teri holding a smashburger

It’s finally here! The Smashburger of the century has arrived. I’m so delighted to share this recipe that I think we have done to perfection. Of course, it all starts with Porter Road’s fabulous ground beef. From there, you just need a few tips and tricks to have the perfect smashburger in no time.

How to Make the Perfect Smashburger

A Smashburger does not have many steps, but it does take some serious finesse. Start by dividing your beef into four even chunks of three ounces each and loosely roll into balls. Tip: Do NOT overwork your meat! To keep your meat as tender and juicy as possible, you want to touch it as little as you can. Then, put the formed balls on a plate and put it in the freezer for 10 minutes.

ground beef with porter road

While they are resting, prep your buns! Spread mayo on the cut side of each half a bun, and put them in the cast iron, cut side down. Toast until browned and crispy and then place them on a sheet pan and place them in the oven to stay warm.

Now you are ready to make your Smashburger. Get the meat out of the freezer and add butter to the pan on high heat. Add two balls of meat to the pan and after ten seconds, smash the balls one at time with a lightly oiled spatula or a heavy pan as much as you can, to create very thin, broad patties.

smashburger sauce, pickles, and tomatoes

Sprinkle the spice blend on the patties along with a few drops of Worcestershire. After a minute and half or so, flip the patties and top one with cheese. As soon as it melts, place the cheeseless burger on top of the other, and you are ready to assemble! You can set the burgers in the oven if you have more to make, or get assembling and enjoying your smashburger!

Choosing The Best Ground Beef

The thing about a Smashburger is that you need to start with fabulous ground beef. For me, that absolutely means Porter Road. It’s an exceptional product, great value, and I love how committed they are to work only with farms that meet their high standards for practice and sustainability.

burgers on a sheet tray with cheese

A lot of times ground beef will be made up of flashy sounding cuts to make it sound more delicious. The truth of the matter is it all comes down to the quality of beef (no matter the cut) and a perfect fat to meat ratio. Porter Road uses their dry aged beef and a perfected fat ratio to create an absolutely spectacular product that is also affordable. It couldn’t be more perfect for this Smashburger.

With Porter Road, you can order exactly what you want. There’s no commitment to a subscription, and there are so many exciting cuts of meat that you can get along with the ground beef. Pick out a fabulous summer box and enjoy these meats, and Smashburgers, all summer long!

burger on a cutting board

If you make this Smashburger, be sure you rate and review it below. I can’t wait to hear what you think. If you’re looking for more inspiration, sign up for our Friday Favorites newsletter, and follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok to join in all the fun!

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burger on a cutting board

Smashburger with Special Sauce

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Teri Turner
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 burgers
  • Category: Burgers
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

This Smashburger is the burger of the summer. It’s so delicious and something the whole family will absolutely love. 

Ingredients

For the Spice blend

  •  ½ teaspoon salt
  •  ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
  •  ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  •  1/8 teaspoon paprika

For the Special Sauce

  •  ½ cup mayonnaise
  •  2 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickles
  •  1 teaspoon hot sauce
  •  1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  •  1 teaspoon dill pickle juice

For the Burgers

  •  12 ounces Porter Road Ground Beef
  •  2 brioche buns, or gluten free bread
  •  2 tablespoons mayonnaise, divided
  •  2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  •  1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, divided
  •  4 slices cheddar cheese
  •  1 ripe tomato, sliced and lightly salted
  •  ¼ head iceberg, thinly shredded
  •  Pickle slices, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Turn oven to 175°or lowest temperature available.
  2. Make the spice blend: In a small bowl, combine the salt, garlic, pepper, and paprika. Set aside.
  3. Make the Special Sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, pickles, hot sauce, dijon, and pickle juice. Set aside.
  4. Divide the ground beef into 4 even chunks, or about 3 ounces each, and loosely roll into balls. Make sure not to overpack or over-handle the meat, which will lead to tough burgers.
  5. Put the meat balls on a plate and place the plate in the freezer for ten minutes.
  6. After 5 minutes, put a cast iron skillet on a medium flame.
  7. Take your brioche buns and spread half a tablespoon of mayo on the cut side of each half a bun.
  8. Put the bun halves on the cast iron pan, cut side down and toast until browned and crispy, 1 ½ to 2 ½ minutes (keep checking as the tops sometimes cook faster than the bottoms!).
  9. Once the buns are toasted, place on a sheet tray and put in the oven to keep warm.
  10. Take the meat out of the freezer.
  11. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan and raise the heat to high.
  12. When the butter has melted, add two balls of meat to the pan and after ten seconds, swiftly smash the balls one at time with a lightly oiled spatula or a heavy pan as much as you can, to create very thin, broad patties.
  13. Immediately sprinkle half the spice blend over the two patties and drizzle ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce per patty.
  14. Cook until seared and crispy, for about 1 1/2 minutes, then flip.
  15. Top one patty with two slices of cheese and cook for another 15 seconds.
  16. Stack the cheeseless patty on top of the other patty, so that the cheese binds them together, and remove them to a their own sheet tray in the oven.  (Teri Tip: Avoid using the same tray as the buns so that the buns do not get soggy from the juices.)
  17. Repeat with the other two balls of meat.
  18. Remove the buns and patty stacks from the oven.
  19. Spread the special sauce on the bottom buns. Top the sauce with shredded lettuce and tomatoes and pickles. Add a burger stack to each bottom bun and top with the top bun.
  20. Eat right away and enjoy!