Perfecting the Griddle: Best Burger Techniques

I make smashburgers on steel frequently. The work is getting your burger bar together: sliced pickles, onions, cheese, unique sauce.

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

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I've made smash hamburgers on this thing that individuals still speak about. Smashburgers in your home are off the charts. Here's how I do it. More area equates to more taste. Smashing the beef thin maximizes contact with the hot steel, triggering the Maillard response, the chemical process that develops that deep, tasty, browned flavor we all crave.

Your very first burger and your 4th get the very same amazing edge-to-edge crust without the temperature dropping. I 'd understand my household has actually remained in the steel company for over 50 years at our store in Hanover, MA. I understand this material, and I built these frying pans particularly to fix the heat retention issue that cast iron can't.

Crucial Tips for The Best Outdoor Dinner Sides

Let it pre-heat for 10-15 minutes up until it's ripping hot (around 500-550F). This is the same concept behind our pizza steels fill the steel with heat, and it does the work for you.

Immediately smash them extremely 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 generously with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Prepare for 60-90 seconds. You'll see the edges turn a deep, crispy brown.

Cook for another 30-45 seconds to melt the cheese. Briefly toast your buns on a cooler part of the griddle for 15-20 seconds.

Secret Ingredients for Premium 2026 Burgers

Cheese melting perfectly on the Mini Griddle Cast iron is the standard choice for smashburgers, and it works. After checking both side-by-side for over a decade, I switched to steel.

I comprehend how it stores and transfers heat in a method the majority of people never consider. That understanding is exactly what led me to develop the Baking Steel in 2012, and it's why I developed the Skinny Griddle particularly for stovetop cooking like this. Here's the difference: That means it recuperates temperature quicker between burgers.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Steel doesn't drop. You get the very same screaming-hot crust on your very first burger and your fourth. It warms up much faster and disperses heat more equally. No hot spots, no cold spots. Just consistent, edge-to-edge browning. No flavoring, no babying. Just cook, scrape, wipe tidy. I've evaluated cast iron, stainless-steel, and every frying pan on the marketplace.

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

How to Cook a Premium Flat-Top Burger

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

It fits on a single burner and is ideal for households or hamburger night with friends. is compact and perfect for 1-2 burgers. It's terrific for small kitchen areas, houses, or solo cooking. Exact same heat retention, smaller sized footprint. is the one that began all of it. Use it in the oven for pizza, or take it outdoors and place it on your grill for smashburgers, steaks, and more.