Grocery basket
80/20 ground beef, salt, pepper, soft burger buns, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, tomato, onion, pickles, lettuce, American or cheddar cheese
Method
Grill, griddle, or stove top
Category
Sandwiches and Burgers
Servings
4
Prep Time
15–20 minutes
Cook Time
2 minutes
We here at Hungry Fan are beyond pleased to introduce our newest content contributor, Mitchell Schwartz! You may know Mitch from his Super Bowl-winning feats on the gridiron with the Kansas City Chiefs. Or maybe you know him for his love of food and his kickass cooking video series, Mitch in the Kitch.
Mitch is helping us get ready for the Big Game with his delicious recipe for Smashed Burgers. He likes this recipe particularly for a Super Bowl watch party because the long halftime affords plenty of time to cook up some smashed burgers and get back to the game before the third quarter begins.
Ingredients
20 ounces 80/20 ground beef (5 ounces/person)
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 soft burger buns, preferably brioche
Mayonnaise, to taste
Ketchup, to taste
Mustard, to taste
1 large tomato, sliced into thin rounds
1 large onion, sliced into thin rounds
Pickles, to taste
Shredded lettuce, to taste
American cheese slices
Cheddar cheese slices
Directions
Separate 5 ounces of ground beef into two (2 1/2) ounce balls. Repeat three times (for a total of four servings.)
Using wax paper burger sheets, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or plastic bags to protect the beef, pre-smash your meat into very thin patties. (If using a large sheet of foil or plastic wrap, trim the perimeter to fit the individual patties to make transferring them to the grill easier.) Note: Each serving is two patties.
Season patties with salt and pepper.
Preheat a flat top, griddle, or large cast iron skillet to high, ideally reaching 500–600 degrees F.
Toast buns and then top them with desired condiments. Set aside.
Gently place patties on selected cooking surface, carefully removing the liners.
After 45 seconds to a minute, when the bottom side of each patty is golden brown, flip. (You may need to scrape under the patties to un-stick them before flipping.)
Flip the patties again. Top half the patties with a slice of cheese. Then top each cheesed patty with a non-cheesed patty. Remove from heat.
To build a burger, place the double smashed patty atop the condiment-spread bottom bun. Then, top with the thin sliced onion. (The steam from the patties will cook out some of the raw onion flavor, taking the edge off the raw onion without fully cooking it.) Add atop the onions any other additional toppings, and finish with a condiment-spread top bun.
Recipe Note
PRO TIPS
To maximize game day efficiency:
- Slice your tomatoes and onions prior to guests arriving and set aside.
- Pre-smash the burger patties and keep them in the fridge.
- At the 2-minute warning (prior to halftime), heat up your grill, griddle, or whatever surface you're cooking on.
- At halftime, set out your sliced tomatoes and onions, as well as any other toppings and condiments before you begin cooking the patties.
- Have your guests assemble their own burgers with with buns as they come off the grill.
