The craziest burgers don't necessarily need to have a gigantic patty, oh no! A smashed burger is a mean burger that's completely smashed, but made with mini, mini, mini patties!
I love making this kind of burger because my recipe is super simple, doesn't require a lot of ingredients and results in a really delicious meal! (Yes, yes, a real fire recipe! 🔥)
In fact, there are 2 types of smashed burgers: one where the components of the burger have been "crushed", which makes the burger very small, and another where the burger is huge because of all the ingredients it contains. The recipe I am presenting to you today follows the classic model, namely the "crushed" model.
It's important to know, however, that size isn't the only thing that can vary from recipe to recipe. In fact, some people mix the onions directly with the ground meat to make their meatballs, others cook the onions in butter and then the meatballs in the "onion juice" (the juice from cooking the onions), and still others cook the meatballs directly on top of the onions (I don't really recommend this last method, however, because the patty may not cook). While I recommend using the same method I did (the 2nd one, the "onion juice" one, which is my favorite) to make this recipe, you can still use whichever method you want. You can even cook the meatballs in bacon fat if you want something even more decadent! 🤤
Otherwise, if you have the choice, I recommend using a gas BBQ rather than a charcoal or pellet BBQ to make this recipe since you need to use a griddle and it can be easily installed on this type of BBQ. The griddle is really a must for this recipe because that's where most of the ingredients will be cooked. (If you don't have a griddle or gas BBQ, you can also place a baking sheet over the grill of your BBQ to cook.) In any case, be careful if fat drips off your griddle because a flame could appear. (That said, it is possible to buy baking sheets designed specifically for certain BBQ models, such as the Napoleon TravelQᴹᴰ. This is really good, because it allows the fat to drip to the right places in the BBQ.)
Okay, I'll stop keeping you waiting, here's how to prepare this succulent burger:
Required tools:
Griddle (or a hotplate)
BBQ Spatula Quebec
Ingredients (for 4 burgers):
Butter, for cooking
½ large onion (or 1 small onion)
Booster BBQ Québec flavor enhancer, to taste
Appalaches BBQ Québec X La ferme Monette dry marinade (or another dry marinade that goes well with beef, such as Texas, Steakenator or Montreal from BBQ Québec), to taste
1 lb medium-lean ground beef (about ¼ lb per patty)
4 slices of cheddar (orange and medium-sharp in my case)
2 or 4 hamburger buns (depending on whether 1 or 2 patties are added to each bun)
Ketchot BBQ Quebec sauce, to taste
Mayonnaise, to taste
Mustard, to taste
Preparation :
Light the BBQ burner under the griddle to minimum and the one under the grills (without griddle) to maximum.
Butter the griddle and let the butter melt.
Slice the ½ onion into thin slices and spread them over the entire surface of the griddle. Increase the intensity of the burner to sear and caramelize the onions.
Sprinkle some Booster flavor enhancer on the onion slices, then using the spatula, "roll" the onions in the butter. Let the onions grill and caramelize, making sure to "stir" them from time to time.
While the onions are grilling, manually form patties (very thin balls) with the ground beef.
Cover both sides of the patties with a little Booster flavor enhancer, then with Appalaches dry marinade (be careful not to put too much, the meat should still be visible).
When they are golden brown, remove the onions from the griddle (set them aside) and add a little butter back onto it. Let the butter melt.
Sear the meat patties on both sides on the griddle, making sure to crush them (as hard as possible) on each side using the spatula. Cook the patties until they reach an internal temperature of 160°F.
Place a slice of cheese on top of each pancake and let it melt.
While the patties are cooking, place the "whole" hamburger buns (i.e. not divided in 2) on the BBQ grill. Grill them in the direct cooking zone and flatten them on both sides with the spatula so that they are flat.
Remove all the elements from the BBQ and start assembling the smashed burger by opening the hamburger buns on a plate. Then place one (or two) meat patties on top of a burger bun (the bottom one). Add onions on top of the patty(ies), then add mayonnaise and mustard to the inside of the other bun (the top one) before pouring Ketchot sauce* and closing the burger.
Serve and enjoy every bite!
*Toppings can be added in another order, according to your preference.
Happy BBQ!
