Okay, I kind of can’t believe I’m going to write a post about this. But for a long time now, I have not really enjoyed eating burgers at restaurants. They are always too big, too thick… too something. As long as I can remember, I have been telling dear husband about the burgers they used to make at Steak ‘n Shake when I was a kid. The patties were flat and crispy – YUM!!! The only thing that comes close is the the mini burger at Kidd Valley. That’s my favorite.

So about a month ago, I looked up online “make crispy edge burgers like Steak ‘n Shake“, or something like that, and sure enough, I am not the only one hankering for a flat and crispy burger! In fact, it’s a thing. And it’s been a thing for a while. People actually get really excited about it. There’s an art to it. And there are several other places that make their burgers this way that I never heard of, like Shake Shack and In-n-Out Burgers, to name a few.

The trick is this: the burgers are smashed down the second they hit the hot pan, and the pan has to be very hot. The first time I tried making these, I used my cast iron griddle on my stove top, because cast iron can get good and hot. The burgers were fabulous, however, they didn’t have quite the crisp that I was going for. My cast iron doesn’t like it when I heat it up too hot on a burner, so I had to try something different. And I did. And it worked.

Here is what I did. First I put my cast iron griddle in my bbq grill and sprinkled some salt on it.

I then closed the lid and let the bbq heat up to about 500°.

Getting close to temp. Do you like my shadow?

Now, the burgers are small, about 3 oz. each. So I got 12 oz. of ground beef – 85%/15% – and made 4 small balls.

The kitchen is a mess, and it’s about to get messier.

I then pre-flattened them, but you don’t really have to do that. I just had a feeling that it would be helpful. And I think it was.

I then toasted the hamburger buns in butter, face down on my electric griddle, so I could do them all at once. I’ve read that you should use just plain old hamburger buns, nothing fancy, but we used whole wheat brioche buns, and there were no regrets. Hey, we didn’t have fries or shakes. Just burgers. So good.

Do you like my state-of-the-art, vintage 1962 stove top? They don’t make ’em like that anymore.

While the grill outside was heating up, I got everything else ready, including preparing the individual buns and slicing cheese. It’s really important, because the smashing and baking is done in less than two minutes. Everything needs to be ready to go.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t take a picture and do the smashing technique at the same time, so I’ll have to describe it to you. You want a very sturdy spatula that has no holes in it. Not something that is bendy or flexible. Heavy duty please. I found this one at a restaurant supply store. It’s not super big or anything, but it worked!

They say 5 inches wide is ideal. This one is not that, but it still did the job.

I opened the lid of the bbq grill (leave the lid open for the rest of the time) and put the first burger on the griddle back left. I immediately smashed it down with all my might and without letting up on the pressure, slid the spatula toward me to remove it. I then smashed and slid again to make sure that the entire burger was smashed flat. This took about 4 seconds total. I then put the second one on the griddle back right (location is important for the sliding off part) and did the double smash. Then the third burger front left double smash and slide, then the fourth, same thing. (The slide part is important, because if you lift the spatula off, it will take part of your burger with it. Smash and slide, please.)

I let the burgers cook for about 40 seconds or so, keeping in mind that the first burger would be on there for probably a total of 60 seconds. Did I do that math right?

I’ve never gotten steam like this before!

Then I flipped them. Important! Flip them in the same order that you put them on the griddle, and make sure that you scrape underneath all the crispy grilled part to get all the good stuff. You don’t want it to get left on the griddle! No more smashing. You only smash at the very beginning.

Look at that seared perfection!

As soon as I flipped them, I put the cheese slices on and let them cook for about 15 seconds more.

I then put them on a plate, and then immediately onto the prepared buns; this all happens very fast! My family absolutely loves these burgers. I took a picture of Millie’s burger (below). She asked me to text the picture to her. When I asked her why, she said, “Because it’s the perfect burger”.

The perfect burger.

Smashed Burgers (Midwest Style)

What you will need:

• Cast iron griddle
• Skillet or electric griddle to toast the hamburger buns
• BBQ Grill
• Stiff, heavy duty metal spatula without holes
• 3 oz. ground beef (80%/20% or 85%/15%) per hamburger
• Hamburger buns, butter, salt and pepper, and whatever else you like on your burgers, but don’t pile them up too high with stuff. Flatter is better.

How to make them:

1. Place cast iron griddle on your BBQ grill, sprinkle salt (and pepper if you wish) on the griddle. This will season the beef. Turn on to high, and close the lid.
2. Divide ground beef into 3 oz balls, and pre-flatten if you wish.
3. Grill your hamburger buns in butter.
4. Prep buns with condiments so they are ready to go.
5. Open BBQ grill and leave open. Place burgers on griddle one at a time, smashing each burger twice. Use the smash and slide technique.
6. Let burgers cook for about 45 seconds.
7. Flip burgers, making sure to scrape the crispy stuff with the burger, and place cheese on burgers, if desired. NO SMASHING THIS TIME.
8. Let cook for 10 to 15 seconds more.
9. Remove burgers from the griddle, place in buns, and enjoy!