One of my favorite things to cook on the Blackstone Griddle is the Smashburger.
So what is a Smashburger?
It's super-thin burger patties cooked on a griddle with lots of flavor from the browned bits that develop during cooking. Those bits form a delicious and flavorful crust with a wonderful texture.
Ingredients
- Ground beef (at least 80:20)
- American Cheese
- Leaf Lettuce
- Tomato slices
- Sweet onion slices
- Garlic salt
- Black pepper
- Butter
- Ketchup
- Mayonaise
- Mustard
- Relish
- Burger buns
How to Cook A Smash Burger
There's no right or wrong way to cook a smash burger on the Blackstone griddle.
After cooking dozens of them, I have found the best method includes using parchment paper, a bacon press, and a sturdy metal spatula. These burger patties can also be cooked in a hot skillet like a cast-iron skillet.
Typically, I will make four burgers per pound of beef. But that's just what works best at my place.
Kenji from Serious Eats uses about 2oz of beef per burger and double-stacks them. This is quite a thin patty.
Although I appreciate and respect his method I often use a larger bun than he does and like the burger to still hang over the edge. To me, that extra meat is almost like a tiny appetizer before the main bite when eating the burger.
The Serious Eats method uses a combination of both ground chuck and brisket for their burgers. Brisket-chuck burgers are phenomenal and especially good for this Beef Bulgogi burger recipe, but that blend of meat isn't always easy for me to come by.
Believe it or not, one of the best places I have found brisket burgers consistently is at WalMart. These brisket burgers make a wonderful smash burger on the griddle but I find they need to sit about 30 seconds longer than normal on the griddle before smashing.
Burger being smashed under parchment paper
If I'm not using a brisket burger blend, I use an 80:20, or even a 75:25 meat to fat ratio whenever possible. If you want to try a Smashburger blend specifically formulated for griddle cooking this one from Porter Road is my favorite.
Use freshly ground beef over previously frozen whenever you can to make the burgers even more delicious. Or if you're adventurous, why not try making turkey burgers.
How hot should the griddle be for cooking smash burgers?
Rumor has it that the griddle used at the popular burger chain known for these burgers cooks at a temperature of 385°F.
What toppings go on the burger?
Burgers are a blank canvas.
I'm convinced the foundation of any delicious ground meat burger starts is a quality burger bun. I always slather a little butter or mayonnaise on the bun and cook it on the griddle until it turns slightly golden brown.
Toasted buns add an additional pop of flavor that's a bit salty and nutty. Toasting a burger bun also helps to keep the bun from being soggy if you add burger sauce or other condiments like ketchup, relish, or smash sauce. This is especially helpful when making thicker burgers like the ones in this Maple Bacon Beer Burger recipe.
Most enjoy at least some toppings on burgers and the most common would be lettuce, tomato, and onion.
I find that the thickness of the tomato and onion can actually change the flavor of the burger.
Slicing the tomato becomes very important. Too thick of a slice and the tomato adds more cold moisture than necessary which throws off the meat to topping ratio.
The same can be said for onions. If the onion slice is too thick, its flavor can be overwhelming. But if you get the slices to the correct thickness it actually complements the burger quite well and accentuates how delicious the dish is.
To achieve the perfect thickness of onion and tomato slices, it's important to use a very sharp knife. I keep my favorite slicing knife sharp with the WorkSharp E2 using its automated sharpening cycle. If the knife needs a slight touch up I will use a ceramic honing rod and bring the edge back quickly. Beyond a sharp knife, some griddle accessories will make this cook more fun. Check out some of the best griddle accessories in this post.
For the tomato, I try and cut round slices slightly thinner than the thickness of a pencil. The onion gets sliced to about half that thickness.
What do you serve with one of these burgers?
If you're lucky enough to have the Blackstone Air Fryer Griddle Combo then there are so many options for making fries, tater tots, and onion rings.
I have shared my opinion about whether the Air Fryer Griddle Combo is really worth it after using it dozens of times.
Lately, I have been really enjoying making this spicy-sweet street corn with bacon and jalapeno as a delicious side dish for burgers.
Best Smash Burger Recipe
Equipment
- Blackstone Griddle
- Parchment paper squares
- Bacon press or burger press
Ingredients
- 16 oz Ground beef 80:20
- 4 Burger buns
- 4 slices American cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Burger toppings
- 1 leaf Lettuce
- 2 slices tomato
- 1 slice sweet onion
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon relish
Instructions
- Preheat your griddle to high heat for about 10 minutes
- While your griddle preheats, loosely form the ground beef into 4 even-sized balls, about 4oz each
- Combine the garlic salt and pepper
- Spread the butter on your griddle and toast the cut side of the burger buns until golden brown
- Put the buns to the side and keep warm
- Place the balls of ground beef on the griddle about 8 inches apart from each other and allow them to cook for 2 minutes
- Place a piece of parchment paper on one of the burger balls and using a bacon press or sturdy spatula press the meat flat onto the griddle evenly to about ¼" thickness
- Repeat for the other burgers
- Season the burgers with the garlic salt and pepper mixture
- When the burgers start sweating or releasing juices in the pressed side use a sturdy spatula to scrape underneath them and flip
- Place a slice of American cheese on the cooked side of each of the burgers and cook for another 2 minutes or until the cheese has melted
- Place the cooked burger on the bun and top with your favorite toppings
Only rookies need parchment paper. Instead of parchment let the BB urger cook on one side and get caramelized. Once caramelized flip over and smash. No parchment necessary
I will consider that in a follow-up article for experts like yourself. Thanks-
There is a restaurant in Mattoon Illinois by the name of "Burger King" that has been making them like this since the 1950's. It is not part of the Burger King chain and due to a Judicial ruling that chain cannot build a restaurant within 20Mi of Mattoon.
I bet they are delicious Brad!
Have you been or do you go there often?
In case anyone is interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burger_King_(Mattoon,_Illinois)
American cheese means weird inedible almost fluorescent yellow crap right?
Yes! Or white...
These smash burgers were so delicious! Total hit with the family!
Glad they worked out!
We served these smash burgers on the weekend bbq party and everyone loved it! Kept asking for more
I'm so glad they were enjoyed Nancy!
Wow! can't wait to try this Smash Burgers! I'm so excited to taste its flavorful crust. Thanks!:)
Enjoy-
I love smash burger and trying this recipe tonight. What is the purpose of the parchment paper?
Hey Phil- It helps keep the ground meat from sticking to whatever you smash with.