The Only Way To Prep Beef For Perfect Smashed Patties

Smash burgers have shamelessly taken over the internet. There are a fair number of chains serving them, but they are easy enough to make at home, too — provided you know all of the secrets. Smash burgers are easily identifiable due to their shape — thin and flat — which allows them to crisp up better than a thick patty. If you're after texture in your burger, it's possibly the best way to cook them. 

One of the mistakes that people make with smash burgers, though, is not shaping the "patty" right. Instead of using a ramekin or shaping it into a classic burger shape by hand, you're going to want to shape the ground meat into a ball, then press it on the griddle, flat top, or cooking surface with a burger press. On one hand, making a ball with your hands will limit the amount of work you have to do, since you'll be ruining the shape by pressing with a burger press anyway. It'll give you a thin smashed patty, which will cook up perfectly crispy and evenly. If you shaped it into a puck instead of a ball, you may have some edges and parts that are thicker than others after you press it, resulting in an uneven cook. 

The shaping is a critical part of making smash burgers. Another one of the common mistakes that people make with these balls is over-handling them. When you poke and prod your ground meat, it can turn tough, which causes it to cook differently than meat that's been minimally handled. The balls should also be chilled for around half an hour before cooking. Chilling the meat will prevent it from sticking to the pan, and it will also help the balls stay juicy when they hit your hot skillet.

Another important tip to keep in mind is to use higher-fat beef. The crispiest smash burgers have a fat-to-lean ratio of 80/20, though some of the burger pros suggest going as far as a 70/30. All of that fat will play into the Maillard reaction, which is what gives your patties their signature crispiness and flavor.