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Cheesy BBQ Smash Burgers
Cheesy BBQ Smash Burgers are the pinnacle of quick, satisfying comfort food. These thin yet juicy double cheeseburgers are smashed on a hot BBQ, creating a crispy crust that locks in all the flavor. In just 25 minutes, you’ll have a mouthwatering feast, perfect for kicking off a Friday night with a bang.
How to Make It
- Prepare the Meat: Take the minced beef out of the fridge an hour before cooking to let it reach room temperature. This helps it cook more evenly.
- Get Your Fixings Ready: While the meat rests, prepare all your toppings—slice the lettuce and tomatoes, toast the buns, and have the pickles and burger sauce ready.
- Heat the BBQ: Heat up your flat-top BBQ or griddle pans on high heat, so they’re sizzling hot and ready for the burgers.
- Shape the Patties: Divide the beef into 8 equal portions, roll each into a ball, and press them together gently. This helps create a good texture for smashing.
- Season and Smash: Season the top of each meatball with salt and pepper. Place them on the hot cooking surface, season-side down. Cover with parchment paper and use a burger press or two spatulas to smash each ball into a thin patty.
- Cook and Flip: After 2 minutes, when the burgers have a good crust, flip them using a thin-edged spatula. Season the other side as they cook.
- Melt the Cheese: Add a slice of cheese to each patty, cover with a cloche, and let the cheese melt for about 30 seconds.
- Double Up and Build: Stack two patties together to make four double cheeseburgers. Remove from the heat and let them rest while you assemble the buns with lettuce, tomato, sauce, onions, and pickles. Top with the other half of the bun and serve.
Cheesy BBQ Smash Burgers
Equipment
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Burger press Optional
- 1 Burger dome/cloche
- 1 Flat griddle pan or flat-top BBQ
Ingredients
- 500g 1.1lb Minced (ground) beef, ideally 20% fat
- ¼ tsp Salt Plus another ¼ tsp for the second side
- ¼ tsp Pepper Plus another ¼ tsp for the second side
- 8 slices Cheese Burger cheese slices
- 4 Brioche buns sliced in half and lightly toasted
- 1 Romaine lettuce sliced/shredded
- 2 medium Tomatoes Thickly sliced
- 4 tbsp Burger sauce
- ½ small Onion Peeled and finely diced
- 12 slices Pickled gherkins Or burger pickle slices
Instructions
- Prep: Remove the minced beef from the fridge and leave it to come up to room temperature for 1 hour before cooking.
- Fixings: Prepare all of your burger fixings before starting cooking.
- Heat: Heat two large flat griddle pans or a flat-top BBQ to high heat.
- Shape: Divide the meat into 8 equal portions and roll each portion into a ball, pressing the fibers of the meat together.
- Season: Season the top of each ball with salt and pepper. Add the balls to the cooking surface, seasoning side down, making sure you leave enough space to squash the burgers down.
- Smash: Place a piece of parchment paper on top of each meatball and squash the burgers down using a burger press or double spatulas until thin.
- Flip: Remove the parchment paper, season the other side, and allow to cook for 2 minutes to build up a crust. Use a spatula or scraper with a thin edge to flip the burgers.
- Melt: Add a slice of cheese to each burger. Cover with a cloche for 30 seconds to help melt the cheese.
- Double: Double up the burgers (so you now have four double cheeseburgers) and remove them from the heat. Let them rest while you prepare the buns.
- Build: Build the burgers starting with the bottom bun, then lettuce, tomato, double smashed burger, burger sauce, diced onion, and pickles. Top with the other half of the bun and serve.
Notes
- The cloche helps melt the cheese evenly and keeps the burgers juicy. If you don’t have a cloche, you can still achieve great results without it.
- Nutritional information is approximate and should only be used as a guide.
Final Bite
These Cheesy BBQ Smash Burgers are not just about the taste but the experience of crafting each layer. The crispy crust of the beef, the oozy cheese, and the fresh fixings come together in a perfect bite that’ll make you the hero of your backyard BBQ. The simplicity of smashing the burgers on a hot surface is what makes them unique—quick, easy, and deliciously indulgent.
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The Legendary Juicy Lucy: Cheeseburger Perfection
It’s burger season, and there’s a burger that stands above the rest – the Juicy Lucy. Imagine biting into a burger and discovering a molten core of cheese hidden within the patty. It’s not just a cheeseburger; it’s an experience. The Juicy Lucy, a creation born in Minneapolis, offers a twist on the classic by embedding the cheese right inside the patty. This technique ensures every bite is juicy and filled with cheesy goodness. It’s straightforward and satisfying – just like good food should be.
Ingredients
- 1/4 lb ground beef chuck, preferred
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, preferred
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 burger bun (see notes)
- 1 leaf green leaf lettuce, torn
- 1 slice tomato
- Pickles, if desired
- Condiments, if desired
How to make a The Legendary Juicy Lucy
- Divide the beef into roughly 1/3 and 2/3 portions. Shape the 2/3 portion into a burger shape with an indent in the middle. Make the burger slightly larger than your bun as it will shrink while cooking. Put the cheese in the center of the larger patty. Top with the remaining beef and shape compactly into a burger patty. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high. Butter and toast your buns, then set aside.
- Add the burger to the pan and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, until charred and a crust starts to form.
- Spread ketchup, mayo, and mustard to taste on the bottom bun. Top with the burger, lettuce, tomato, and the top bun. Enjoy immediately!
Helpful tips:
Burger buns are one of the most important and overlooked components of any burger. I prefer Martin’s potato rolls, every time.
