Smash Burgers

[Big George's BBQ]

Nicely done Dom. Making me hungry. Have to do food shopping today. I know what I need to add to the list

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

Great looking meal! You have me drooling all over the keyboard!

 

[cowgirl]

Looks fantastic, Dom!

 

[Itsdone]

Spiders perhaps? I've had that happen many years ago with a gas grill.

As an aside, a few weeks ago I'd grilled bacon and pushed all the bacon fat into the grease drip pan, fitted with an insert. Normally I place the soft cover on the griddle but only had the hard cover on. Something ripped apart the aluminum liner which I found on the deck below. I guess everyone or everything likes bacon. I'm thinking of making some sort of cover from wood, attached with magnets to cover the grease tray. It probably won't stop whatever it was, but it's a thought.

Thanks to everyone for the smashburger love. I had enough ground beef left over to make 6 more after I'd posted this, so I've been in smash burger heaven the past few days.

I am not sure. I got fustrated today and got out my air compressor and cranked it up over 110 psi, put a small tip nozzle in the gas inlet, turned the knobs in the wide open positions and shot the air through. I heard a loud click sound and turned the knobs off , connected the lines and the tank and it fired up on the first try. My guess is something in the knob was stuck not letting gas pass through. I doubt it was spiders, sounds like some mechanism inside.

 

[bonz50]

we're doing smashburgers today as well...

 

[cayenne]

I'm going to have to try one of these "smash burger" things....

I've never had one, nor seen one offered for sale...at least not where I live in the New Orleans area.

Is this, perhaps a regional thing?

I saw the Chud bbq guy do one with his gas fired "Chud Press" which looked intriguing to me...something fun to cook different AND and new toy to do it with too...?

Anyway, so, the thing is to just roll the ground beef in a ball...throw it on a hot griddle and with a spatula or something...smush it flat???

Do you season the meat first before balling it up?

and you just flip it once, once it makes a bit of a crust on the side you smash it onto the griddle?
From what I've seen, you throw cheese on after you do the first (and only flip?)....do you use a cover or something to get the cheese to melt?

I would guess since the patty if flat and probably 99% cooked when you flip it, you don't get much time left on the griddle to have the cheese melt...?

Thanks in advance,

cayenne

 

[Itsdone]

If you want to be even more confused, there is an Oklahoma onion smash burger. You put down very thinly sliced raw onion, then put your burger ball on top and smash, then flip so the onions are on top, then add cheese and cover with lid to melt cheese, serve on bun.

 

[bonz50]

If you want to be even more confused, there is an Oklahoma onion smash burger. You put down very thinly sliced raw onion, then put your burger ball on top and smash, then flip so the onions are on top, then add cheese and cover with lid to melt cheese, serve on bun.

FTR - I put the onions on top and smash so I get that crust on the first side then when I flip the onions cook the rest of the way... personal preference i reckon.

 

[Itsdone]

FTR - I put the onions on top and smash so I get that crust on the first side then when I flip the onions cook the rest of the way... personal preference i reckon.

Yeah personal preference, my theory is for an extra caramelized onion, i put them down first, wait a minute, add the ball, then press, wait another minute, flip, add cheese, lid, serve on bun.

 

[bonz50]

I'm going to have to try one of these "smash burger" things....

I've never had one, nor seen one offered for sale...at least not where I live in the New Orleans area.

Is this, perhaps a regional thing?

I saw the Chud bbq guy do one with his gas fired "Chud Press" which looked intriguing to me...something fun to cook different AND and new toy to do it with too...?

Anyway, so, the thing is to just roll the ground beef in a ball...throw it on a hot griddle and with a spatula or something...smush it flat???

Do you season the meat first before balling it up?

and you just flip it once, once it makes a bit of a crust on the side you smash it onto the griddle?
From what I've seen, you throw cheese on after you do the first (and only flip?)....do you use a cover or something to get the cheese to melt?

I would guess since the patty if flat and probably 99% cooked when you flip it, you don't get much time left on the griddle to have the cheese melt...?

Thanks in advance,

cayenne

my general method is to get 2.5oz +/- balls of ground beef. I actually prefer using 80% or less, 75% preferred. I use a laser thermo to check the temp of the griddle (pan is you dont use a griddle), I shoot for ~400*. place the balls on the surface of a minute and i just use my hand to take the round out of it so it doesn't roll. After I do that I turn it gently so there is a slightly browned $.25 sized brown spot, this is so the raw ground beef does not stick to my spatula (some people use a small piece of parchment instead) then I take my spatula and smash the crap out of it and I use a bench scraper on the back side of the spatula to give it extra weight for the smash. I'll go thru and do that to the rest of the patties I have on the griddle and then go back for the flip (in order) and once they are all flipped I'll put american cheese on half. personally I find cheese on every patty to be to much. we ALWAYS do doubles, the cheese goes on the bottom patty and melts nicely between the two. add bacon and toppings to a buttered toasted bun.

perfection every time.

 

[lunchman]

I think they're pretty much nation wide. I only found out about them a few years ago through this forum and after buying my Blackstone. It's about the only way I cook burgers now.

I cook mine similar to the previous reply, but decided to opt for a SS burger press with parchment. The handle is directly over the burger, allowing me to get a lot more leverage. I had been using my spatula but they tend to bend since the handle's not over the burger. I wait for the burgers to char around the edges, then flip and add cheese. If I remember, I'll dome them to help melt the cheese.

Definitely a good meal!

 

[lunchman]

As far as seasoning beforehand, I do. I use a bbq rub or Montreal steak and a bit of Worcestershire. I'll normally salt and pepper them out on the griddle.

 

[Itsdone]

I think they're pretty much nation wide. I only found out about them a few years ago through this forum and after buying my Blackstone. It's about the only way I cook burgers now.

I cook mine similar to the previous reply, but decided to opt for a SS burger press with parchment. The handle is directly over the burger, allowing me to get a lot more leverage. I had been using my spatula but they tend to bend since the handle's not over the burger. I wait for the burgers to char around the edges, then flip and add cheese. If I remember, I'll dome them to help melt the cheese.

Definitely a good meal!

get yourself some 6 inch parchment paper rounds, it makes it so much cleaner and the burger doesnt stick to the press. Just lay down the ball, place the parchment round over top, smash, remove parchment. easy peazy.

 

[Grabnabber]

Goodness that looks awesome.

My doctor knows I'm lying to him but he keeps a straight face. He told me I need to make "changes".

How do do you do it? That looks awesome, Brother,

 

[ModelMaker]

Goodness that looks awesome.

My doctor knows I'm lying to him but he keeps a straight face. He told me I need to make "changes".

How do do you do it? That looks awesome, Brother,

What he means by "changes" is to hold the smashburger in your left hand vs your right hand.
Ed

 

[cayenne]

get yourself some 6 inch parchment paper rounds, it makes it so much cleaner and the burger doesnt stick to the press. Just lay down the ball, place the parchment round over top, smash, remove parchment. easy peazy.

I just ordered one of the Weston spring plunger type burger presses.

So, you can do a smash burger from a patty rather than a round...?

This all sounds interesting.

I don't have a griddle thing like a Blackstone, BUT...I have one of the large, very heavy Baking Steel griddles...that has an outside groove on one side and flat on the other.

I've always used it more as a pizza stone/steel.....but I do often keep it across two of my gas stovetop burners...maybe I'll try a smash burger on that.

I've got some what I call metal meat weights...mostly to keep bacon from curling too much...I could smash them with that I think.

Anyway...just saw that locally, Chose brisket is $2.99/lb...I'm gonna get a couple and take one and grind it for ground beef and maybe part to try my hand at a beef sausage.....

C

 

[Itsdone]

I just ordered one of the Weston spring plunger type burger presses.

So, you can do a smash burger from a patty rather than a round...?

This all sounds interesting.

I don't have a griddle thing like a Blackstone, BUT...I have one of the large, very heavy Baking Steel griddles...that has an outside groove on one side and flat on the other.

I've always used it more as a pizza stone/steel.....but I do often keep it across two of my gas stovetop burners...maybe I'll try a smash burger on that.

I've got some what I call metal meat weights...mostly to keep bacon from curling too much...I could smash them with that I think.

Anyway...just saw that locally, Chose brisket is $2.99/lb...I'm gonna get a couple and take one and grind it for ground beef and maybe part to try my hand at a beef sausage.....

C

wouldn't really be a smash burger if your making them into patties. I think you are thinking of the wrong kind of press. Here is the one i use:
6.2 inch
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C27N6TXK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[cayenne]

wouldn't really be a smash burger if your making them into patties. I think you are thinking of the wrong kind of press. Here is the one i use:
6.2 inch
Amazon.com

OH...ok, that IS different.....

Ok, I put that on my list....I may give this smash burger thing a try here in the near future....sounds interesting.

I've just never seen them down this way before.....

I"m guessing by the description on how these are done...there's no such thing as a "Medium" or "Medium Rare" smash burger....right?
Just guessing from the terms heavy crust and how thin you smush them....

C

 

[bonz50]

OH...ok, that IS different.....

Ok, I put that on my list....I may give this smash burger thing a try here in the near future....sounds interesting.

I've just never seen them down this way before.....

I"m guessing by the description on how these are done...there's no such thing as a "Medium" or "Medium Rare" smash burger....right?
Just guessing from the terms heavy crust and how thin you smush them....

C

yup, pretty much.

unlike a "pub burger", smashing them does not cause them to dry out. it basically fully renders the fat almost immediately and you end up with a great crust on the patty as well.

also, make sure you've got all your ducks in a row when you start, get your buns, toppings, side dishes, etc all ready because the cooking of the burgers is VERY fast

 

[tcards]

Great looking meal