The crispiest smash burger you will ever see — lacy, crunchy edges, a juicy center, and cheese melted right into every crackle. The secret is a ripping-hot pan, a hard smash, and no fussing. This is the burger that made smash burgers famous, perfected at home.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20), divided into 8 loose balls (2 oz each)
- 4 potato burger buns
- 8 slices American cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and coarse black pepper, to taste
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
- Sliced pickles
- Thinly sliced white onion
- Butter, for toasting the buns
For the Burger Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped pickles
- 1 teaspoon pickle juice
Instructions
- Stir the burger sauce ingredients together and refrigerate.
- Toast the buns in butter until golden. Set aside.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over high heat until it just starts to smoke.
- Place 2 beef balls in the pan with space between them. Smash each one flat — as thin as you can — using a stiff spatula and parchment paper. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Do not touch them for 90 seconds. The crust is forming — that is where the crispy magic happens.
- Scrape under each patty firmly and flip. Immediately top each with a slice of cheese and cook 30–60 seconds more.
- Stack two patties per bun (double smash style), add sauce, lettuce, pickles, and onion. Serve immediately.
Pro Tips
- Cold beef + hot pan + parchment paper = thin patties that never stick.
- Scrape like you mean it — the crispy crust is the whole point; leave none of it in the pan.
- Smash only once, right at the start. Pressing later just squeezes out the juice.