Easy American Smash Burgers

The American smash burger is a signature at most diners, and dives. It was my favorite growing up, and as I’ve gotten older, I have realized why my dad made them so often, and why diners love to serve them. They are delicious and incredibly easy to make. This recipe will take you through a quick and painless way to create this staple of American cuisine.

2 metal spatulas

Cast Iron skillet

Medium sized frying

¼ lb. of 80/20 ground beef

Yellow Mustard

Mayonnaise

Ketchup

1 sesame seed bun

1 white onion

Hamburger Pickle

Shredded lettuce

1 Tbsp of butter

Non-stick spray

Kosher Salt

First thing you are going to want to do is dice your onion. The size won’t matter too much, so it’s up to you how big you want your onion chunks. Once diced, throw your onions in your frying pan over medium heat with a tablespoon of butter and salt to taste. Let the onions fry on until they are translucent and slightly charred or black. This should take 8-10 minutes.

Form your ¼ lb. of beef into a ball and begin to heat your skillet on high heat. Test the heat of your skillet by dropping a few drops of water in the middle, if the water evaporates right away your heat is where it needs to be. The skillet should be piping hot to create a crust of flavor on the bottom side of your patty when you smash your meat ball.

Once your skillet is to temperature spray it with nonstick spray, place your beef ball in the center and immediately smash down as thin as you can get the beef to go using your 2 spatulas. After smashing, salt the top of the burger with 1 tsp of kosher salt. The burger is halfway done when it is brown halfway up the side of the patty, this should take 5-7 minutes.

When you notice this, flip your patty and top your burger with American cheese. We use American because it has a lower melting point and creates that gooey burger you want. Let the burger cook another 3 minutes, then cover with a lid to steam melt the cheese to perfection. Continue to let the burger cook for an additional 3 minutes then remove your lid and take out your burger. If done correctly the burger should have a delicious crust and come off with little to know resistance. If the patty seems stuck, let it continue to cook for another minute or two and it should come off with ease. Once your patty is off the heat, let it rest for 2-3 minutes.

While the burger is resting, apply mayo to the top and bottom of your bun and place in the same pan to the side of your onions. Using mayo makes the buns crisp up a little bit better than using butter which prevents the bun from soaking up grease and helps the burger stay together much better while eating. Let the bun fry for 1-2 minutes then remove from heat.

Once your buns are good and crisp it is time to build. First comes the bottom bun covered in your fried onions. Next comes your steaming hot patty. Cover your patty with a generous helping of shredded lettuce. One pickle chip goes on top of your bed of lettuce. Cover your top bun in a layer of mayo, a smiley face of ketchup and a squiggly of mustard. Place the top bun on, you guessed it, the top of the of your burger. All there is left to do now is chow and enjoy!