1st time trying smashburgers semi-fail

SweetHeatBBQnSC · Dec 3, 2020

I did my first cook on my Blackstone 17" griddle. Got it for $48, yessah! I have been wanting to try smashburgers for forever. I had 2 pre-made 80/20 patties I bought from wally world so I thought what the heck.

The patties were 1/4# so I took some meat off and tried to roll the patties into a ball. When I smashed the balls flat they started falling apart some (1 way more than the other). However I was able to salvage them and used the Killer Hogs AP rub. Burgers were amazing! Also toasted the buns and the combo was great. I can't wait to do this with normal ground beef. Thanks for looking.

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rwalters · Dec 3, 2020

Awesome cook! Smash burgers are amazing

ronbrad62 · Dec 3, 2020

Even some of the things we consider fails still taste pretty good! They may not look like you wanted, but they sure look tasty enough.

NoOne · Dec 3, 2020

I always have problems with smash burgers... they stick, no matter what I do. I guess it is because my wife only buys lean 90%+ ground beef. Or I just suck at it.

Yours look better than mine.

jzadski · Dec 3, 2020

They might not be the prettiest but, they look very tastey. The wife wants no other burger now. I pretty much copied exactly what these guys do. I find them very entertaining. I did get a differnt smasher....sasquash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOwa02cirGQ&t=575s

https://www.amazon.com/Burger-Iron-Professional-Pan-Sized-Ultimate/dp/B07VVSQ4QL

I have sprayed the bottom with pam to help the sometime stick

kevinstaggs · Dec 3, 2020

I offer a golf analogy - its how many, not how. So, maybe in burger cooking its "how it tastes, not how it looks."

shares · Dec 3, 2020

You want to handle the ground beef as little as possible. Maybe that's what went wrong, since the patties were already mashed once. Try again with the regular 80/20, make a ball. I make 4 balls out of 1lb - that gives me double the tasty brown.

Mikhail · Dec 3, 2020

Not seeing a fail there... a challenge, maybe, but not a fail!

Hawklaw · Dec 3, 2020

No1 said:
I always have problems with smash burgers... they stick, no matter what I do. I guess it is because my wife only buys lean 90%+ ground beef. Or I just suck at it.

Yours look better than mine.

Easy fix for that - fry up a few slices of bacon on there first and then you can replace the missing 10% burger fat with bacon fat.

thirdeye · Dec 3, 2020

SweetHeatBBQnSC said:
I did my first cook on my Blackstone 17" griddle. Got it for $48, yessah! I have been wanting to try smashburgers for forever. I had 2 pre-made 80/20 patties I bought from wally world so I thought what the heck.

The patties were 1/4# so I took some meat off and tried to roll the patties into a ball. When I smashed the balls flat they started falling apart some (1 way more than the other). However I was able to salvage them and used the Killer Hogs AP rub. Burgers were amazing! Also toasted the buns and the combo was great. I can't wait to do this with normal ground beef. Thanks for looking.

Sent from my SM-A215U using Tapatalk

No1 said:
I always have problems with smash burgers... they stick, no matter what I do. I guess it is because my wife only buys lean 90%+ ground beef. Or I just suck at it.

Yours look better than mine.

Higher fat content does help, maybe it's technique... try letting the ball cook for 30 seconds, Spray the spatula, then smash and hold..., then while still holding rotate the spatula about 90° (I go counterclockwise) and it will release easier.

Garyclaw · Dec 3, 2020

Well .......that looks mighty good to me.

Shiz-Nit · Dec 4, 2020

Looking good and juicy

16Adams · Dec 4, 2020

Just an observation.
There is a level of happiness that occurs long before perfection.
Seek happiness.

I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday..........:-D

Tannhauser42 · Dec 4, 2020

One reason they can fall apart is if it's a coarse grind, and the fat is more noticeably chunky. You then get pockets of fat that render out, leaving holes in your patty.

SweetHeatBBQnSC · Dec 4, 2020

thirdeye said:
Higher fat content does help, maybe it's technique... try letting the ball cook for 30 seconds, Spray the spatula, then smash and hold..., then while still holding rotate the spatula about 90° (I go counterclockwise) and it will release easier.

Everything I have seen says 80/20, would 73/27 work even better?

Everyone else thanks for techniques and tips. I definitely see what the fuss is all about with smash burgers and how juicy they stay. It was totally a tasty experiment!

BBQ Bacon · Dec 4, 2020

Nothing wrong with that semi-fail. Like others have said, get the griddle nice and hot, then put down, let sit for about 30 seconds, then smash down. Then let it get a good crust before flipping. Smash burgers do not lend well for medium cooked.

4ever3 · Dec 4, 2020

Pre-made patties was the biggest problem, 80/20 will work great.

Make 3 oz balls, season, place on flat top and let them crust for 30 secondsish.

When yer ready to smash, place parchment on the ball, then put the spatula on the parchment paper and smash away!

Hold for 30 secondsish, and move to the next one.

When it comes time to flip, don’t do it wreck less. Slide the spatula underneath by twisting left to right while applying lots of pressure to the flat top, that will separate the crust from the griddle insuring it stays on the patty.

Carry on...

p.s. Not a fail, just a learning experience, and btw, I’d eat it!!!

AUswimKC · Dec 4, 2020

I use patties as well. But I don’t ball them. I just smash them as thin as possible (they’re basically see thru but will contract) with a flat bacon press. I know buying ground beef is cheaper but using and storing patties is so much easier. I buy 10for$10 and they are 3.5oz patties

AUswimKC · Dec 4, 2020

No1 said:
I always have problems with smash burgers... they stick, no matter what I do. I guess it is because my wife only buys lean 90%+ ground beef. Or I just suck at it.

Yours look better than mine.

Use butter, oil, bacon grease, something. And then let the patty cook and crust. You basically cook the patty on just one side (grease will bubble thru and top will be turning from pink to brown when ready) - that should be long enough to crust. Then flip and cheese and wait for cheese to melt. Perfect

Some thing with a steak. It will stick until that crust is fully formed. The , it won’t stick any more.

Clasko2 · Dec 4, 2020

Another poster said it, but I agree and it sounds weird but 3oz works great. You wouldn't think that 1 less oz would make a difference, but my best ones have always been 3oz. Also, for smash burgers, since they're so thin, and you're not really looking for medium rare per se, I have great results with 73/27...more fat leaves it juicy and the extra fat seems to hold it together better.

1st time trying smashburgers semi-fail

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