Mastering the Griddle: Essential Burger Skills

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

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

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I have actually made smash hamburgers on this thing that people still discuss. 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 procedure that creates that deep, tasty, browned flavor we all long for.

Your very first burger and your fourth get the very same extraordinary edge-to-edge crust without the temperature dropping. I 'd know my family has actually remained in the steel company for over 50 years at our store in Hanover, MA. I comprehend this product, and I constructed these griddles specifically to fix the heat retention issue that cast iron can't.

Exploring Flat-Top versus Outdoor Grill Methods

Let it preheat for 10-15 minutes until it's ripping hot (around 500-550F). This is the very same principle behind our pizza steels pack the steel with heat, and it does the work for you. Carefully divide the ground beef into 4 x 4 oz (115g) balls. Do not overwork the meat; just form it into a loose ball.

Season the smashed patties kindly with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Cook for 60-90 seconds.

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

Professional Flat-Top Methods for 2026 Summer Grilling

Cheese melting completely on the Mini Griddle Cast iron is the traditional option for smashburgers, and it works. I used cast iron for many years. After evaluating both side-by-side for over a decade, I changed to steel. And look, I'm not simply a guy with a viewpoint. My family has run considering that the 1960s.

I comprehend how it stores and transfers heat in such a way many people never ever believe about. That knowledge is precisely what led me to invent the Baking Steel in 2012, and it's why I developed the Skinny Frying pan specifically for stovetop cooking like this. Here's the difference: That indicates it recuperates temperature level quicker between hamburgers.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Steel doesn't drop. You get the exact same screaming-hot crust on your first burger and your 4th. It heats up much faster and distributes heat more equally. No locations, no cold spots. Simply constant, edge-to-edge browning. No flavoring, no babying. Simply cook, scrape, wipe clean. I've checked cast iron, stainless-steel, and every griddle on the marketplace.

Wish to take your smashburger game outside? Place your Baking Steel Original directly on your outside grill grates. 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 added advantage of outdoor cooking and that subtle smoky taste from the grill.

Top Culinary Tips for Savory Griddle Patties

Pals lose their minds when they see it. They stroll up anticipating routine grilled burgers and rather they see me smashing patties on a slab of American-made steel on the grill. It's an entire thing. Perfect smash burgers made on the Baking Steel Original on an outside grill I designed each of these for a specific use case.

It fits on a single burner and is perfect for families or burger night with good friends. is compact and best for 1-2 hamburgers. It's great for small cooking areas, apartment or condos, or solo cooking. Exact same heat retention, smaller footprint. is the one that began everything. Use it in the oven for pizza, or take it outside and location it on your grill for smashburgers, steaks, and more.