Smashburgers
for whenever you want some chaotic father-daughter bonding time
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Hi chickens! I have a fun new years post heading to your inboxes shortly, but I thought I’d chuck my Smashburger guide your way in case you only have a few more days near a barbecue. Chat soon & enjoy x
I have had plenty of good (and bad) Smashburgers. When you see how easy the formula is though, you’ve gotta wonder how a business could make a bad one. I don’t really think you care much about the quality of your food if it’s bad just fyi. I won’t be reordering and I’m sure you’ll notice the at least one customer drop off… All that to say, if you have a bit of time, a hot grill or cast iron pan, and don’t mind a few bits of hot, splashy fat, then make them yourself. Below is a good guide but don’t let me tell you how to live. If you seriously hate pickles then fine don’t pickle them, see if I care (I will).
The Recipe
Smashburgers
Makes 6 double burgers
I have a recipe for burger sauce and don’t get me wrong, it’s good. Really good. But the Watties stuff is also really good, so don’t feel you’d be skipping corners if you don’t have the energy to make it. Buying it works a treat too.
Burger Sauce
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dijon or mild mustard
1 large pickle, finely diced
Burgers
1kg of 80/20 ground beef. (80% beef, 20% fat).
4 white onions, very thinly sliced.
Ground or flakey sea salt
12x Processed cheese slices (in NZ the Anchor Colby ones are my preference)
6 burger buns (potato rolls if you can find them)
Butter for the buns
Pickles, for serving
1/2 head of iceberg roughly torn, for serving
Burger sauce, for serving
Spicy mustard (Al’s Old Yella Habanero is a solid choice), for serving
Burger Sauce
In a skillet on low heat, add the butter and diced onions. Add in the sugar and a pinch of salt. Let slowly caramelise until deeply golden. If the onions start to get crispy, turn the heat down lower or move to a smaller hob.
Mix together all other ingredients, add in the caramelised onions, season with salt (and pepper if you like, I tend to keep it away from my burgers), and leave covered in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Burgers
Add the beef to a large mixing bowl, then use your hands to slightly smush the beef together. Weigh out 80 grams of mince and form a loose ball. It’s important that you don’t make a really tight ball of mince because you won’t get those crispy, lacy edges from the fat. Repeat until you’ve rolled out all of the mince.
Set up a bbq with a flat plate or a cast-iron pan and get it very very hot. Drizzle a bit of neutral oil over the plate then place a few balls of mince on the plate. Make sure to leave room for the patties to be smashed down thin.
Season the patties liberally with sea salt then carefully place a handful of the thinly sliced onions over the top of each patty. Place a square of baking paper over the top of a patty, use a heavy burger press or wide, flat spatula and press the beef down evenly. Remove the baking paper and repeat with all the other patties. Leave to cook & crisp up for about 1 minute, flip the patty over, lay a slice of cheese down, and cook for a further 30 seconds to a minute.
Place one patty on top of another, then set aside on a tray.
Repeat the process until all the patties are cooked.
At this point, I like to lightly butter my buns and warm them through in the oven. You can leave them as is or you can toast them on the grill. Your prerogative.
Serve the burgers with all the toppings if you like to give people choice, or be like me and do it for them because they don’t know what’s good for them.