The Best Crispy Smash Burgers Begin With This Lean-To-Fat Ratio

Smash burgers are among the simplest recipes on the planet, and all you need to make the best, perfectly crispy version is heat, a spatula, and meat with the right fat ratio. If you didn't realize what the numbers on your ground beef meant, those are the different levels of lean meat to fat in the mixture. So 90/10 ground beef is 90% meat, 10% fat. Different types of recipes are better with different types of ground beef. It's not a one-size-fits-all choice. But when it comes to getting the most out of your smash burger, you are best off reaching for the classic 80/20 ground beef.

The best ratio commonly recommended for any burger, the advantages of 80/20 are maybe even more important for smash burgers. Often considered ideal for burgers, 20% fat produces the juiciest results without being overly greasy. As you cook your burger, that fat will both flavor it and melt away to add moisture. That's important because nobody wants a dry burger, and smash burgers are extra susceptible to drying out. Because they are so small, thin, and pressed against a hot surface to maximize browning, smash burgers go from perfect to overcooked very quickly. If you don't have enough fat in your ground beef, you could have a dry, crumbly smash burger patty in seconds. And as a burger that mostly cooks in its own fat, it will also help fry and brown the exterior of the patty more.

There are other little tips for smash burgers you can follow to prevent them from drying out during that high-heat frying. Individual patties for smash burgers are usually small, around three to four ounces, and when forming those balls, you should keep them as loose as possible. Like a normal burger, you don't want to overwork the meat when shaping it. That will create a tight interior structure in the ground beef, which will end up squeezing out more fat and moisture when it's cooked. You also don't want to salt the meat until it's already been smashed and is frying in the pan. Salting too early can draw out more moisture before the beef cooks, and it can also lead to a tightening of the meat proteins.

The last thing to watch out for is how quickly those smash burgers will cook, regardless of what type of ground beef you use. Over high heat, in that 3-4 ounce size range, your entire burger will cook through in around a minute and a half. You should only cook it for a minute on the first side, to let it brown, and then very quickly on the second side to ensure it's cooked through. 80/20 beef will give you a better result and more of a window for error, but even with it, you need to move fast. Even the simplest food still demands some skill.