Burgers Are For Smashing

I'm in a bit of a quandary. Not to worry, it's just a minor writer's quandary. Nothing for you to fret about, really. See, I'm writing this before the 4th of July, prior to cooking whatever sort of festive holiday dishes my little family decides we want to eat. You can probably tell via clues in my sentence that decisions have yet to be made. Once they are made and eaten, however, it will be too late to share that with you in time for you to decide if it's something you might also want to try on the 4th - this year, anyway.

The other element of the quandary is the weather. Will it rain or do I have a shot at some sunshine? If it's nice out, I'll grill something. If not, I'm more likely to find something that works better indoors. Decisions.

One thing that can be done inside or out is smash burgers. You may have an idea what a smash burger is, like I did. My first encounter with a burger of that name came from the Neon Pig in Tupelo. Their version begins with a special blend of ground steak (filet, ribeye, sirloin and strip) and Benton's Bacon. A few years ago it won a contest and was declared the best burger in America. And it's definitely an awesome burger.

Then a few weeks ago I was having a conversation with teen chef Mark Coblentz, and he mentioned smash burgers. I had a feeling we were not talking about anything involving Neon Pig, so I asked him about it. Most recently, he's been using the ground beef from Welcome Home Beef, which also contains a significant amount of ground steak in the mix. His suggestion was to make balls of ground beef about two ounces each, heat up a cast iron pan, smash the ball onto the hot skillet with a flat masonry trowel for about two minutes or so, till it easily releases from the skillet, flip and brown the other side. Because you're literally smashing it thin, it doesn't take as long to cook as a regular burger.

Mark's suggestion at that point is to put a slice of American cheese on one patty, then stack another patty on top of that. So you basically have a double burger of very thin patties, fused together with perfectly melted cheese. (And we're talking about the 4th of July, right? American cheese seems appropriate.) Not long after that I had the privilege of eating one that he made, and I have to say his method works very well. (And if by chance I left something important out of the process, it's my fault, not his. He's young and bright. I'm old and forgetful.)

There is definitely some flexibility here as well, which to continue the America theme, reflects our diversity! If you're using good quality ground beef, you probably just need a little salt and pepper for seasoning. But I like to play with my food. Our family likes Freddy's Steakburgers (which are a lot like smash burgers, by the way) and I sometimes use Freddy's Fry Seasoning for more than just fries. I also like the Gunpowder and Old West Steak Dust blends you can find in various places around town (it's local.)

You know I'm also going to mess with the cheese. American is the default setting, and I'm good with that. But I really love a mushroom Swiss burger, so there's a fair chance I'm going to be trying that, too. Smoked gouda, maybe, to enhance that outdoor grilling flavor? Or if you're a diehard MAFES fan, how about some Edam or Vallagret?

These burgers are great on their own. Bun-less is good if you are going gluten free, low carb, or keto. But if you're going to use a bun, please honor it by toasting it on the grill, griddle, or skillet. Buttered is even better. If I have a choice of “store-bought” bread I'm probably going to get a sweet Hawaiian bun. If I'm shopping hyper-local, I'm looking for something from Proof bakery - they've been playing with some bun recipes that are perfect for beefy burgers. And because of my previously-professed love for mushroom Swiss burgers, I'm thinking that a smash burger with Swiss, nestled inside a grilled Portobello mushroom cap, might be wonderful.

Note that you definitely need a flat surface of some sort to cook these on. I have personally used a cast iron skillet on the stove, and I've seen Mark do them on the grill using a cast iron griddle of some sort (which is what I plan to use next). Do I have to say don't try to smash the burgers on the grill? They'll fall in.

As for condiments, I'm not sure you really need them. But I know we'll have some. My people are ketchup people. And that's okay, because I got a motorized spiralizer for Father's Day and I may try to do some state fair-ish curly fries. Right now I'm into Duke's Alabama-style White BBQ sauce, so that'll probably make it's way to the party. Friends Wes and Wes made a version of Shake Shack sauce for their award-winning burgers at the Bud and Burgers event last summer that I may look into. The Mom and Pop food truck did a special with traditional BBQ sauce not long ago. Pickled Vidalia onions may also make an appearance. The sky is the limit when it comes to variety, but don't forget: the burger is the star.

And if you make smash burgers for your people, you might be a star, too.