You can do this in a kitchen on a stovetop just fine, but it's just as easy to do outside - set the cast iron right on the grill grates over hot coals, or lay a flat griddle plate over a bed of charcoal, and you get the same crust with a little extra smoke riding along. The one thing that doesn't change no matter where you're cooking: the pan has to be screaming hot before the beef goes anywhere near it, or you'll steam the patty instead of searing it.
What you need
- 1.5 lb ground beef, 80/20, loosely formed into 6 balls
- RiverKingz All Purpose Rub, for the griddle
- 6 slices American cheese
- 6 soft burger buns, buttered and toasted
- Sliced pickles, onion and your sauce of choice
- 1 tbsp neutral oil, if your pan needs it
How it goes
- Get a cast iron skillet or griddle screaming hot, more heat than feels reasonable - give it a full 8 to 10 minutes over high heat before anything touches it. If you're using charcoal, this means a fully lit chimney dumped and left to settle for a few minutes first.
- Do not season the meat before it hits the pan. Set a ball of beef down, sprinkle the top with rub, then smash it flat and thin with a spatula or a heavy pot - you want it thin enough that the edges go lacy and crisp.
- Press once, hard, and then leave it alone. Moving it around is how you lose the crust that's forming underneath.
- Season the second side the moment you flip it, about 90 seconds in, once a deep crust has formed underneath. If it's not releasing cleanly from the pan yet, it's not ready to flip.
- Lay cheese on immediately after the flip so it melts into the patty by the time the other side is done, another 60 to 90 seconds. An instant-read thermometer should read 160F if you want to check.
- Stack two patties per bun with pickles, onion and sauce, and eat it before the bun goes soft.
Worth knowing
- 80/20 ground beef is not negotiable here - leaner meat won't render enough fat to crisp properly against the pan.
- If your smash isn't sticking a little to the spatula, your pan isn't hot enough yet. That slight resistance is what tells you the sear is happening.
- A cheap heavy pot works better for smashing than a fancy burger press - flat, heavy, and disposable if it gets messy.
Pit note. Worked into the meat and left to sit, salt turns the texture springy and sausage-like. Season the outside only, right as it hits the heat.
