Blackstone Smash Burger

Photo from The Wooden
Skillet

My mom was a cheeseburger aficionado. The more it dripped down your arm, the better was her motto. She was a LOVER of In N Out burgers. Having grown up on them, they were her favorite. But that never stopped her from trying different burgers. Never stopped her from looking for the best burger ever. 

Unfortunately (or fortunately) she passed on her love of burgers to me. Our main difference though I I'm a burner minimalist. I don't like a lot of stuff on my burgers. Buns, meat and sauce is usually all I get. Or, occasionally, bacon can be added to that list. No veggies for me on my burger. 

Smash burgers have become all the rage in the last several years. Most smash burgers I've seen are mostly burger, cheese and bun. My kind of burger. 

I stumbled onto this recipe while reading a recipe from another writer. Blackstone is a brand of griddle/grill. Griddles have also become all the rage. I'll stick to a grill thankyouverymuch. Still, I figured I could do some smash burgers in a skillet and get the same result. AND the best part is I had gotten some "smash" burger patties free from Omaha Steaks a while back and needed to use them up. 

I did question whether this was considered a "recipe". I mean I can make burgers in my sleep. The burger sauce though, that's new. And so, my blog. My rules. I'm counting it. 

I cheated and didn't cook my bacon. I had microwave bacon that I used. Would it have made a difference if I cooked my patties in bacon grease? Maybe, but for me, I'm ok with  not doing that.

The sauce was too sweet for me. I added more dill pickles and dill juice to it and it was perfect. Helped with the drip factor that's for sure. 

I grilled my smash burgers and two things I now know. 1) they need to be on a griddle and 2) they need to be smashed more. 

Overall, good recipe. 

Blackstone Smash Burger

Recipe from The Wooden Skillet

Serves 4

House Smash Burger Sauce:

• ½ cup mayo
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon dill pickles, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon pickle juice
• ½ teaspoon soy sauce, sub coconut aminos
• ½ teaspoon rice vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

Smash Burgers + Toppings:

• 1 pound ground beef, 80/20
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut in half
• 4 hamburger buns
• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 4 slices American cheese
• burger pickles
• optional white onion, very thinly sliced

Make Burger Sauce: 

Add the classic Burger Sauce ingredients to a small bowl, stir to combine. Set aside.

Prep Burger Balls: 

Add 1 pound ground beef, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper to bowl. Mix to combine. Use a scale to create 1/4 pound balls with your hands and set aside.

Prep Other Ingredients: 

Make sure the bacon is halved an ready to go. Butter both sides of the buns. Have cheese ready to go, some salt + pepper for seasoning, as well as an extra plate to put your cooked burgers on. Having everything prepped and ready to go is essential, because the cook time goes real quick.

Cook Bacon: 

Bring Blackstone or flat top to medium-high heat. Add bacon and let cook to your liking, 3-4 minutes (more if you like them extra crispy). Warm up your burger press a bit so the bottom isn't cold (especially if you store it outside). Move bacon off to the side, but make sure the bacon grease is nice and distributed.

Cook Burgers + Toast Buns: 

Place burger balls on flat top. Slowly press down on each ball to flatten until the patties are approx. 1/4 inch thick. This will take 15-20 seconds per burger. Let sit and cook for the next 40 seconds (feel free to season patties at this point if you want). Flip and immediately add a slice of cheese to each – this is also when you will put the burger buns down (buttered side down). Close lid and let burgers cook approx. 2 minutes. Open lid and remove burgers and buns to clean plate.

Build + Serve Burger: Take a toasted bun and place the cooked burger on top (or stack two). Top with two slices bacon, burger pickles, and burger sauce – also add onion if you want. Enjoy!