Secret Ingredients for Award-Winning 2026 Burgers

I make smashburgers on steel frequently. The work is getting your hamburger bar together: sliced pickles, onions, cheese, special sauce.

Get your griddle or steel ripping hot. You need to work quick. We're preparing these for 30-60 seconds per side, and you want it screaming hot for that Maillard response, the sear that makes smashburgers famous. I love to smash for buddies. Many of the time, they have actually already had our Baking Steel pizza, and I like to blend the menu.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I have actually made smash burgers on this thing that people still talk about. Smashing the beef thin maximizes contact with the hot steel, setting off the Maillard reaction, the chemical process that creates that deep, savory, browned flavor we all yearn for.

Your first hamburger and your fourth get the exact same incredible edge-to-edge crust without the temperature level dropping. I 'd know my family has actually remained in the steel organization for over 50 years at our shop in Hanover, MA. I comprehend this product, and I constructed these griddles specifically to resolve the heat retention issue that cast iron can't.

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Let it preheat for 10-15 minutes until it's ripping hot (around 500-550F). This is the same principle behind our pizza steels pack the steel with heat, and it does the work for you. Carefully divide the hamburger into 4 x 4 oz (115g) balls. Do not strain the meat; just form it into a loose ball.

Season the smashed patties generously with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Cook for 60-90 seconds.

Use a bench scraper or stiff spatula to get under the patty, guaranteeing you scrape up all the crispy, browned bits. Turn it over. Instantly put a piece of cheese on the flipped patty. Prepare for another 30-45 seconds to melt the cheese. Quickly toast your buns on a cooler part of the griddle for 15-20 seconds.

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Cheese melting completely on the Mini Griddle Cast iron is the conventional choice for smashburgers, and it works. I used cast iron for several years. But after testing both side-by-side for over a decade, I changed to steel. And appearance, I'm not just a guy with an opinion. My household has run considering that the 1960s.

I comprehend how it stores and transfers heat in a way a lot of people never think about. Here's the distinction: That suggests it recovers temperature faster between hamburgers.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Steel does not drop. You get the same screaming-hot crust on your first hamburger and your 4th. It heats up faster and distributes heat more evenly. No locations, no cold spots. Simply consistent, edge-to-edge browning. No flavoring, no babying. Just cook, scrape, wipe clean. I have actually evaluated cast iron, stainless-steel, and every frying pan on the marketplace.

Preheat the grill and steel for 15-20 minutes on high heat, then smash your hamburgers right on the steel. You get the same amazing crust with the added advantage of outside cooking and that subtle smoky flavor from the grill.

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They walk up anticipating routine grilled hamburgers and rather they see me smashing patties on a slab of American-made steel on the grill. Perfect smash burgers made on the Baking Steel Original on an outside grill I designed each of these for a particular usage case.

It fits on a single burner and is ideal for households or hamburger night with friends. is compact and ideal for 1-2 hamburgers. It's excellent for little cooking areas, apartments, or solo cooking. Exact same heat retention, smaller footprint. is the one that started all of it. Use it in the oven for pizza, or take it outdoors and place it on your grill for smashburgers, steaks, and more.