Ultimate smash burger tool for griddle ! ! !

[chef jimmyj]

I have never had a smash burger. How thick are they after pressing. I was envisioning 1/4", a McD's original burger...JJ

 

[Binford 6100]

As far as making them it would come down to what I can get food grade stainless steel for. I could custom make them to everyone's desires. That's of no more time for me.
But with Trump's tariffs the cost of food grade stainless might be sky high right now. Idk. But it would basically be the cost of materials plus a small charge of welding. Off the top of my head I was thinking 25 bucks labor plus material.

 

[meatsweats86]

I have never had a smash burger. How thick are they after pressing. I was envisioning 1/4", a McD's original burger...JJ

Chef Jimmy, I started off using using a cast iron pan, the bottom of a small soup pot with parchment paper to smash the burger, a metal spatula with sharp edge and 8/20 beef. I use 2.5oz patties and get them as thin as I can. Make sure the pan is HOT and you press down hard when scraping the burger. They take about 1 minute to make so you could do them in batches if needed.

I now have a 36" blackstone and lodge bacon press I use. I follow this video to a T when I make mine including the sauce and everybody tells me they are better than any restaurant. I no longer order burgers when I go out.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Ok, they are very thin. I did the math, I would need 16-2oz burgers to feed my family. The sides of my CI griddle would not contain the fat so I need an alternative. Lodge makes rectangular carbon steel pans with 1" sides. Two of these would get the job done. If they hold the heat well enough to get a good sear...JJ

 

[zwiller]

Never had them but I think the SB restaurant burgers are actually much thicker than the video hence the need for a tool. I think IHOP is now doing them this way too. I heard the Smash guys running their griddle upwards to 600F and that's gonna make a bigger impact on the flavor than using a pressing tool. That said, I am slowly perfecting a slider recipe and am damn close. We like those even more than SB or big pub style burgers. Yes, we are trash... LOL

 

[johnmeyer]

Tortilla press would no doubt give you a flat burger, but the point of the smash burger is to throw a ball of meat on the hot griddle and then smash it down so it forms a nice crust. Placing an already flat burger will still be tasty, but i don't think you will get the desired crust.

I never even heard of (nor have I ever seen) a "smash burger" before this thread. Therefore I didn't realize that you needed to smash it while it was on the griddle.

I'd still like an excuse to get a tortilla press.

 

[30" Jim]

Ever been to a Steak N Shake?
They use a spatula pressed down with a heavy duty 2 pronged fork to smash the burgers and a wooden plank to hold the buns down on the griddle.

 

[dward51]

I've tried the burger turner spatula and other tool pressing method. The "steak weight" is so much easier. There is absolutely no bend in the handle of the heavy 2 1/2 pound model and the re-curve over the smashing surface let's you get a good press on the burger balls on the griddle. There is something to be said for smash tool thickness. No comparison to the pressed spatula method IMO.

 

[nanuk]

...There is something to be said for smash tool thickness....

Go BIG or go home!!!

I can see having a place to set it so the tool stays HOT as well being a huge advantage, as once that monster heats up, it will cook from the top as well.

I can't see the videos, but do you flip those smash burgers? or just cook from one side?

 

[bertjo44]

I find a small cast iron skillet works fine.

 

[Bummed]

Not sure if I'm allowed a link but I have "Lodge LFIP3 Lodge Flat Iron Grill Press", $13.22 at Walmart and Amazon and works great!

 

[johnmeyer]

Not sure if I'm allowed a link but I have "Lodge LFIP3 Lodge Flat Iron Grill Press", $13.22 at Walmart and Amazon and works great!

I have one of those and I would think it would be perfect. I use it to make paninis, and it does a great job of "smashing down" the sandwich.

 

[meatsweats86]

Go BIG or go home!!!

I can see having a place to set it so the tool stays HOT as well being a huge advantage, as once that monster heats up, it will cook from the top as well.

I can't see the videos, but do you flip those smash burgers? or just cook from one side?

You don't want the tool to be hot or it might stick to the burger. I use parchment paper under my tool. Once you smash it, the top will start to turn brown and greasy. As this point scrape the bottom with a metal spatula so you get the crust of the meat and flip it over. The burger is fully cooked. I add cheese right away and place the other patty on top.

Google "Binging with Babish cooks the perfect Smashed Burger" and you'll see how it's done.

 

[Burgertime]

Just wanted to update this thread with a smasher I just got in:
I'll be trying it out this weekend, but it looks awesome and is well built. The only problem is that its a little bigger than I would prefer. Most burger parchment rounds are around 4.5" and this press is 6.4".

 

[browneyesvictim]

Hmmm... I don't think that's an issue. First I would say it depends on how much meat you start with and then wheather you press until it bottoms out. You are in control of that. Me personally I would rather start with a wider patty that will shrink and still be slightly wider than the bun. The patty papers I get from Lisa are 5-1/2". But you can always just use a piece of parchment paper off the roll.

 

[Burgertime]

Hmmm... I don't think that's an issue. First I would say it depends on how much meat you start with and then wheather you press until it bottoms out. You are in control of that. Me personally I would rather start with a wider patty that will shrink and still be slightly wider than the bun. The patty papers I get from Lisa are 5-1/2.

Yeah, I see what you mean, but for me personally I don't have a dedicated griddle. I use a 12" cast iron skillet, so I'm thinking about how many burgers I can do at once. I should be able to press the first patty, then scotch it over and press the 2nd. I'll be on the lookout for a gas griddle on clearance this year.

I found some 7" parchment circles on amazon I might try.

 

[browneyesvictim]

Cast Iron is king for sure. Before I got the Blackstone, I was using a cheap electric non-stick Presto griddle when I needed to make multiple patties. That was just more practical than using the cast iron pan. It worked great and I didn't even "smash" them on the grill.

Take a look at the bottom of your dinner serving plates. Most of them have a raised rim around the bottom rather than sitting flat. The diameter and height of this rim will vary by manufacturer. Place a piece of parchment down on your counter, then place your meat ball in the center, followed by another piece of parchment. Press the down using the plate bottom just as you would the smash burger tool. Now you have a perfectly formed patty between two sheets of parchment paper ready for use or freezing for later. This is much faster and less fuss than using any other kind of patty press... short of smashing it on the grill of course. When you place your patty on the grill or cast Iron pan, take off one sheet of parchment and in one fluid movement SMACK it top side down on to the surface with a splat! Remove the second parchment immediately or leave it on there for a bit to let it steam if you like, of if the paper is stuck. You can get 2 or 3 patties to fit in a 12" cast iron pan depending on how wide your patties are. This "smack-down" method works just as good as the "smash" down method from my experience.

 

[BigW.]

I've only made them once but agree, they are terrific. There are several you tube videos with success and failures. I think the key is med size meatball, throw on hot grill, then smash. Keep pressure on the burger for 1-2 minutes to get crust. then scrape off, flip add cheese. They are thin so it does not take long to cook.

 

[Burgertime]

Good to see all the reply's here!

I'm curious how everyone seasons their smash burgers and what type of meat they use?

I usually use 80/20 and seasoning is usually very minimal. Sometimes just some garlic flavored sea salt and a little butter at the end or sometimes I'll use Back of the Yard season from The Spice House (its a little strong on the pepper).

 

[gmc2003]

This would be my choice.