The Best Smash Burger Recipe

Smash Burger Recipe: Crispy, Craggy, and Juicy

A great smash burger is all about one thing: crust. Take a loose ball of cold beef, smash it hard onto a screaming hot skillet, and you turn almost the whole patty into deep, browned, lacy edges. That crust is the flavor. We build ours on what makes great ground beef: our single-source Diamond R 80/20, ground from one animal at a time, with enough fat to fry that crust and keep the middle juicy.

Why this method works

Smash the beef while it is cold and the fat is still solid, in the first few seconds it hits the pan. Do it then and you lock the juices in and get maximum contact with the hot metal, which is where the browning happens. Smash a burger any later and you just wring the juice out. Keep the beef loose, never packed, so it stays tender, and season after the smash, not before. That is the whole game, and it is why 80/20 single-source beef is the right beef for it.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Diamond R 80/20 single-source ground beef, cold, in 4 loose 4 oz balls
• Kosher salt and coarse black pepper (season at the pan, not in the mix)
• 4 slices American cheese
• 4 soft potato buns
• 2 tablespoons softened butter, for the buns
• Smash sauce: 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon dill pickle brine, pinch of cayenne
• To serve: thin sliced onion, dill pickle chips, shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato

How to make it

1. Make the sauce first. Stir the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, pickle brine, and cayenne together and chill at least 20 minutes so it thickens and the flavors bloom.
2. Form 4 loose balls from the cold beef, about 4 oz each. Do not pack, roll, or squeeze them. A loose ball spreads thin and stays tender.
3. Get a cast iron skillet or griddle screaming hot over high heat, 5 to 10 minutes, until it just starts to smoke. Add a thin film of oil.
4. Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast them face down 30 to 60 seconds until golden. Set aside.
5. Lay the balls in the hot pan a few inches apart. Within the first few seconds, smash each one straight down hard and thin, about 4 to 5 inches wide, in one committed press. Smashing early is what locks in the juice and builds the crust.
6. Season the smashed tops with salt and pepper. Do not touch them again. Cook undisturbed 1.5 to 2.5 minutes, until the edges are lacy and deep brown and about three quarters of the top has turned from pink to gray.
7. Slide a stiff metal spatula under the patty to keep all that crust, and flip. Lay a slice of cheese on immediately and cook just 30 to 60 seconds more.
8. Build on the toasted bun: sauce, patty, pickles, onion, lettuce, top bun. Serve right away while the crust is crisp.

Marty's secret for the best smash burgers

Three things take these from good to great. First, toast the buns in the rendered beef fat left in the pan, it is the tastiest fat in the kitchen. Second, go for the Oklahoma onion smash: pile salted, squeezed-dry paper thin onion on the ball and smash the onion right into the patty. Third, two thin 2 oz patties stacked with cheese between beat one thick one, because you double the crust. Checking your temperature? Our burger doneness guide has the numbers.

All you need is a good pound of beef. Our Ground Beef Box is 18 pounds of single-source 80/20, enough for a summer of burgers. Cooking for a crowd? Pair these with air fryer burgers to keep them coming.

From our ranch to your table.
Marty, Amy, Richelle, Rylie and Reece
Diamond R Cattle

Frequently Asked Questions

What ground beef is best for smash burgers?

An 80/20 blend is ideal. The 20 percent fat is what fries the crust and keeps the thin patty juicy, and pre-ground beef like our single-source 80/20 holds together when you smash it without any packing. Leaner beef dries out and will not build the same lacy edge.

Why is my smash burger not getting a crispy crust?

Two usual reasons: the pan was not hot enough, so the meat steamed gray instead of searing, or you smashed too late. Get the pan just smoking and smash in the first few seconds, hard and thin, then leave it alone until the edges go lacy.

Should I season the beef before or after smashing?

After. Salt draws out moisture and makes the meat sticky and bouncy, which fights the tender, craggy texture you want. Smash first, then salt and pepper the flattened patty.

What is an Oklahoma onion burger?

A smash burger with paper thin onion pressed into the raw patty so it half fries and half caramelizes into the crust. Salt the onions and squeeze them dry first so they brown instead of steam. It is the single biggest flavor upgrade for pennies.

Is Diamond R ground beef grass-fed?

No. Our cattle graze pasture with their mothers, then finish on a corn and oats ration, which is what builds the marbling and rich flavor. It is single-source, ground from one animal at a time, with born here, raised here, and fed here on our family ranch in Independence, Kansas