By 
Let me first start off by saying two very important things 1) these are the BEST burgers I’ve ever made at home and 2) this recipe is directly adapted from my friend and fellow foodie, Mike Puma of @gothamburgersocialclub on Instagram and founder of the “Smash Burger”. I’m s so excited to be sharing his Smash Burger recipe with you all and forever changing your home burger making game!
Okay, so I’ve made a lot of burgers at home so what makes these so good yet so simple? It’s the technique that Mike uses which is to smash thinly sliced onions into the burger which not only gets very crispy caramelized onions but the thin burger patties also get very nicely browned which adds so much flavor! I’m also sharing a very close version of his sauce (because I just can’t help myself but to make things my own!) which absolutely puts a huge cherry on top of this burger recipe.
The key changes I’ve made are:
- I’m using dairy-free cheese for my recipe because I just live that life whenever possible.. otherwise I recommend using either American cheese slices or Cheddar
- The sauce calls for yellow mustard and pickle juice, but I’ve substituted those for dijon mustard and relish
Okay, let’s get to it…
Smashed Burgers
Ingredients
Smash Burgers
- 1/2 pound ground sirloin or a high quality ground beef (trust me, it's worth it!)
- 1/2 white onion
- 4 burger buns I suggest a potato or Hawaiian bun
- kosher salt
- 4 slices American or Cheddar cheese For non-dairy, use Violife's aged "cheddar"
Sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1/4 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons relish
- 1/4 teaspoon dark brown sugar
- 1 pinch paprika
- 1 pinch garlic powder
Instructions
Sauce
-
Mix all ingredients together until well combined and set aside.
Smash Burgers
-
Divide your ground sirloin into 4 even parts and roll into balls. Set aside.
-
Slice your onion VERY thin. If you have a mandolin slicer use this on the thinnest setting. If not, practice your chef skills and use your sharpest knife to carefully slice your onion as thin as possible--the thinner the better for this recipe!
-
Place a large non-stick saute pan or cast iron (or if you have a griddle, use that!) on HIGH heat. Turn on your vent fan if you have one, otherwise, try to open a window if possible. There will be some smoke during cooking.
-
Add the burger patty balls to your pan and carefully top each with a nice handful of the onions. Then using either a burger press or very sturdy spatula (I've also improvised and used the bottom of a small saute pan!), press firmly down on the top of each patty ball until it spreads very thin and is about 1 inch larger in diameter than your buns (because they will shrink when cooking).
-
Season the top with kosher salt and cook for about 1 min and 30 seconds, flip, add the cheese, cover and cook for another 1 min and 30 seconds.
-
Optional: if you prefer your buns toasted, then add some spreadable butter or cooking spray to each side and place down on your pan for just a few seconds until they begin to brown. Remove and set aside.
-
Remove the patties and place on your burger buns. I recommend waiting a 1-2 minutes to let the juices from the burger seal before enjoying!
What do you think?