Classic Smash Burgers with American Cheese
Lacy, charred edges on a thin patty, built entirely on a screaming-hot griddle in under ten minutes.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Written
Method
-
Divide the beef into 4 loose balls, handling it as little as possible, and keep cold until the pan is ready.
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Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, and pickle relish and set the sauce aside.
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Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and toast the buns cut-side down until deep golden, then set aside.
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Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over high heat until it just starts to smoke.
-
Set a ball of beef on the hot surface, scatter a few onion slices over it, and smash flat with a spatula until lacy brown edges appear, about 30 seconds.
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Season the exposed side with salt and pepper, then flip once a deep crust has formed underneath.
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Lay a slice of cheese on each patty and let it collapse into a melt, about 30 seconds more.
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Spread sauce on both buns, stack two patties, pickles, and the bottom bun, and close.
Notes
The smash is the whole point: pressing hard the instant the beef hits the pan forces contact across the entire surface, which is what gives you the crust a normal pan-fried patty never gets. Do it once, right away — pressing a second time after the beef has already started to set just squeezes out the juice without adding any more browning.
Cheap, fatty ground beef works better here than anything labeled “premium” — the fat is what renders out and crisps at the edges. If American cheese isn’t in the house, sharp cheddar melts fine, but skip anything drier; it won’t collapse the same way.