The American Cheeseburger, Smashed at Home
A good burger depends on mince with about 20% fat, never kneaded, pressed onto a very hot cast-iron pan (a smash burger) for ninety seconds a side. Salt goes on the surface just before cooking, never into the mix — salting early makes the texture springy.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 27 min
- Calories
- 640
The difference between a home burger and a restaurant burger isn't expensive beef. It's three things: the fat ratio, not working the meat, and a pan hot enough to smoke.
Method
-
1
The sauce
Mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, pickles and paprika and chill it.
⏱ 5 min -
2
Shaping the beef
Divide the mince into four balls without kneading or compressing — handling it makes it tough. Salt and pepper go on the surface only.
⏱ 6 min -
3
Toasting the buns
Split the buns and toast them in the pan with a little butter until golden — this stops them absorbing juice and falling apart.
⏱ 4 min -
4
The smash
Heat a cast-iron pan until it smokes, put a ball of beef in and press it flat with a spatula for thirty seconds to build a crust, then leave it ninety seconds before flipping. Put the cheese on immediately after the flip and cover for sixty seconds.
⏱ 8 min -
5
Assembly
Sauce on the base, lettuce, the cheeseburger patty, tomato, onion, more sauce, and the top. Serve immediately.
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Tips that actually matter
- Don't knead the meat, and never press it after the flip — that squeezes the juice out.
- Salt goes on the surface right before cooking; in the mix it turns the texture sausage-like.
- 20% fat mince — lean beef gives you a dry burger no matter what else you do.
People also ask
My burgers fall apart in the pan.
Either the mince is too lean or the pan isn't hot enough. The meat needs fat to bind it, and the pan should be smoking before the beef goes in.
Can I cook them in the oven?
You can, at 220°C for twelve minutes, but you won't get the browned crust that carries the flavour.
Can I make it with chicken?
Yes — minced chicken with a spoon of mayonnaise for moisture, and a little longer (three minutes a side).
Cook mode
The American Cheeseburger, Smashed at Home
-
1
The sauce
Mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, pickles and paprika and chill it.
-
2
Shaping the beef
Divide the mince into four balls without kneading or compressing — handling it makes it tough. Salt and pepper go on the surface only.
-
3
Toasting the buns
Split the buns and toast them in the pan with a little butter until golden — this stops them absorbing juice and falling apart.
-
4
The smash
Heat a cast-iron pan until it smokes, put a ball of beef in and press it flat with a spatula for thirty seconds to build a crust, then leave it ninety seconds before flipping. Put the cheese on immediately after the flip and cover for sixty seconds.
-
5
Assembly
Sauce on the base, lettuce, the cheeseburger patty, tomato, onion, more sauce, and the top. Serve immediately.
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