Whoever invented Smash Burgers knew what they were doing. The smashing process yields maximum surface area for the burgers, which means a whole lot of flavor in these slightly crisp patties. I top mine with diced onion, pickles, cheese, and a tangy homemade special sauce that’s out of this world delicious.
This post may contain affiliate links. Our disclosure policy.
The secret to making the best burgers
I love a good Irish pub burger or a backyard burger grilled over charcoal, but when it comes to maximum flavor, the smash burger cannot be beaten.
These burgers are cooked on a griddle or a Blackstone flat top upon which they’re “smashed” with a burger press. This process allows the meat to spread, yielding a larger surface area, which means a crusty and crisp top, bottom, and edges of the burger. Smash burgers also do not get salted until the end since salting prior to cooking draws out the moisture. These methods ensure one of the best-tasting burgers you’ll ever have.
Serve with your favorite burger toppings like cheese, onions, pickles, roasted mushrooms, lettuce, or tomato, along with a side of French fries or potato salad, and you’re all set.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Beef. I love to use 80/20 ground beef for smash burgers, patty melts, and more because it gives maximum flavor, but feel free to use leaner beef if desired.
- Sauce ingredients. I’m using a combination of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, relish, onion powder, and garlic powder to make my tangy special sauce. This sauce is the perfect condiment to put on smash burgers.
- Toppings. I love American cheese, onions, and pickles on my smash burgers, but feel free to add any burger toppings, conventional or otherwise. Make these your own!
- Buns. Use any hamburger buns you’d like. I used brioche for my pictures below.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Want To Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we'll send it to you. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week!
How to make smash burgers
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Use your hands to form the ground beef into 8 equal-sized balls, then place them on top of a parchment paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook. It’s important the meat be cold prior to cooking.
- While the meat is chilling, mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, sweet relish, onion powder, and garlic powder together. Taste test and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat a griddle pan to medium-high heat and grill the buns, cut side down, until they’re slightly browned, then transfer to a platter.
- Place a cold ball of meat onto the griddle leaving enough room to smash the burger. Place a small piece of parchment paper on top of the ball, then press the meat down with a burger press until the patty is 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle a 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt per patty and repeat for as many balls as you can fit on your griddle.
- After 2 minutes, flip the burgers.
- Add 1 slice of cheese per patty. To encourage the cheese to melt, cover with tented foil or a lid. Cook the burger for 1 minute more then transfer to a platter.
- Spread a thick layer of the special sauce on top of each bun. Place 2 patties with cheese onto each bottom bun.
- Top with the diced onion and 3 pickles, or any toppings you’d like, then close the burgers and serve with more smash burger sauce on the side.
Top tips
- Keep the meat cold. The balls of beef should go right from the fridge to the pan. This cold firms up the fat in the burger, which allows it to stay locked into the burger longer, keeping it juicy.
- Don’t salt ahead of time. Salting right after the burgers are placed on the griddle and smashed is the only time you should add salt to the beef. This also helps keep the burgers moist.
- The right equipment. Smash burgers are not meant to be made on a regular grill because the smashing process will force the meat through the grates. Use an indoor griddle or an outdoor flattop griddle, such as a Blackstone. Be sure to use parchment paper during the smashing process to prevent the beef from sticking to the smasher.
More recipes you’ll love
Give these other awesome ground beef recipes a try.
If you’ve enjoyed this Smash Burger with Special Sauce recipe, give it a 5-star rating.
Watch us on YouTube, follow along on our Facebook Page, and become a Patreon member to receive access to exclusive full-meal videos and content.
Smash Burgers – Crispy, Juicy Perfection
Equipment
Ingredients
Base ingredients
- 4 brioche buns or any hamburger bun you like
- 1 3/4 pounds ground chuck
- 8 slices American cheese
- 1/2 cup fined diced onion
- 12 pickle chips
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt about 1/4 teaspoon per patty
For the sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Want To Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we’ll send it to you. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week!
Instructions
- Form the meat into 8 equal sized balls, place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and refrigerate until ready to cook. The meat needs to be cold before cooking.
- While the meat is chilling, mix the sauce ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper to taste then set aside.
- Heat a griddle pan to medium-high heat and grill the buns, cut-side down, until they are slightly browned. Remove the buns to a platter.
- Place a cold ball of meat onto the griddle leaving enough room to smash the burger. Place a small piece of parchment paper on top of the ball then press the meat down with a burger press until about 1/4" thickness. Sprinkle a 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt per patty. Repeat for as many balls that can fit on the griddle. Leave the other balls in the fridge to keep cold. Note: a 2 burner grill pan can do 4 patties at a time.
- After 2 minutes, flip the burgers and add 1 slice of cheese per patty. To melt the cheese quickly cover with tented foil or a lid. Cook the burgers for 1 minute more then remove to a platter. Repeat for remaining patties.
- Spread a thick layer of the sauce on each top bun. Place 2 patties with cheese onto each bottom bun and top with diced onion and 3 pickles. Close the burgers and serve with more smash burger sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- Griddle pan. Smash burgers can be made indoors in any pan, but a 2 burner griddle pan works best for multiple patties. For outdoors, a cast iron griddle pan is great for throwing on top of a grill or a dedicated flattop griddle such as a Blackstone works best.
- Meat ball size. Each ball should weigh approximately 3.5oz or 100g. If you want bigger patties, use 2 pounds of ground chuck which will make 8 4 ounce (120g) patties.
- Keep the beef cold. The beef should go straight from the fridge to the griddle pan. The firmer the beefs fat, the more moisture and juiciness will be locked in the burger. Room temp balls will melt quickly and produce a dryer smash burger.
- Salt the patties after smashing them. Salting ahead of time will draw out the moisture, which we do not want for smash burgers.
- Smash with parchment paper. Use a small piece of parchment paper between the meat ball and burger smasher to prevent any sticking.
- Wrapping technique. Wrapping the burgers in foil, especially if you plan to double or triple this recipe, will keep the burgers warm for up to 45 minutes.
- Leftovers. Smash burgers can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the oven wrapped in foil until warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Follow Me
The Sip and Feast Cookbook
- 100+ recipes
- Essential tools and ingredients
- Entertaining ides
- Stunning photography
