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Smash Burgers (aka the In-N-Out style), how I do em

I use (2) cast iron half moon grids for this cook, but a blackstone would be great as well for those folks that have one.  I've had the exact half moon below in my large Egg on the PS woo and it works the exact same.  I don't have a blackstone so adding a second gives me an 18" circle to work with.

Preparation is simple, start with 1.5lbs medium ground beef, two tablespoons fresh minced parsley, 6-7 cloves of minced garlic and a dash of salt and pepper.  Combine ingredients in a bowl, careful not to over work the meat or it won’t smash as nicely. 

Once your grill is up to temperature, place the burgers on the grill with a dollop of yellow mustard face down on the grill.  The mustard helps with the caramelization.  Smash and let cook for about 45-60 seconds until done.  Add your cheese and serve.

I put together a video for those interested in more details from start to finish.  YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Vj6PPrn7g

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Comments

  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 10,708
    Looks good, I can walk to our In and Out about 1 block----Love smash burgers 
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,432
    Never tried mustard as a browning agent on burgers before, but the results were spot-on.  Thanks!  
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,671
    edited February 2020
    the beauty of the bs smash burger is eating in three minutes ;)

    step one: light griddle on high
    step two: go get burger, bunns, cheese,plate, spatula
    step three: roll shitz in little balls (dont remember where i stole this from) =)
    step four:smash burgers, add salt
    step four: flip when burnt
    step five: place cheese on lower bunn, top with burger

    NOTE: at any given moment while creating smash burgers yell loudly over and over...we need onions, ketchup, mustard, relish, tomatoes
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • ColtsFan
    ColtsFan Posts: 6,310
    the beauty of the bs smash burger is eating in three minutes ;)

    step one: light griddle on high
    step two: go get burger, bunns, cheese,plate, spatula
    step three: roll shitz in little balls (dont remember where i stole this from) =)
    step four:smash burgers, add salt
    step four: flip when burnt
    step five: place cheese on lower bunn, top with burger

    NOTE: at any given moment while creating smash burgers yell loudly over and over...we need onions, ketchup, mustard, relish, tomatoes
    I must have sauteed mushrooms and onions when I do smash burgers.
    ~ John - https://www.instagram.com/hoosier_egger
    XL BGE, LG BGE, KJ Jr, PK Original, Ardore Pizza Oven, King Disc 
    Bloomington, IN - Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!

  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    I've never made smash burgers. Can someone explain how they really differ from grilled burgers. This is a genuine question - not trolling.

    I googled and the standard answer is smash burgers promote the Maillard reaction and get the patty more browned and crispy. I can see how that does make them brown and crispy. I don't quite see how it is different from just adding a patty to a griddle though.
    I can see that a patty over coals is cooked mostly by radiant heat rather than conduction as when placed on a griddle. But can't you "smash" a preformed patty? Why does it need to start as a ball?

    There's always something new to learn around here...
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • SonVolt
    SonVolt Posts: 3,314
    edited February 2020
    SciAggie said:
    I've never made smash burgers. Can someone explain how they really differ from grilled burgers. This is a genuine question - not trolling.

    I googled and the standard answer is smash burgers promote the Maillard reaction and get the patty more browned and crispy. I can see how that does make them brown and crispy. I don't quite see how it is different from just adding a patty to a griddle though.
    I can see that a patty over coals is cooked mostly by radiant heat rather than conduction as when placed on a griddle. But can't you "smash" a preformed patty? Why does it need to start as a ball?

    There's always something new to learn around here...


    Ever had a shockingly good fast-food burger at, say, a Sonic or Steak 'n Shake ( or more recently Shake Shack) where the stars must have aligned and they give you this unassuming burger with little thin patties that's just dripping in salty savory juicy goodness anyway? And you're like, "damn! It don't look like much, but that's a good  burger".  That's the general flavor profile of a smash burger, but better.  If you have a Shake Shack near you definitely check them out... it's almost identical to what I get at home. 


    South of Nashville  -  BGE XL  -  Alfresco 42" ALXE  -  Alfresco Versa Burner  - Sunbeam Microwave 
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,671
    SciAggie said:
    I've never made smash burgers. Can someone explain how they really differ from grilled burgers. This is a genuine question - not trolling.

    I googled and the standard answer is smash burgers promote the Maillard reaction and get the patty more browned and crispy. I can see how that does make them brown and crispy. I don't quite see how it is different from just adding a patty to a griddle though.
    I can see that a patty over coals is cooked mostly by radiant heat rather than conduction as when placed on a griddle. But can't you "smash" a preformed patty? Why does it need to start as a ball?

    There's always something new to learn around here...

    depending how you make them they come out different. what i do is screaming hot griddle, make the ball ahead with no salt (salting the meat ahead seems to change them in a negative way).  smash them hard on the griddle 1/4 inch even less, salt, wait til they blacken up on the bottom and flip, blacken up again. what you get is a great crunch and its so fast that the middle is dripping wet.  if im goiung over board with toppings ill take a larger grilled burger but these are so different theres a place for them in the lineup. for me the secret is a screaming hot DRY griddle where they stick down hard for that first char, i see others oiling it but thats not for me
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • SonVolt
    SonVolt Posts: 3,314
    Smash Burgers demand Big Mac style sauce... 
    South of Nashville  -  BGE XL  -  Alfresco 42" ALXE  -  Alfresco Versa Burner  - Sunbeam Microwave 
  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    SciAggie said:
    I've never made smash burgers. ... I don't quite see how it is different from just adding a patty to a griddle though.
    I like smash burgers, though they're not my favorite.  But there's a big difference in taste and I'm not sure you can appreciate the difference without actually doing it.

    When you throw a pre-formed patty on a hot metal griddle or pan, parts of its uneven surface touch the hot metal and other parts don't.  You wind up with a burger surface that's partly browned and with bits that are partly gray.  When you put them down as a ball and smash them down really hard until they're quite thin, you're forcing more of the burger surface down onto the hot metal, and forcing it hard, and it winds up actually sticking to the hot metal.  You have to scrape them back up again a little to flip them.  The result is a very much more completely browned surface of browned meat on the burger.  There's a huge difference between "smashing" the meat with your hands or a burger press into a thin patty and then throwing that on a griddle versus throwing it on the hot griddle as a ball and then smashing it down on the griddle really hard.  You might have to actually do it to experience how it's different.
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Agree with fish that you shouldn't add salt to the burger mix, but add after smashing.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • SonVolt
    SonVolt Posts: 3,314
    edited February 2020
    That's a good general rule of thumb for any burger IMO. 
    South of Nashville  -  BGE XL  -  Alfresco 42" ALXE  -  Alfresco Versa Burner  - Sunbeam Microwave 
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,671
    edited February 2020
    Agree with fish that you shouldn't add salt to the burger mix, but add after smashing.

    its even more important to put the cheese on the lower bunn, then add the screaming hot burger =) cheese belongs on the bottom
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    I haven't had anything other than a smashburger since I had my first one. Love 'em! I use a plasterers trowel to smash to 1/2" thickness, then s&p. When the crust has developed, I scrape the burger off the griddle and flip. Then add the cheese and wait for the crust to develop on the other side and the cheese to melt. Pretty much the way the guy who supposedly "invented" them does it (per Youtube videos). Though I think he uses butter and I use a dry griddle.

    My favorite burger is a smashburger topped with cheese, caramelized onions and a sauce of mayo and dijon. A sloppy mess, but so good!

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    Another good technique is to scrape the burger up with the spatula upside down. It gives better leverage and prevents tearing/breaking apart the burger.
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    Thanks for the explanation. I'll give them a try.
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • SonVolt
    SonVolt Posts: 3,314
    edited February 2020
     Also, when you go to smash, heat you spatula up for a second on the griddle, it helps keep the meat from sticking to the underside when you go to pick it up. 
    I'll have to give this a try. Half the meat sticking to the spatula after the smash is always the hardest part. I had been spraying Pam on the spatula to combat this. 
    South of Nashville  -  BGE XL  -  Alfresco 42" ALXE  -  Alfresco Versa Burner  - Sunbeam Microwave 
  • Is cast iron the preferred way to do this?
  • Cornholio
    Cornholio Posts: 1,047
    Is cast iron the preferred way to do this?
    Thats what I use on my egg, cast iron griddle. Blackstone seems to be an even better choice for simplicity. Teppanyaki and smash burgers are driving me towards buying a blackstone soon. 
  • Cornholio said:
    Is cast iron the preferred way to do this?
    Thats what I use on my egg, cast iron griddle. Blackstone seems to be an even better choice for simplicity. Teppanyaki and smash burgers are driving me towards buying a blackstone soon. 
    Thanks! I'm not even remotely interested in a Blackstone. I
    ll stick with a CI skillet.

  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    My favorite burger is a smashburger topped with cheese, caramelized onions and a sauce of mayo and dijon. A sloppy mess, but so good!
    I like to sauté some jalapeños and put them between the cheese and burger. Then top with mustard and dill pickles.

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • SonVolt
    SonVolt Posts: 3,314
    Is cast iron the preferred way to do this?
    Something with minimal sides so it doesn’t get in the way of the spatula smash. Regular cast iron skillets can be a pain. 
    South of Nashville  -  BGE XL  -  Alfresco 42" ALXE  -  Alfresco Versa Burner  - Sunbeam Microwave 
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,432
    Another good technique is to scrape the burger up with the spatula upside down. It gives better leverage and prevents tearing/breaking apart the burger.
    This one, I'm not understanding at all.  :confused:
    1)  How does an inverted spatula give you better "leverage"?  Leverage against... what?
    2)  An inverted spatula would bend the burger up at a higher angle, coming off the cooking surface; wouldn't that increase the chance of breakage?  
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Botch said:
    Another good technique is to scrape the burger up with the spatula upside down. It gives better leverage and prevents tearing/breaking apart the burger.
    This one, I'm not understanding at all.  :confused:
    1)  How does an inverted spatula give you better "leverage"?  Leverage against... what?
    2)  An inverted spatula would bend the burger up at a higher angle, coming off the cooking surface; wouldn't that increase the chance of breakage?  
    Puts more force on the edge.  Old chef trick.  Works, trust me.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    Has anyone tried making smash burgers with ground venison or any other wild game meat?

    I have some mixed 80/20 with beef fat. I may give it a go.

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • shtgunal3 said:
    Has anyone tried making smash burgers with ground venison or any other wild game meat?

    I have some mixed 80/20 with beef fat. I may give it a go.
    Do it! I'd love to hear the results...

  • SonVolt said:

    Ever had a shockingly good fast-food burger at, say, a Sonic or Steak 'n Shake ( or more recently Shake Shack)


    I was a Herbie-The-Curbie at a Steak 'n Shake back in the '70s.  I find "new discovery" of smash burgers to be amusing.  Of course, everything old is new again at some point.
    Raleigh, NC
  • SonVolt
    SonVolt Posts: 3,314
    rekameohs said:
    SonVolt said:

    Ever had a shockingly good fast-food burger at, say, a Sonic or Steak 'n Shake ( or more recently Shake Shack)


    I was a Herbie-The-Curbie at a Steak 'n Shake back in the '70s.  I find "new discovery" of smash burgers to be amusing.  Of course, everything old is new again at some point.

    Does Steak 'n Shake actually smash their burgers on the griddle? I wasn't sure if they just had thin preformed patties. 
    South of Nashville  -  BGE XL  -  Alfresco 42" ALXE  -  Alfresco Versa Burner  - Sunbeam Microwave