Smash Burgers with House Sauce

• butter, melted↗4 tablespoon
• Worcestershire sauce↗1 tablespoon
• a couple swishes of fish sauce

  about 1 teaspoon

• smoked paprika↗1 teaspoon
• ground beef↗1

  80/20 is ideal

• Brioche buns↗4
• slices American cheese↗4

  the good kind from the deli

• House Saucedo not skip! this stuff is magical)

  see notes for recipe (do not skip! this stuff is magical)

• onion, diced or sliced↗0.5

  sautéed for an extra level up

• lettuce leaves↗4
• tomato↗1
• pickle slices↗12

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Mix the smash burger sauce in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, place the ground beef and pour the sauce over. Mix with your hands to get it well-distributed through the meat. Form into 4 balls. Place the balls in the fridge for 20-30 minutes while you prep everything else. You can even pop it in the freezer for a few minutes – you just want them to be pretty cold so the butter mixture doesn’t immediately melt out everywhere once you start cooking them.

2. 2

   Butter the buns and toast them on your skillet or griddle until golden.

3. 3

   Prep the toppings and house sauce (see notes).

4. 4

   Cut a small piece of parchment paper that you’ll use on top of the burgers to prevent sticking.

5. 5

   Heat a cast iron skillet or flat griddle until it’s very hot; place a few of the burgers on the hot surface. Sprinkle them with a big pinch of salt and let them sit and sizzle for about 20 seconds.

6. 6

   Place the parchment paper on top of each burger and then, using a heavy, flat tool, press the burgers down as flat as you can get them in one swift motion. They’ll be super sizzly and splattery, but they should make a nice, round, thin smash burger shape on the griddle. (The ideal tool for this is a cast iron grill press, but a flat spatula can work in a pinch). Cook for a few minutes and then flip and top with cheese right away. Leave them undisturbed for another 1-2 minutes to melt the cheese and get a max amount of flavorful browning on the back side.

7. 7

   Assemble your burgers! Mine is always a toasted brioche buns, mega flavorful smash burger patty (or 2), cheese, crispy lettuce, and a thick smear of that house sauce. Happy, happy summer.