a crispy, flavorful crust while keeping the inside juicy. Smashing multiple times or moving the patty will ruin that perfect sear.
- Make It Your Own: If bacon isn’t your thing, you can leave it out of the burger mix without a problem.
- Keep the Patties Intact: Chilling the meatballs before cooking keeps them from breaking apart when smashed.
- Choose the Right Pan: A cast-iron skillet or griddle is ideal, but a non-stick pan will do the job too.
- Get the Perfect Crust: I use a spatula, parchment paper, or a burger press to get the patty perfectly flattened.
- Add That Extra Crunch: I like to toast the buns on the griddle right after flipping the burgers. Melted butter adds flavor, but the rendered meat fat works just as well.
Serving Suggestions
This burger doesn’t need much alongside it, but I like to serve it with parmesan truffle fries or an ultimate side of crispy smashed potatoes.
If it’s a Saturday night and I’ve got friends over, I like to go all out with a full spread. I’ll throw together a simple coleslaw or a fresh side salad. A bowl of my creamy mac and cheese is always a must, it’s easily the most requested dish at my table.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: These are meant to be eaten as soon as they are done cooking. You can keep them warm for up to 15 minutes in the oven on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper at 165°.
How to Store: Cover and keep them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. You can freeze these if they do not yet have cheese covered for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add the burgers to a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper and heat in the oven at 350° for 4 to 6 minutes or until warm.
More Beef Recipes
Video
Smash Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef
- 4 finely minced strips of bacon
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- dash of Tabasco sauce
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 8 American cheese slices
- 4 leaves of green leaf lettuce
- 2 thinly sliced Roma tomatoes
- 1 peeled and thinly sliced red onion
- 2 thinly sliced dill pickles
- 4 toasted brioche burger buns
- dijonnaise sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl thoroughly mix the beef, bacon, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, paprika, and Tabasco sauce.
- Create 8 equal size meat balls and place them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and quickly place in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Preheat a cast iron pan or griddle to medium to medium-high heat and add on the oil.
- Add the burger meat balls to the hot surface and immediately press down using a burger press and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until juices start to appear on the top of the uncooked side of the burger. See video.
- Flip the burger over and immediately add on the cheese and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until cooked through and the cheese is melted.
- To assemble: Layer with bottom toasted bun, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, cheeseburger patties, dijonnaise, and top bun, and serve.
The best burger I have ever made!
Fantastic!
Seems simple, but the right combination with the right flavors, this is over the top! I’ve done them about 4-5 times now.
I like to grind my own burger with my Kitchenaid mixer and grinder attachment. A food processor will work pretty well too. I do 1/2 sirloin and 1/2 chuck and add a couple slices of bacon from the butcher counter at my grocer’s.
Don’t skip the dijonnaise. That little bit of lemon does wonders.
I assemble as instructed. I did caramelize the onions last time. Buy the softest buns you can find!
I weigh 3 ounce patties and make double burgers, which are large, and messy, and fabulous! Thank you Billy!
My pleasure!
Best Recipe ,Chef Billy! The most fun was putting on the toppings my family wished. And, wow, we all loved it’s taste!!
These are the best burgers I have ever had! Thanks for the perfect recipe!!
This is the best burger!!!!