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With thin patties topped with caramelized onions, bacon, and cheddar this, this Smash Burger recipe never disappoints. The patties are tender and juicy on the inside and cook in just a few minutes.
Featured Comment
Made it for the first time with only 16oz of ground beef and it was amazing! Good bye fast food burgers!
Why This Is The Best Smash Burger Recipe
These smash burgers are some of the best burgers I have ever eaten in my life. Here’s why!
- Super juicy! Even though the patties are thin, they stay super juicy on the inside because you only cook them for a few minutes on each side.
- Bursting with flavor. The BBQ sauce, bacon, and onions just pair perfectly together making for the ultimate smash burger experience.
- Quick & easy. These burgers take just a few minutes to grill, since you want them ultra thin. Beyond that, you just need to cook the bacon and onions!
What You’ll Need
These tasty smash burgers are made with just a handful of ingredients. Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Spices – Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
- Ground beef – I like to use an 80/20 ground beef for this recipe. Not too lean but not too greasy either.
- Bacon
- Butter – For cooking the onions.
- Onions – Thinly sliced so they cook and caramelize quickly.
- Vegetable oil – For greasing the grill.
- BBQ sauce – For brushing the burgers.
- Sliced cheese – I used cheddar, though you could opt for American, White Cheddar, Colby Jack, or Pepper Jack. Just be sure to use real cheese, not the individually wrapped “cheese”.
How To Make Smash Burgers
Here’s an overview of how to make this smash burger recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the printable version.
- Portion the beef. Divide the beef into 3-ounce balls. There should be 8 of them.
- Cook the bacon. Preheat the flat-top grill to medium. Cook the bacon until crispy then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Smash the burgers. Turn the heat to high and grease the flattop with oil. Season the balls of meat with the seasoning mixture on top then place, seasoned side down, on the grill. Smash each ball down with a piece of parchment paper and a weight. Get it as thin as you can.
- Cook the burgers. Season the top of the burgers. Cook until lacey and brown around the edges, about 2 minutes. Flip and brush with BBQ sauce. Top with a slice of cheese. Cook until the cheese melts.
- Serve. For doubles, stack one patty on top of another. Serve immediately with bacon and onions on buns.
Can I Make These Smash Burgers Without A Grill?
We use a blackstone flat top electric grill for this. However, you can make these inside as well. Warning though, you might get the house smokey!
To cook these inside, you can use either a sturdy electric griddle or a cast iron flat griddle plate on the stove.
You will cook these using the same method; you will just not be able to cook as many burgers at the same time
Tips for Success
Here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing your smash burgers.
- Adjust the seasoning. We end up using all of the seasoning mixture, but season to your taste.
- Use fewer onions. This does make a lot of onions which we love but if you don’t want as many onions, just do half and half the amount of butter.
- Do I need any special equipment? I like to use parchment paper rounds and these weights for smashing the burgers. This scraper is also helpful when flipping the burgers.
- Don’t overcook the burgers. Smash burgers cook very quickly since they’re so thin – you’ll need need about 2 minutes or so per side. Keep an eye on it as they do overcook quickly too.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your smash burgers on your favorite buns with any desired condiments. You can keep it simple and serve these with French fries for a casual dinner or lunch. I like to make these during the summer and pair them with side salads, like macaroni salad, pasta salad, or broccoli salad.
Proper Storage
- Fridge. Store leftover smash burgers in the fridge for up to 3 days, either in an airtight container or covered with plastic.
- Freezer. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Reheat. Reheat the patties in the oven or microwave.
More Burger Recipes To Try
Smash Burger Recipe
With thin patties topped with caramelized onions, bacon, and cheddar this, this Smash Burger recipe never disappoints. The patties are tender and juicy on the inside and cook in just a few minutes.
Servings: 4 burgers
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 24 ounces ground beef 80/20
- 8 strips bacon
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 small onions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup bbq sauce
- 8 slices sliced Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
- Portion the ground beef into 3-ounce sections and roll them into balls. You will have 8 portions.
- Preheat your flat-top grill to medium. Cook the bacon until crispy, 8-10 minutes. Place on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the butter to the grill and let it melt.
- Add the onions and toss to coat in the butter.
- Season with about ¼ of the seasoning mixture. Toss with a spatula frequently until they wilt and begin to brown 8-10 minutes. Take off the heat.
- Turn up the heat to high and grease the flattop with the oil.
- Season the balls of meat with some of the seasoning mixture on the top.
- Place the balls, seasoning side down onto the grill.
- Using a piece of parchment paper and a weight, smash each ball down as thin as you can, really concentrating on the edges.
- Season this side after smashing.
- Allow to cook until the meat looks lacey and browns around the edges, about 2 minutes.
- Using a scraper, scrape under the patty and flip it over.
- Brush this side with the BBQ sauce.
- Immediately add a slice of cheese.
- Continue to cook until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.
- For doubles, stack one patty on top of another.
- Take off the grill and serve immediately with the bacon, and onions on the buns of your choice.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Nutrition
Calories: 937kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 75g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 206mg | Sodium: 1175mg | Potassium: 790mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 725IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 310mg | Iron: 4mg
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2 comments on “Smash Burger Recipe”
Made it for the first time with only 16oz of ground beef and it was amazing! Good bye fast food burgers!
Thanks Erik!