Smash Burgers with House Sauce

June 20, 2022

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Oh, the smash burger. The deeply crisped, craggy, juicy, squashed patty. The drip-melt of the cheese. The pile of your burger essentials like bright sweet tomato, ruffly lettuce, fried onions if you are a star. The buttery toast of the brioche bun. The dreamy zip of the secret sauce.

Are you drooling? Crying? Screaming? Some combination of all three? Welp, us too. So, don your aprons for this one, folks (you’ll need it). This is an absolute burger game-changer.

In This Post: Everything You Need To Make Smash Burgers

What’s a Smash Burger?
Sauce for Smash Burgers
Toppings for Smash Burgers
Tools We Use to Make It Happen
Watch How to Make a Smash Burger

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So… What’s a Smash Burger?

If you’ve never ventured into a Shake Shack or SmashBurger or any of your local non-chain faves (Bebe Zito if you’re in Minneapolis, YUM!), then it’s possible we’re saying “smash burger” and you’re all, “whaaa?”

But it’s exactly as described. It starts with a ball, not a patty, of very cold beef, and then it is, well, quite literally smashed on a very hot griddle and quick-seared to a stunning crisp in its own fats, making a perfectly thin little irregular disk that is still juicy and full of unbelievable flavor. It is most definitely not the super thick, dare we say, kinda dull dad-burgers that taste…just a little too…burger-y? You know? Certainly a time and a place for that on your grill, but this is not that time.

Smash burger with a bite taken out of it.

There is something just so special about these. The history of this smashed burger method is a little wrinkly. Most credit the midwest-founded Steak n’ Shake which gave inspiration to the infamous NYC-founded Shake Shack. Other internet clicks mention a little burger shop in Kentucky called Dairy Cheer where it’s said they discovered that smashing the meat with a bean can made for the best-tasting burger around.

Regardless of whoever gave us this absolute meat-icon method, we thank you forever and ever.

Let’s Talk About Sauce (And Other Magic)

Ingredients in a bowl for the house sauce.

What smash burger would be complete without a secret sauce? Luckily for you, we have absolutely no desire to keep it secret because we, like, reallyreallyreally want you to make it and absolutely not skip it because, my oh my, is it a zippy swath of magic on these burgs. Please! Take the extra step to make it! It’s the stuff of love letters.

For your house sauce:

mayo
ketchup
horseradish (grabbing a little jar of this is SUCH a worthwhile investment!)
Worcestershire
sriracha
paprika
shallot or garlic, minced or grated

The other sauce to note that makes this particular recipe sing is the sneaky little mixture you put INTO your burger meat for an extra fun flavor-party. The type of beef you use will also be important. You need to choose a blend that has some fat in it or you won’t get that signature crisp. An 80/20 blend is a pretty ideal place to start.

Beyond that, you’ll need:

melted butter
Worcestershire
fish sauce
smoked paprika

This idea of adding this smoky umami flavorwave into the meat itself came from Carnal Dish and we absolutely do not regret one single drip of just general extra-ness that it provides. YOU WILL NOT EITHER. Smash burgers are already magic, but this becomes a real magic-plus situation.

All About The Toppings

Sometimes, with the aforementioned dad-burgers, you tend to pile a million toppings on because they need those extra flavor boosts. Here, the burger itself tastes so ding dang buttery crisp good that you might want to consider keeping things relatively simple.

You’ll definitely want to melt some cheese on there, and you can’t beat a slice of really good – like from the deli – American cheese. Superior melty gooeyness. But if you’re mad about it, you could sub your fave cheese.

You’ll want a perfectly squishy brioche bun. Buttered and toasted, only on the inside. Trust.

We already spent some time pleading with you not to skip the house sauce. Just, please don’t.

Beyond that, some thinly sliced red onion, a juicy tomato, maybe a ruffle of lettuce. You’re there. It’s perfect. Dig in.

Tools To Make It Happen

First, and foremost, a smash burger can definitely be a bit of a splatter platter so, you’ll want to have an apron ready and leave your vent on. And because the really thin, irregular-edged smash is v v important, there are a few tools that can help out.

We loved the Lodge cast iron griddle* and cast iron press* for this job. The griddle is great for other things like pancakes, french toast, grilled cheese parties and more, but it’s going to be hard to not just be making smash burgers on it all day every day.

Second best: if you don’t have your hands on a press, a big flat spatula will of course work. Sometimes it helps to put a little piece of parchment paper on the burger before smashing to avoid any sticking. You can also use the handle of a second spatula/wooden spoon in the center of your spatula to really help press down for maximum smash.

What We Use To Make Smash Burgers

Cast Iron Griddle

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Cast Iron Press

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Flat Top Grill

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Metal spatula smashing a burger in a pan.

And if you’re like, “MUST HAVE SMASH BURGERS EVERY DAY, but the heck with this indoors thing!” Maybe an outdoor flat top grill like this one* is on your wish list?

No better time than this summer to become the absolute envy of the neighborhood with one of those out back, right?! Imagine.

Happy smashing, friends.

Smash Burgers: Frequently Asked Questions

What if I want to make these outdoors? Because, well, summer!

While we typically make these inside on the stove using this griddle*, you could also use the griddle out on the grill. OR if you want to really invest in the al fresco vibes, you could get this flat top grill*.

Are Smash Burgers really worth the hype?

If you’re wondering “are they really that good?” we can confidently say that YES, they are. What makes them so good: the sauce mixed into the meat for a flavor explosion, and the texture of the patties themselves – crispy-edged but still incredibly juicy and flavorful.

How do you keep the burgers from sticking when you smash them?

The secret is in the parchment paper! Don’t skip that step. Cut a small piece of parchment and use that between the meat and the press/spatula – this will keep the patties from sticking.

How can I make these for a crowd?

These are pretty simple to scale up recipe-wise! And for cooking a large number of patties, you’ll either have to do them in batches and keep them warm in the oven, or invest in something like the flat top grill linked above to make a large batch at once.