Smashed burgers seem to be all the rage nowadays, with numerous burger joints catering to this type of burger patty, from Freddy’s, to Shake Shack, and of course Smashburger. Despite how recent this hype may appear to be, the concept of smashing burgers is nothing new. Many of the early burger joint owners realized that the technique of smashing burgers into thin patties allowed for the burger to cook up quicker. This allowed them to be able to serve burgers to a lot of people fast, thus making their business more profitable. But, what started out as a way to make more money, ended up creating a really tasty burger.
You see, by smashing the burger, you are allowing the patty to have more surface area to become browned up through the Maillard reaction, which gives the burger its beefy flavor. It simply is a much more concentrated taste than one would get with a thicker burger patty (sorry thick burger lovers, but the science backs up that claim). The thin burger patties also allowed the customer to have better portion control. For example, if you’re only a little hungry, then get a single patty, you’re a little more hungry, then get two, and so on and so forth.
Now traditionally smashed burgers are made by placing a ball of uncooked beef on a flat top grill, and smashing it down with a large spatula, which is why they are called smashed burgers. And while that way is fine for cooking inside during the colder months, during the summer, most of us prefer to make our burgers outside on the grill.
However, it is a little difficult to apply this technique on the grill, because smashing a ball of uncooked beef on grates would cause most of it to fall through the cracks. But, I’m a believer that nothing is impossible, I mean we are able to put humans on the moon, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to make smashed burgers for the grill. So how is it done? Well, you simply have to smash the burgers before you put them on the grill. All you need is some wax paper and a large pan, preferably cast iron, and you can make these burgers at home with no issue at all. With that being said, let’s get into today’s lesson.
Grilled Smashed Burgers
Prep time: 15 to 20 minutes
Cook time: 5 to 10 minutes
Servings: 4 burger patties for every pound of ground beef
Ingredients
1 Pound of ground beef chuck
Burger buns
Salt & pepper
Cheese slices (optional)
Example burger toppings:
Lettuce
Onion
Tomato
Pickles
Chili’s
Ketchup
Mustard
Instructions
- Smash the patties: Separate the pound of ground beef into four equal portions, and use your hands to roll each portion into a ball.
Once you have done that, get out a sheet of wax paper and put it down on the counter. Place one of the balls on the center of the wax paper, and cover it with an additional sheet of wax paper. 
Now take out a large pan and smash the ball down until you can’t smash it anymore. 
Take the smashed burger patty, along with the bottom piece of wax paper, and place them on a plate. Repeat the process with all of the quarter-pound meatballs, until all are smashed.
- Freeze the patties: Take the plate of mashed patties, and place them in a freezer for about 10 minutes. While you don’t have to do this step I do think that it helps to make sure that the patties stay together better before you give them their first flip on the grill.
- Preheat your grill: While the burger patties are cooling off in the freezer it is important that you turn on your grill to high so that it is nice and hot for when you start grilling.
- Grill the patties: Take your burgers out of the freezer and plop them all down on your grill. Quickly sprinkle some salt and pepper on the burgers and let them cook for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how well done you prefer your burgers.
After you have let the burger patties grill on one side, take a spatula and flip them over to cook for the same amount of time on the other side. Again sprinkle a little salt and pepper to this side. 
If you have decided to make cheeseburgers then simply add a slice of cheese to the top of each patty about a minute or two before they are done. Once the burgers have cooked to your liking take them off the grill and onto a plate
- Assemble your burgers: Have everyone who is eating grab some burger buns, place a burger patty (or two, no one’s judging) on it, and top it with whatever toppings you have provided for them.
Grilled Smashed Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 Pound of ground beef chuck
- Burger buns
- Salt & pepper
- Cheese slices optional
Example burger toppings:
- Lettuce
- Onion
- Tomato
- Pickles
- Chili’s
- Ketchup
- Mustard
Instructions
- Smash the patties: Separate the pound of ground beef into four equal portions, and use your hands to roll each portion into a ball. Once you have done that, get out a sheet of wax paper and put it down on the counter. Place one of the balls on the center of the wax paper, and cover it with an additional sheet of wax paper. Now take out a large pan and smash the ball down until you can’t smash it anymore. Take the smashed burger patty, along with the bottom piece of wax paper, and place them on a plate. Repeat the process with all of the quarter-pound meatballs, until all are smashed.
- Freeze the patties: Take the plate of mashed patties, and place them in a freezer for about 10 minutes. While you don’t have to do this step I do think that it helps to make sure that the patties stay together better before you give them their first flip on the grill.
- Preheat your grill: While the burger patties are cooling off in the freezer it is important that you turn on your grill to high so that it is nice and hot for when you start grilling.
- Grill the patties: Take your burgers out of the freezer and plop them all down on your grill. Quickly sprinkle some salt and pepper on the burgers and let them cook for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how well done you prefer your burgers. After you have let the burger patties grill on one side, take a spatula and flip them over to cook for the same amount of time on the other side. Again sprinkle a little salt and pepper to this side. If you have decided to make cheeseburgers then simply add a slice of cheese to the top of each patty about a minute or two before they are done. Once the burgers have cooked to your liking take them off the grill and onto a plate
- Assemble your burgers: Have everyone who is eating grab some burger buns, place a burger patty (or two, no one's judging) on it, and top it with whatever toppings you have provided for them.
*If you enjoyed this recipe then check out our Baked French Fries recipe for the full burger joint experience*
Inspiration from other blogs
From Serious Eats
From The Food Charlatan
