Smashburger Recipe – A Beautiful Mess

While Smashburger is a popular fast-casual restaurant, this is a homemade version! I like to make smashburgers at home because it’s a super fast cooking method that produces a thin patty with a crispy crust. You can go super thin if you like, which reminds me more of Steak n’ Shake, but I tend to make my copycat smashburgers a little thicker. This cooking method is also just plain fun. So let’s smash some hamburgers!

The actual burger patty is pretty simple with just a handful of ingredients but full of flavor. This is an easy weeknight meal that can come together in around 30 minutes. Plus, you can customize this smashburger recipe to however you like your burgers—I tend to do a cheeseburger with a good amount of lettuce, mayo and BBQ sauce. You do you, but make sure you try these for your next burger night.

Related: Make your own Big Mac Sauce or Chick-fil-A Sauce to go with this burger recipe.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef – 80/20*
• Soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Salt and black pepper
• Oil – canola or vegetable or butter

You will also want ingredients to put the burgers together: hamburger buns, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickle, American cheese slices and any condiments you prefer like ketchup, mustard or BBQ sauce.

*This ratio, or ground chuck, works really well in this recipe. If you want to use a leaner kind of hamburger OR try another meat like ground turkey or ground chicken, this recipe will still work well, but the burger patties may be a little drier. The higher fat content produces a juicier burger.

How to make Smashburgers

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground meat, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix with your clean hands until just combined. You do not need to over mix this.

Form four to five balls of ground beef for the burger patties and place on a plate. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.

I like to use a large cast-iron pan for stovetop burgers. Get your cast-iron skillet really hot, almost smoking and add the cooking oil. Season the burger patties with salt and pepper on both sides. Then place them in the hot pan. Wait 30 seconds, then press the burgers flat with a burger press or a metal spatula. Continue to cook for another 1 minute and 30 seconds (around 2 minutes total), then flip the burgers. Press again and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

Toast the hamburger buns and prepare your other toppings. Place the cooked burger on a toasted bun and top with your favorite vegetables and sauces.

Tips for Making

• A burger press is a fun tool to use for these! But it’s not totally necessary as a sturdy spatula will work just fine too.
• I aim for around 1/4 lb of hamburger per patty. This makes a medium thickness burger. If you are wanting a thinner burger patty, more like Steak ‘n Shake, then you will want to use less meat per burger.
• If you are making cheeseburgers, I usually add the cheddar to the tops of the burgers just after flipping so the cheese has a little time to melt.
• To avoid getting hot oil spatter on your hands or arms as you cook you can wear long sleeves and an ovenmit when using the burger press or spatula. Not everyone finds this necessary, but I pretty much always do this when I cook burgers or bacon on the stovetop.
• If you want to check the burgers before removing from the pan you can cut one open to check for pink (uncooked) meat inside or use a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 160°F, but keep in mind it may be slightly below this as the temperature will likely continue to rise after you remove them from the pan.

What to Serve with Burgers