Want to know how to make smash burger? You’ve come to the right place!!!
What’s the big deal about the smash burger anyway? How is it different than other burgers? And how do you make them if you don’t have a griddle?
How do you cook a Smash Burger without a Griddle?
How do you make a smash burger?

First sauté your onions in butter on the flat side of your grill grates which turn your grill into a griddle.

How to make smash burger: instead of forming a full patty, grab the ground beef into a loose ball and then you will put it on the griddle and smash it with your spatula.
So how do you cook a smash burger?

How to cook smash burger: Make a loose patty that will get smashed onto the griddle side of the GrillGrates.

How to make smash burger: I prefer American Cheese for it’s serious melt factor.
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The Smash Burger
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 burgers 1x
Description
The Smash burger, is a diner style burger made on a griddle or a cast iron pan that is juicy with crispy edges paired with grilled onions and secret sauce – its the ultimate burger recipe to have in your burger repertoire!
Ingredients
For the Burgers
- 9” cast iron skillet or grill grates flipped to the flat side
- 2 lbs ground chuck roast (80% lean, 20% fat)
- ½ stick butter, divided in half
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. kosher sea salt, divided
- 1/2 Tbsp. coarsely ground pepper, divided
For the Secret Sauce
- ½ cup mayo
- 2 tbsp. ketchup
- 1 tbsp. mustard
- 1 tbsp. pickle relish (either sweet or dill is okay)
- 1 dash onion powder
- 1 dash smoked paprika
Instructions
- Mix secret sauce ingredients and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Very gently, form the ground beef into rough balls — just enough to give them shape without compressing the beef. (These burgers will be flattened straight on the grill to create crispy edges from cooking).
- Heat your grill to 400 degrees on medium-high direct heat.
- Place a large cast iron skillet on the grill or, use the flat, griddle side of grill grates. Give your surface a few minutes to get nice and hot.
- Add butter to the skillet and let it melt. Add onions and let them cook until translucent. Remove the onions from the skillet and set aside.
- Add more butter. Working in batches, place burgers on the skillet and flatten with a metal spatula to ½-inch thick. Sprinkle the burgers with salt and pepper.
- Flip the burgers when the edges begin to form a nice, crispy crust.
- Add cheese and continue to cook. Remove the burgers once both sides have achieved those crispy griddled edges.
- To assemble burgers, slather the bun in secret sauce. Next, add a patty and top with grilled onions. Optionally, add tomato and pickles.
Notes
I’ve used affiliate links in this post. I only recommend products I use myself!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Burgers, Smash Burger
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: how to make smash burger
Want more grilled beef recipes? Check out these posts!