It's grilling season, get ready for smash burgers! Making smash burgers on a Blackstone griddle is quick and easy and delivers a burger that's crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Grill onions and buns and add your favorite toppings. These Blackstone Smash Burgers will become your new summer go-to burger!
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What is a smash burger?
A smash burger is a style of burger cooked on a griddle or flat-top grill that achieves a crispy caramelized outside while preserving a juicy flavorful interior.
For this technique a ball of beef is added to a hot grill and smashed down into a thin patty. This maximizes the surface area for charring while the quick cook time results in a juicy burger patty.
I have a 36" 4-burner Blackstone Griddle, and this size is perfect for cooking the patties, onions, and buns. It's got lots of room on it, and you could still toss on a side like grilled potatoes, chicken fajitas to mix it up, or bacon for the burgers.
For these burgers, I like to keep it pretty simple with some grilled onions, romaine lettuce, and spicy cheese.
To make a quick burger sauce in the style of an In'n'Out burger, try mixing about ¼ cup of mayo with a tablespoon of ketchup and a teaspoon of yellow mustard. Add a bit of chopped pickle, a splash of vinegar, and a pinch each of salt and sugar.
This is my favorite burger condiment, it's like a mix of everything, and with the grilled onions and cheese this burger is kind of reminiscent of an In-n-Out burger (which I wish we had in Canada).
Add a mojito for the perfect summer combo!
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact amounts.
- beef: I use medium ground beef, use anything similar from your grocery store. A lot of people use 80/20 but in my Canadian city beef is not labeled this way. Medium is a 77/23 lean to fat ratio.
- onions: these are optional but grilled onions are fantastic on a burger.
- buns: Store-bought buns are fine, so are my brioche buns when I've got the time. Toast them beside the patties for extra texture.
- cheese: Use your favorite cheese, we like a spicy Pepper Jack.
- sauce: I make a quick burger sauce similar to In'n'Out style sauce with mayo, ketchup, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and salt. You can use any sauce your prefer like BBQ sauce or ketchup and mustard.
- toppings: I keep it simple with just the fried onions, cheese, lettuce, and sauce. You could also add pickles and sliced tomato.
Customize your burger with your favorite toppings. Everyone can make one their own way!
Equipment
When making Blackstone smash burgers, there are some tools that are helpful to use. You can use whichever ones you want, I like to some here and add photos of mine, so you can see what they look like.
- Long Grilling Flipper: I like a long flipper for grilling because you can flip several patties at once and a long handle keeps yours hands away from the heat.
- Dome: A dome is one of my essential grilling tools. With a dome and bottle of water you can easily steam ingredients. This works well for grilling onions, scraping up the flavorful bits on the grill when making chicken fajitas, and for melting cheese.
- Burger Press: I like a burger press for making smash burgers, and I bought mine at a local Winners store. Mine is cast iron and heavy-duty and makes smashing burgers easy. You can try to achieve the same results with just a flipper but you'll need to press down on the flipper with another tool like another sturdy flipper. A burger press makes this easy.
Instructions
Prep Tips
These burgers cook quickly, and you can cook the onions and toast the buns in staggered timing so everything finishes at the same time.
- Add oil and the onions to the grill to get a head start. Cook for 4-5 minutes and then flip. Cook another 4-5 minutes.
- Add a splash of water and cover with the dome to steam.
- A oil and a beef ball.
- Cover with parchment paper so nothing sticks.
- Press the burger for 20-30 seconds, making sure it flattens.
- Let the burger cook for about 30 seconds, this way it kind of adheres to the grill a bit and the paper is easy to peel off.
- Let the burgers cook for about 4-5 minutes on the first side. The edges will brown.
- Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until nearly done. Add the buns to the grill to toast.
Beef is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C).
- Add the cheese the burger patties, making sure they are close enough together that they'll fit under the dome.
- Add a splash of water to the grill beside the burgers.
- Place the dome on top of the burgers.
- After about 30-60 seconds the cheese will melt. Remove the patties to a platter or right onto the buns. Remove the buns.
- Add sauce and lettuce to the bottom bun and place a burger patty or two on top.
- Top with onions, sauce, and the top bun. Serve.
Tips for making smash burgers
- Hot Grill: Make sure the grill is preheating so the outside of the burger gets crispy.
- Smash: Smashing the patties helps make them cook quicker, and achieve a crispy exterior while keeping it juicy on the inside. A burger press is the easiest way to do this.
- Steam it: Adding a splash of water and trapping it in the cooking dome helps cook food faster and helps melt cheese.
- Customize it: Use your favorite toppings and sauces. Set out a burger bar at cookouts so everyone can makes their own perfect smash burger.
- Use a thermometer: For accuracy, check food with a cooking thermometer. Beef is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C).
What to serve with smash burgers
Burgers and fries are the classic so try these smash burgers with Greek fries, parmesan garlic fries, or fries with curry.
For a cookout, serve these burgers with the traditional dill potato salad or try something new with this creamy dill pickle pasta salad.
Love burgers? Try a curry burger or jalapeno cheddar burger next.
Storage
Burgers are best right when they're made. Thin patties can be harder to heat up without drying out but you could try the steaming method on the grill.
FAQs
When cooking smash burgers on a Blackstone griddle heat the burners to medium-heat high. This achieves a crispy exterior.
Recipe
Blackstone Smash Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 slices cheese
- 4 hamburger buns
- toppings: lettuce tomato, pickle
Instructions
- Preheat the Blackstone griddle to medium-high heat.
- Add oil and then the onions. Cook 4-5 minutes. Flip the onions and cook for another 4 minutes. Add a splash of water and cover the onions with the dome to steam and soften.
- Gently mix the salt and pepper into the beef and portion into 4 balls.
- Add a splash of oil and then add a beef ball to the griddle.
- Place a square of parchment paper on top of the beef ball and then smash the patty to about a ¼ inch thick. Repeat for the rest of the beef.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip, and then cook for another 2 minutes. Add the buns on the side to toast.
- Add the cheese to the patties, add a splash of water, and then add the dome. Cook for 30-60 seconds to melt the cheese. Remove the buns and patties to a plate to serve.
- Add sauce to the bottom bun, add a cheese-covered patty or two, top with onions and the top bun, and then serve.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
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