Smash Burgers

prep time: 30cook time: 2 minutesservings: 4

Burgers and beer go undeniably hand in hand - a juicy burger served straight from the grill, paired with a cold beer, it's the perfect combo. However, there are essentially two different types of burgers: regular vs smashed, and there is much discussion which of the two is superior. The classic burger comes with a thick patty, whereas a smash burger has a very thin patty. In our humble opinion, smash burgers rule!

The name comes from the meat patty of the burger being "smashed" or flattened while grilling it. Essentially, you are putting a meatball on a griddle and pressing it down. This results in a larger surface area that can form a crust, and as we all know, crust equals flavour. The smash burger also has a really short cooking time because of the thinness of the patty, but still comes out juicy due to the high temperatures of the BBQ locking in all the juices. And, you do not really have to worry about over- or undercooking the patty.

Most restaurants in Europe are serving thick patties, whilst the smash burger trend is much more common in the US, where a lot of food trucks and restaurant chains serve smash burgers. In Europe, your best bet would be Shake Shack, an international burger chain which you can find in London. The closest you can get locally is probably Daddy's in Trier.

Don't despair. Even if you don't have a restaurant near you that serves these amazing burgers, it is really easy to recreate smash burgers at home with the right equipment. You'll need a BBQ with a flat top cooking griddle, a metal spatula, a burger press (or alternatively a flat metal pot lid), squeeze bottles for water and oil as well as a metal bowl. BBQ gloves are also highly recommended as you will get quite close to the hot griddle during the grilling process. Griddles are usually available for purchase as add-ons for most BBQs and make the perfect base for anything you would usually cook in a pan, such as bacon, eggs, or delicious quesadillas. As griddles are often made from heavy steel, they can reach really high temperatures, making them perfect for searing meat.

If you do not have a griddle at home, we recommend using a cast iron pan, which you can put on your regular BBQ or on your stove (just make sure to get your pan nice and hot). A charcoal grill would be ideal but gas or electric grills work fine too, just turn the heat to max, close the lid and wait until the thing is piping hot.

Let's talk buns. Buns make or break a burger. There is nothing worse than a dry and stale bun when you've just succeeded in perfectly grilling a juicy patty. To avoid any disappointment, use brioche buns. These sweet, fluffy buns make the perfect base for your burgers. Brioche is a sweet yeast bread with milk and eggs and has a soft and airy texture with a rich, buttery taste. Here in Luxembourg, you can find them in the biscuit isle of Cactus (the brand is called Schwan), next to the sweet milk breads, and they come with or without sesame seeds. However, if you want to go the extra mile, you can also make them yourself (we like Guga Foods recipe or the King Arthur classic). Potato buns would be an acceptable alternative, but we highly advise against using traditional bread buns.

As for the meat, you will need roughly ground beef chuck, with an 80 to 20 percent meat to fat ratio, aka the golden ratio. The fat is essential as it will help the meat to stay juicy during the grilling process. If you use too much fat, it will make the meat difficult to handle and chances are high the patty will fall apart. Ask your trusted butcher to prep the meat for you, or just do it at home if you have a meat grinder handy.

Portion-wise, we recommend 120 grams of meat per patty, which will leave you with a good patty-to-bun ratio. You can go single, double or triple per bun, whatever you fancy, but make sure to weigh out your meat so that the patties are even. The burgers might look small, but they are quite rich and will fill you right up. So, per person, you should calculate about two burgers or one burger if you serve them with sides. Make it a double if they are big eaters.

For the sauce, keep it simple. Mix ketchup, Mayo and mustard to make a classic burger sauce, or use your favourite home-made or store-bought versions. Avoid tomatoes and salad as toppings, as these will release too much water and ruin the burger experience. Opt for fresh red onions or (pickled) jalapeños instead to counterbalance the fattiness of the beef. Cheese is a must, and we recommend going for a melty cheese, such as a mature yellow cheddar or American cheese if you are into that.

First things first, light your charcoal, turn on your grill or heat your pan on the stove top. Make sure that everything gets piping hot. In order to succeed in making smash burgers, a hot grill is essential, so give it enough time to really heat through. If you have a charcoal grill, use charcoal instead of briquettes, as charcoal allows you to reach higher temperatures. It might not last as long as briquettes, but as the burgers have a very short cooking time, you'll have plenty of time to get them done. Make sure that the coals have heated through and spread them evenly under your griddle plate before you start grilling.

Divide your minced beef into portions of 120g, form the meat into balls and put them back in the fridge. You should not season the meat at this point, we will get to that during the actual grilling process. Slice your buns and prepare your toppings. Everything should be ready to go and in reach before you start grilling, as these burgers will cook in no time. To check whether your griddle is warm enough, simply sprinkle some water on it. If you see the Leidenfrost effect, meaning the water forming droplets and skitters around on the hot surface before evaporating, then your grill is ready to go.

Spread a bit of oil on the griddle and toast up the inside of your buns until they have nicely browned and put them to the side. If you want, you can spread a bit of butter or Mayo on them before putting them on the grill to get an extra crispy crust.

Next, put some more oil on the griddle and use the metal spatula to spread it out evenly, so your griddle is covered with a thin layer of oil. Put your meatball on the griddle and let it sit for about 20 to 30 seconds. Use a burger press, spatula or metal pot lid to press down on your meat. You want to push down quite firmly, as we are aiming for a thickness of about half a centimetre and a diameter which is about 50 percent wider than your burger bun. Don't worry, the meat will shrink during the cooking process. While lifting your press or spatula back up, watch out that your beef patty is not sticking. You can grill multiple patties at the same time but four would be the absolute max you should do.

At this point, generously salt your patty. We highly recommend you do not salt the meat before putting it on the grill, as firstly it is much easier to estimate the salt content per patty compared to a big patch of minced beef. Secondly, if you season your meat beforehand, the salt will break down proteins in the meat, giving it a firmer, sausage-like texture. Salting it on the grill however will result in a tender, fluffy patty. Due to its thinness, the salt will sufficiently penetrate the meat, and you will only need to salt one side.

The cooking time for the beef patty depends of course on the temperature of your grill and the thickness of the meat, but generally speaking, your meat should not take longer than one minute per side. After smashing the meat, you will notice that the edges of the patty will start to brown before the middle will start to cook. Timing is crucial, and you do not want to leave the patty on for too long but usually, if the patty has formed a nice crust, it will easily release from the griddle and that's your cue to flip. So, do not force flipping the meat if it has not yet released from the griddle.

Once you've turned the patty over, you can add a bit of oil next to it. We've found that this helps to form a nice crust on the other side of the patty, too. You can now top it with some freshly ground black pepper, but this is optional. If you were to add the pepper with the salt, it would burn after flipping the patty and become bitter due to the high heat and direct contact with the griddle.

After turning it over (and optional pepper) immediately proceed to add your slice of cheese. Ready your metal bowl to cover the patty and just before covering it completely, squeeze in some water and cover the burger. The steam will help melt the cheese and make it nice and gooey and fasten up the cooking process. Use this time to put your burger sauce on the bun. After about 20 seconds, uncover your patty, take it off the grill and put it on top of your bun. Add your favourite toppings, whatever you fancy, but try to avoid anything with too much water content like sliced tomato, and enjoy the cheesy, juicy flavour bomb. Make sure to give your burger a minute to cool before biting into it.

Even though there are quite a few steps to follow, this is an easy recipe and the result will blow your mind. It's definitely worth firing up the grill for. Serve the burgers with some home-made fries or potato salad and a cold Battin Gambrinus on the side. People will love the flavourful crust, the gooey cheese and the juicy meat in combination with the cold, malty beer. It is also quite entertaining to watch the cooking process, and you can show off your cooking skills. Even if you cook for multiple people, the burgers will be done in a relatively short amount of time, and you can enjoy the time with your guests instead of being stuck next to the BBQ the whole evening.

Let us know what you think, do you love smash burgers as much as we do, or do you prefer the classic version? And what is your go-to burger place? E-Mail us or write us on Instagram to let us know!