This is how we make cheesy smash burgers on our BBQ flat top or flat griddle. Thin-yet-juicy, double cheeseburgers with that perfect crust, special sauce and all the fixings!
Crispy and flavourful patties, loaded up with all the toppings, slathered with homemade burger sauce, what could be a better Friday night dinner?
You can pick and choose what toppings you like on it so it’s perfect for the whole family’s tastes! Plus it takes less than half an hour to make so I like to make a couple of sides to go with it and have a proper feast. 😋
🍔 What Makes A Smash Burger?
A smash burger is quite different to a regular burger. Where a regular burger is shaped into a thick patty before cooking, and is flipped a couple of times on the BBQ, a smash burger is shaped into a ball and pressed down using a burger press until extra thin. This means it cooks quickly and has a mouthwateringly tasty crust.
When the burger patty is smashed down on the flat top the fat from the mince seeps back up into the burger, so you are basically cooking the burger in its juices. This makes for an extra flavourful burger!
🥣 Equipment
Parchment Paper – This is to stop the burger press from sticking to the burger, allowing it to keep its shape.
Burger Press – These are relatively easy to find in the BBQ section of your larger supermarkets. This is the burger smasher I use (affiliate link).
Burger Dome/Cloche – Once you place the cheese on top of the smash burger, place the burger dome on top to trap the steam in and melt the cheese evenly. You can also find these in the BBQ section of larger supermarkets. This is the cloche I use (affiliate link – I think this one is only available in the UK, but it’s a 20cm diameter stainless steel cloche).
📋 Ingredients
Minced (ground) beef – Use finely ground beef with 20% fat, for a juicy burger with a crispy edge. It’s important not to go below 20% fat as the burger would be less juicy.
Burger Cheese – I used regular burger cheese, but you can use your favourite type of cheese. Also, I used a Burger Dome/Cloche to melt the cheese evenly.
Burger Sauce – I used a homemade burger sauce with only 3 ingredients, but you can use any store-bought sauce you like.
How to make it:
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
- If you prep the fixings before cooking the burger, the process is very simple! First, take the mince out of the fridge to bring up to room temp before cooking.
- Preheat your griddle pans or the flat-top BBQ.
- Meanwhile, shape your mince into ball shapes and make sure to press the fibres of the meat together so when it cooks the burger doesn’t fall apart. Season to your tastes.
- Place the burger balls on the cooking surface and squish them down using parchment paper and a burger press and cook until thin and crispy, flipping halfway through.
Melt the cheese on top and serve with all the fixings!
Pro Tip
Use 20% fat minced beef for the best, juicy burger.
Juicy, crispy, packed, and full of flavour, my mouth is watering from writing this! 😆
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Pin It🍽️ What to serve it with
For the burger toppings I like to keep it simple with
- A large dollop of this Simple Burger Sauce is just perfect for this dish.
- Serve it in a Brioche Burger Bun, super buttery and light, they soak up the burger juices perfectly!
- As for sides, these go amazingly for a Friday night feast:
- Homemade Air Fryer Chips
- Onion Rings
- Easy 4 Cheese Mac ‘n’ Cheese
A burger feast on a Friday night is just what any family needs after a long week!
🍲 More fantastic Burgers
There is no burger mix to make ahead to refrigerate since it’s just seasoned minced meat. However, you can prepare all the fixings ahead to streamline the cooking process.
You can halve for a few people and double for a crowd. If you’re making more burgers, you may have to cook in batches – unless you have one of those fancy outdoor flat-top griddles.
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Smash Burger Recipe
Equipment
- Parchment Paper
- Burger Press
- Burger Dome/Cloche
Ingredients
- 500 g (1.1lb) minced (ground) beef ideally 20% fat for a juicy burger
- ¼ tsp salt (plus another 1/4 tsp for the second side of the burger)
- ¼ tsp pepper (plus another 1/4 tsp for the second side of the burger)
- 8 slices cheese (burger cheese slices)
- 4 brioche buns sliced in half and lightly toasted
- 1 romaine lettuce sliced/shredded
- 2 medium tomatoes thickly sliced
- 4 tbsp burger sauce
- ½ small onion peeled and finely diced
- 12 slices pickled gherkins (or burger pickle slices)
Instructions
- Remove the minced beef from the fridge and leave it to come up to room temperature for 1 hour before cooking.500 g (1.1lb) minced (ground) beef
- Prepare all of your burgers fixings before starting cooking – as it goes very quickly!
- Heat two large flat griddle pans or a flat top BBQ to a high heat (I don't oil the flat top, as I use quite high-fat (20%) minced beef, but you can brush with a little oil if you prefer).
- Whilst the pan is heating up, divide the meat into 8 equal portions and roll each portion into a ball, pressing the fibres of the meat together.
- Season the top of each ball with salt and pepper. I use about 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper for this. Add the balls to the cooking surface, seasoning side down, making sure you leave enough space to squash the burgers down.1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
- Place a small piece (about 15x15cm) of baking parchment on top of each of the meat balls and squash the burgers down using a burger smasher or double spatulas, pressing quite hard as you want that thin 'smashed' burger. It should look 'lacy' with little holes in. You want each ball to be slightly wider than the burger bun, as it will shrink a little during cooking.
- Remove the parchment paper. If you like a well-seasoned burger, season each burger (again about 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper altogether – so both sides are seasoned). Allow to cook for 2 minutes to build up a crust. Use a spatula or scraper with a thin edge to scrape up each burger and flip it over.1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
- Add a slice of cheese to each burger. Cover each burger with a cloche for 30 seconds to help melt the cheese. *The cloche is optional!* Don't worry if you don't have cloches – the heat of the burger will still help to melt the cheese. I have 4 cloches, so I put put these on 4 of the burgers for 30 seconds, then move them to the other 4. Cook the burgers for a further minute.8 slices cheese
- Double up the burgers (so you now have four double cheeseburgers) and remove them from the flat top. Place on a warm plate or tray to rest for a minute while you get the bits ready to build the burgers.
- Build the burgers up, starting with the bottom bun, then lettuce, tomato, the double smashed burger, burger sauce, finely diced onion and pickles. Top with the other half of the bun and serve.4 brioche buns, 1 romaine lettuce, 2 medium tomatoes, 4 tbsp burger sauce, 1/2 small onion, 12 slices pickled gherkins (or burger pickle slices)
Notes
Why use a cloche for smash burgers?
I only place a cloche on each burger for 30 seconds or so. The steam created by the burger inside the cloche melts the cheese perfectly. The steam also helps to keep the burgers juicy.I have 4 cloches altogether. So when I’m making more than 4 cheeseburgers, I just place them on each burger for 30 seconds to help the cheese to melt nicely. If you don’t have cloches, don’t worry! Just make the burgers without using them. The heat from the burgers will still melt the cheese, and so long as you don’t cook the burgers for too long, they won’t dry out.
Nutritional information is approximate, per double smash burger.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made these burgers as a treat fur my son , he loved them !!!!
They’re were delicious
Thank you
Really enjoying your recipes
Clever lady x
Made this……delicious. Also bought your burger smasher ( bit of commission for you) It was also the most economical. Didnt use brioche buns or normal burger buns they always go soggy and fall apart. Always use ciabatta rolls. Much stronger but still lighter. Cheers, thanks for your recipes.
Thank you John 🙂
Thank you for this recipe….Awesome…