Smash Burgers
TIME :20 minutes
This is the typical griddled hamburger found in restaurants and fast food joints. Its edges have been grilled to a crispness. Instead of using a grill, it is better to cook in a large, cast-iron pan that has been greased with fat or oil. For beef, you can either grind your own or ask a butcher for coarse-ground chuck steak that has at least 20% fat content. Use an ice-cream scoop or spoon to handle it instead of your fingers, and store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook. A few ounces should be dropped into the pan, mashed with a spatula, salt it, and then turned over when it has become crisp. Then toast your bun and add cheese. The procedure proceeds swiftly.
INGREDIENTS
Yield:
4 to 8 servings
½teaspoon neutral oil, like canola, or a pat of unsalted butter
2pounds ground chuck, at least 20 percent fat
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
8slices cheese (optional)
8soft hamburger buns, lightly toasted
Lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes and condiments, as desired
PREPARATION
Step 1
Add oil or butter to a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet and place over medium heat. Gently divide ground beef into 8 small piles of around 4 ounces each, and even more gently gather them together into orbs that are about 2 inches in height. Do not form patties.
Step 2
Increase heat under skillet to high. Put half the orbs into the skillet with plenty of distance between them and, using a stiff metal spatula, press down on each one to form a burger that is around 4 inches in diameter and about ½ inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Cook without moving until patties have achieved a deep, burnished crust, a little less than 2 minutes. Use the spatula to scrape free and carefully turn burgers over. If using cheese, lay slices on meat.
Step 4
Continue to cook until meat is cooked through, approximately a minute or so longer. Remove burgers from skillet, place on buns and top as desired. Repeat process with remaining burgers. Serving two hamburgers on a single bun is not an outrageous option.
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