The Grilling Mistake You're Making With Thin Burger Patties (And The Instant Fix)

Smash burgers are thin patties that are smashed down while cooking in order to maximize the surface area that comes in contact with the grill so they can develop a deeply browned and crispy crust. Because the thin burgers cook faster, they stay moist, tender, and juicy, while maintaining a rich, caramelized flavor. Yet a common problem with making smash burgers on the grill is letting them cook too long. This can happen due to one simple mistake people often make when grilling thin patties: closing the lid.

Closing the lid of your grill is necessary if you're cooking large, thick pieces of meat that could benefit from convection cooking. However, if you're cooking food or meat that is less than ¾-inch thick, you should keep the lid open. An open lid allows you to better achieve the Maillard reaction, which is necessary to sear the meat quickly and create a crisp, caramelized crust on the outside of your burger. Since fresh air will circulate through the grill while cooking, it's also less likely that you'll end up overcooking the patties.

So the next time you cook up a batch of smash burgers for friends and family at a backyard barbecue, remember to leave the lid up while cooking. If you're grilling veggies, steaks, and chicken, cook those first with the lid down. When you're ready to grill your burgers, remove the other items from the grill, wrap them in foil, and put them on the warming rack. Then pop your burger patties on the hot grill.

The easiest way to make sure your smash burgers turn out perfectly is to start with quality ground beef. The ground meat should have a ratio of 80/20, meaning 80% lean to 20% fat. This lean-to-fat ratio is best for burgers because it has enough fat in it to create decadent, moist pockets as it melts on the hot grill. When you're grilling thin burger patties, that's important to prevent them from becoming dried out while cooking.

You also want to salt your patties just before grilling. Adding salt not only enhances flavor, but also improves tenderness and makes it easier to achieve a crust. Of course, in addition to salt, you should also add your favorite seasoning mix to the ground beef mixture. But for the best burger seasoning blend, keep it simple with a mix of salt, onion and garlic powder, and pepper.

Additionally, make sure your grill is at the optimal temperature before tossing on your patties. Thin patties or smash burgers should be grilled at about 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you put them on the grill, the exact moment to smash the burger patties for perfect results is within the first 30 seconds. After smashing, you should let them sit without flipping or moving them until the tops look charred or turn a rich brown color, which (at that temperature) is usually just about 45 seconds to a minute. When you do flip them, they only need to cook for a few more seconds – any longer and they may dry out. Finally, have your toasted and dressed bun ready to go, as these burgers are best served straight from the grill.