The best of both worlds — a crispy-edged smash burger cooked right onto a flour tortilla, loaded with melty cheese, tangy burger sauce, pickles, and crunchy lettuce. All the flavor of your favorite burger joint, in taco form. These went viral for a reason: they are fast, fun, and dangerously good.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20 works best)
- 8 small flour tortillas
- 8 slices American cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 1/2 cup sliced pickles
- 1 tablespoon butter or oil, for the pan
For the Burger Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped pickles (or relish)
- 1 teaspoon pickle juice
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Stir all the burger sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until serving.
- Divide the ground beef into 8 loose balls (about 2 oz each). Season the tops with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat until very hot. Add a little butter or oil.
- Place a beef ball in the pan and immediately press a flour tortilla firmly on top of it, smashing the beef into a thin layer that covers most of the tortilla. Cook for 2–3 minutes until the beef is crispy and browned at the edges.
- Flip the tortilla so the beef side is up. Place a slice of American cheese on the beef and cook 1 more minute, until the cheese melts and the tortilla is golden underneath.
- Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining tortillas and beef.
- Top each taco with burger sauce, shredded lettuce, diced onion, and pickles. Fold and serve immediately.
Pro Tips
- The pan must be ripping hot before the smash — that is how you get the crispy, lacy beef edges.
- Press the tortilla down hard for the first 10 seconds so the beef spreads thin and sticks.
- Serve straight off the griddle; these tacos wait for no one.