Mastering the Flat-Top: Professional Burger Skills

I make smashburgers on steel typically. They are bad ass and as soon as you try it in this manner, you'll never go back. I developed the Baking Steel back in 2012 for pizza however truthfully, smashburgers may be the important things I prepare on steel more than anything else these days. The work is getting your hamburger bar together: chopped pickles, onions, cheese, special sauce.

Get your frying pan or steel ripping hot. We're cooking these for 30-60 seconds per side, and you want it yelling hot for that Maillard response, the sear that makes smashburgers legendary.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I've made smash burgers on this thing that individuals still speak about. Smashburgers at home are off the charts. Here's how I do it. More area equals more flavor. Smashing the beef thin makes the most of contact with the hot steel, triggering the Maillard response, the chemical process that develops that deep, savory, browned flavor all of us crave.

Your very first burger and your 4th get the very same amazing edge-to-edge crust without the temperature level dropping. I 'd understand my family has been in the steel organization for over 50 years at our shop in Hanover, MA. I comprehend this product, and I built these griddles particularly to resolve the heat retention problem that cast iron can't.

Delicious Dinner Inspiration for Grilling in 2026

Let it preheat for 10-15 minutes till it's ripping hot (around 500-550F). This is the very same principle behind our pizza steels load the steel with heat, and it does the work for you.

Immediately smash them really thin (about 1/4 inch) with a stiff spatula or press. To prevent sticking, you can put a little piece of parchment paper between the meat and the spatula. Season the smashed patties kindly with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Prepare for 60-90 seconds. You'll see the edges turn a deep, crispy brown.

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.

Exploring Flat-Top vs Traditional Grill Techniques

Cheese melting completely on the Mini Griddle Cast iron is the conventional option for smashburgers, and it works. After evaluating both side-by-side for over a decade, I changed to steel.

I comprehend how it shops and transfers heat in such a way the majority of people never ever believe about. That knowledge is precisely what led me to develop the Baking Steel in 2012, and it's why I developed the Skinny Griddle specifically for stovetop cooking like this. Here's the distinction: That means it recovers temperature quicker in between hamburgers.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Steel does not drop. You get the exact same screaming-hot crust on your very first burger and your fourth. It warms up quicker and disperses heat more uniformly. No hot areas, no cold spots. Simply constant, edge-to-edge browning. No spices, no babying. Just cook, scrape, wipe tidy. I have actually evaluated cast iron, stainless-steel, and every frying pan on the market.

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

How Premium Ingredients Transform Home Cooking

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

It fits on a single burner and is perfect for households or hamburger night with pals. Very same heat retention, smaller footprint. Utilize it in the oven for pizza, or take it outside and location it on your grill for smashburgers, steaks, and more.