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Have you ever gotten a burger at a diner, or fun burger joint, and wondered how they make it soooo juicy and delicious? I have been seeing “Smashed Burgers” and “Smash Burger” all over the place lately, and it reminded me of the way that Culver’s makes their Butterburgers. Alex worked there in high school, so I decided to have him show me how to recreate them at home…..
One of these days he is going to stop coming over for holiday meals, I keep putting him to work! lol
First, he and Conor had to help me cut open the frozen juice bottle for my Orange Peach Mango Spritzer, then I handed him a spatula….which he rejected because it had holes in it. Your spatula needs to be solid without holes for this to work…like this one. 🙂 Then he pointed out that you have to cook the burgers on a flat surface, not on the grates…so I dug out my cast iron grill pan like this one. {those are affiliate links}
How to make Smashed Burgers:
Preheat grill WITH a flat griddle pan to 475 degrees…or heat pan on the stove indoors if you prefer.
Divide ground beef into 6 pieces and roll into round balls.*….
Soooo, the correct serving size would be 8 portions, 2 ounces each. I only needed 3 total {not 4} so mine are about 2 1/2 ounces each….and they were the perfect size for us. You can make 8 with 1 pound of ground chuck, or use additional beef. 😉
Place burger balls onto the grill and cook for 30 seconds. Place a flat, smooth spatula on top of each burger, then top with a pepper shaker or soup can and SMASH each burger flat one at a time…..
Culver’s has an official weight that they are supposed to use, but the kids just use the seasoning shaker, lol You just want something on top of the spatula to help you smash the patty down!
Yes, this goes against everything that you have ever been told about cooking burgers, but it works!!
Season with salt and pepper and flip to the other side…..
Season cooked side with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes at 350 to 400 degrees, until burgers are cooked almost through. Alex kept poking them to check if they were done in the center or not, and I kept freaking out telling him that you’re not supposed to do that, and he laughed at me and told me it would be fine…and it was.
Once burgers are almost cooked, place cheese slices on 3 of the patties {mine are sliced cheddar}. Cut burger buns in half and place on the grill to toast…..
Place one patty on top of each cheese covered patty…..
Place top bun on top of burger stack, slide the spatula under the patties and tilt to allow juices/grease to drip off onto the griddle…..
I know, it’s completely counter intuitive to everything that we have been taught, and your top bun will get smooshed. The image is blurry because he was moving the burger up and down while it was draining.
Place burgers on top of bottom bun and add toppings as desired…..
I like mine with mayonnaise…Alex likes his with Thousand Island Dressing…I’m not sure what Conor put on his, lol
Have you ever tried Bubba Burgers on the island of Kauai? Well they taste a lot like these Smashed Burgers!! They even turned out juicier than Culver’s Butterburgers….even with all of the smashing and poking, lol
Notes:
- The key here is to sear the outside of the burger patty, then smash it to expose the entire surface to the heat BEFORE it has a chance to set up and the juices have a chance to get smashed out.
- The first side is seared, then flipped so the cooking happens on the second side and the seared side maintains it’s shape….so it doesn’t shrink up.
- Alex used the standard “Iowa” portion of salt and pepper {which is WAY more than I would normally use} but they turned out absolutely amazing!! So don’t be afraid of the salt shaker on these burgers.
- Shredded lettuce supposedly helps to keep the juices on the bun, so that’s what I used.
- Sliced American cheese is the most commonly used cheese on Smashed Burgers, but I prefer aged cheddar. Use whatever cheese your family likes best.
The first time you make these burgers, it will feel a bit strange and seem to go really fast. By the second time, you will be a pro. 🙂
More delicious burger recipes:
Since I had Kauai on my mind, I served Hawaiian Potato Salad with these burgers, but Baked Potato Wedges are really good too.
Enjoy!!
Smashed Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chuck {80/20}
- 3 slices cheese your choice
- shredded lettuce
- tomato slices
- pickles optional
- mayonnaise thousand island, barbecue sauce
- 3 hamburger buns regular size, not giant
Instructions
- Preheat grill WITH a flat griddle pan to 475 degrees. {Or heat pan on the stove indoors}
- Divide ground beef into 6 pieces and roll into round balls.*
- Place burger balls onto the grill and cook for 30 seconds.
- Place a flat, smooth spatula on top of each burger, then top with a pepper shaker or can and SMASH the burger flat one at a time.
- Season with salt and pepper and flip to the other side.
- Season cooked side with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes at 350 to 400 degrees, until burgers are cooked almost through.
- Once burgers are almost cooked, place cheese slices on 3 of the patties. Cut burger buns in half and place on the grill to toast.
- Place one patty on top of each cheese covered patty.
- Place top bun on top of burger stack, slide the spatula under the patties and tilt to allow juices/grease to drip off onto the griddle.
- Place burgers on top of bottom bun and add toppings as desired.
Notes
- *I divided 1 pound of ground chuck into 6 round balls, which made 3 burgers when stacked with cheese. For smaller burgers, divide into 8) 2 ounce portions, or use additional ground beef.
- The key here is to sear the outside of the burger patty, then smash it to expose the entire surface to the heat BEFORE it has a chance to set up and the juices have a chance to get smashed out.
- The first side is seared, then flipped so the cooking happens on the second side and the seared side maintains it's shape....so it doesn't shrink up.
- Alex used the standard "Iowa" portion of salt and pepper {which is WAY more than I would normally use} but they turned out absolutely amazing!! So don't be afraid of the salt shaker on these burgers.
- Shredded lettuce supposedly helps to keep the juices on the bun, so that's what I used.
- Sliced American cheese is the most commonly used cheese on Smashed Burgers, but I prefer aged cheddar. Use whatever cheese your family likes best.
- Hamburger Buns recipe
- Thousand Island Dressing recipe
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