You know the burger obsession is going off the deep end when semi-serious discussion takes place over the burger making skills of a cartoon. Please stick with me. This cartoon happened feature J. Wellington Wimpy, the burger-loving sidekick of Popeye. Hamburger America author George Motz found this clip and was there to comment on Wimpy's burger making skills: "Notice how even in cartoons back then they got it right and scooped the beef, not hand pattied it. "
On the basis of this cartoon I went out and bought some meat, ground it, and tried to make a burger like it was 1936. But problems popped up the moment I tossed the meat in. I realized I'd have to form the patty into some kind of shape to fit into a bun, and that that would inevitably mean I'd have to press down on the meat. This I just couldn't do. Isn't one of the burger commandments: "thou shalt not press down"?
But then I came across a passage in A Hamburger Today where editor Adam Kuban was championing just that. He calls it the "Smash Technique" and says it's the key to thin Midwestern style burgers. He goes on to say: "I've never had a chef-driven burger anywhere near as good as a lot of the mom-and-pop places in Kansas, where I grew up. And all my favorite places there practice the art of the on-grill smash."
Those are MY favorite burgers. As a good Midwestern kid, I was raised on these greasy spoon specialties, and have been trying to make them for years. I've failed every time. Burgers tend to puff up in the middle when cooked, so matter how thin I originally made the patty it would end up thick and dry. It had never occurred to me press down on the patty. Could the smash burger really be the key to my burger nirvana?
I thought I had found the secret to best burger with the Harold McGee approved "Quick Flip Technique", but it ends up that that was only the key to one kind of burger. It's an excellent method for the thicker New York style burger. But the smash technique, a method so seemingly antithetical to a good burger, is the key to another kind.
As I started looking into the smash technique a few things struck me. The smash only occurred once and that was right at the beginning when the juices of the meat were cold. While a little liquid would certainly be pressed out, most of the fat would remain solid and inside the patty. Finally, after watching a video of how even the Shake Shack used the smash technique, I really had no other choice.
I bought a bunch of chunk, busted the Kitchen Aid, freshly ground the meat into a large bowl, and then immediately tossed it straight onto a smoking hot skillet.
When I pressed down the burger stuck to my spatula, and then broke apart into dozens of little bits. When I flipped it, the burger broke into a dozen more.
When I finally got a bun nearly half of the beef had broken off and turned into glorified browned beef. Though the small bit that did stay together had an incredible sear, it could hardly be called a burger. There had to be a better way.
Next, I tried forming the beef into loose balls, hoping that that would keep the patty together when it was pressed down. I also lubed up the spatula with a hell of a lot of canola oil to try and keep it from sticking to the meat.
But I ended up with the same result. The beef broke apart when I pressed down. I piled some of the bits on top and they were delicious, but this getting out of burger territory. It still wasn't right.
The Smash Technique had some explaining to do.
It went like this:
They placed a small golf ball sized hunk of ground meat on the grill and then let it cook for approximately a minute.
Only then did they flip it and smash the living daylights out of it. The cooked side held the patty together. The smashing occurred on the uncooked side, leading to only marginal moisture loss. This was it.
First thing I did when I got home was try out this new technique, and it is flawless. I created flat, highly seared burgers with absolute ease. The crunchy edges led to juicy interiors. Complete with a slice of American cheese and raw onions, I could visit the burger joints of my youth right in my Chicago apartment. Not a bad deal.
The Smash Burger
Carefully form freshly ground beef into little balls, about 3 ounces a piece. Sprinkle the top with salt.
Preheat an iron skillet to high. Set a ball or two in, salt side down, and cook let it cook for one minute. Season the top with more salt. Flip it.
Smash down the ball until it is very thin. Cook for another minute. Flip and top with a piece of cheese if wanted, and cook for about another minute.
Place in a bun with some raw onion, ketchup and mustard.
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Great article and pictures. I have to get home and try it out…
I love reading posts like this. You're looking for something in particular and you try many different means to achieve that end. It makes for good reading. That, and your concise and informal writing of course.
MUST… EAT…
Looks so good man, now I need to get the grinder attachment for my kitchenaid
LJ
Congrats! Loved the blog envy slideshow. I'm excited to discover yours and follow along!
This is why I love this blog. I really need to try this at home.
the burger looks awesome and i am now extremely hungry. i'm a big fan of a classic burger vs something fancy and stuffed. i was just wondering the other day what the big deal is about smashing a burger patty. i like the crusty bits that result on the side. my favorite burger in la comes from yuca's, a taco stand. thin and crusty on the edges.
I love Steak and Shake. I used to eat there all the time in college. I wish there was one around here.
I am SO trying this for dinner 2morrow night. Great post. Love your blog.
That looks awesome!
Back where I grew up in N. Idaho there was a trailer setup every single summer in front of a local grocer with a picture of "Wimpy" from Popeyes on the front and they sold the most delicious skinny, smashed, burgers around..
It all went to charity..and damnit did I contribute to charity those years
Great post, thanks for putting it up!
Cheers,
Brian
Looks like a great idea. I'll try it but isn't 3oz kind of a small burger? 5oz or a third of a pound sounds about right to me. Have you tried freezing the balls?
No one I know can deconstruct cooking methods/myths like you do.
Once again- good job!
Can I put a request in for cheeseburgers this weekend, after of course we try some Wild Bill's pork?
poking a hole in the middle of the patty with a chopstick or skewer helps stop them puffing up. The hole closes over after cooking.
The house stinks, but I'm HAPPY!
I know Steak and Shake very well. I actually have 2 coffee cups in my cabinet that were "donated" to our cause (we asked the waiter for a momento of the great food in Springfield, MO and he told us to take those). Now I have to make some burgers and fries for dinner. My wife is going to be miffed now that I am not making Keema with Naan bread.
I tried this out — it worked perfectly! I used much smaller spheres initially and ended up making sliders-ish burgers. But it worked! Thanks so much.
Also tried today, and worked like a dream. Your photo's reminded me of a small chain whose burgers I love in my hometown (central Canada). I eat them every trip back, and am very pleased with the result. Also fried some onions up in the cast iron skillet, mmmm.
Thanks
How much do I want a burger right now? Thanks for all of your analysis! I will have to try out the smash technique.
I like to toast the bun in a little of the grease left on the griddle or pan.
What a classic post! I love these burgers. My grinder is getting a work out this week for sure. Thanks a ton.
I'm a total burger smasher now! Thanks for the tip!
Thank you Nick.
I have been trying to perfect/imitate the burgers I had as a kid.
Thin, juicy, and looked like they were thrown against a wall, not perfectly uniformed by any stretch.
The tricks I have learned over 50 years was never put anything bigger in the meat than spices. and breadcrumbs.
Hunks like onion belonged on top, never in.
Grind your own, chuck, inside round, outside round look for fat, you need it.
A few tbs. of heavy cream.
Lots of black pepper, lots, — lots.
Lots of garlic, pre cooked to golden brown, then mix in by hand.
Egg, Worcestershire sauce, Chili powder, Ketchup, Dijon mustard, Dry mustard, Cayenne pepper, Cumin, and a good seasoning salt.
If you want lots of meat in your burger, use two or three patties, but keep them thin.
Gigantic half pound patties dry out.
Used fresh cheap chewy hamburger buns, make sure you butter them well, this is not a health food.
Toast or not to toast.
I say no to toasting the bun.
Secret ingredient for texture?
Plain soy powder 15 grams per pound.
Never ever buy lean ground beef, if you’re not grinding.
I like 70/30.
Med fat, coarse grind, no pork, it mellows out the beef taste.
And now back to this article.
The smash technique was the best kept secret, or no one gave it a thought as to how it worked scientifically until now.
It makes so much sense.
S.O. cooks in high volume diners during the pre formed patty days had no time to make the perfect patty on the counter then transfer to the grill.
They just placed 5 oz raw meat balls on the grill for a minute, flip, then formed them by smashing them down while the meat was still raw, no juice lost doing this, then leave it alone.
Use a chop stick to make a small hole in the center of the patty to stop the humping.
Flip, wait a minute or two, get it off full of juice.
Never ever press burgers down once cooking.
Dress it the way you like.
I hope this helps people to make a better burger.
The passing on of tricks and methods to the next generation is important to me.
Beef fat rules.
Enjoy.
Raebo
last summer in new york on a stay-cation weekend I ended up taking the water taxi to the water taxi beach on the brooklyn side of the east river. during the afternoon of sun bathing and relaxing with a beer I got hungry. The guys manning the grill that day (a no name affair–no shake shack fancy type deal) were running an exact step by step method of what you describe above when watching the process for making burgers at steak and shake.
I thought it looked like an interesting idea and was surprised at how good the burgers turn out when cooked this way on a stove top. Since that day I turned my back on the traditional patty style burger prep and have had an almost constant string of fantastic burgers.
lesson learned here is no matter where the food is being cooked pay attention to how its being cooked. the more basic the prep the more a twist can impact the end result. what initially looked like a sloppy mis en place was instead the secret to superior burgers.
vive la difference.
I can’t believe there is an actual article on this topic!! My husband and I both grew up in the midwest. Back in the day we used to go to the five & dime which had a grill, ice cream fountain (no one under age 30 knows what that is) and red stools to sit on at the counter. They had the world’s best burgers. We have tried over and over for years to cook meat patties as we rememberd them without success. Recently we ate a burger at Five Guys in Palm Beach Gardens, FL and thought we found a burger pretty close to our memories. You described it perfectly in your article – love all the pictures you included. Thanks for actually following through and discovering this little known secret!!
These look good but let me suggest a variation that I have been making for a couple of years now. Slice an onion very thinly (a mandoline works best). After you put the ball of meat in the skillet, flatten the top just a bit with a spatula, then put a handful of onion slices atop before you smash the burger. Smash the onions into the burger as hard as you can, let cook briefly and then flip and smash the burger again, salt and put a slice of American cheese on top. It’s done when the cheese melts and you can smell the onions beginning to burn. The burger book I got this from (can’t remember the name) calls it “strangely addictive.” They’re right! I add mustard and pickle but they’re very tasty without.
I google searched “smashed burgers” and your post came up in the top 5.
Tried out your technique and it works! Thanks a bunch!
This looks amazing, and explains the secret of a great thin burger. I will be trying this very soon.
I tried this smash technique and it turned out great. I posted about it on my blog and added a link to this article.
http://www.extreme-sandwiches.com/?p=186
Thank you thank you thank you! I’ve been attempting the smashed burger for years to no avail. Finally it dawned on me to google it — and I am so happy I did!!
Thanks for your pics – that made the instructions so much easier.
Thanks again!
Funny that I would stumble across this web site. Was out in Colorado last week, and noticed a new burger place, called “Smash Burger”- does anyone know about this in the Silverthrone area?
wow!! that looks AMAZING i am like soooo gunna try it!!
wow i agree!! i made it and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!!
I loved it! there wuz nothing bad about it!