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My wife and I had lunch at a local burger pub the other day. She ordered their patty melt. It looked (and was) delicious. Great bread. Juicy patty. Cooked perfectly. Melted cheese. Perfectly cooked onions. The ‘usual’ but done right. She said it was the best patty melt she’d ever had. “A challenge!” I thought (after thinking hey, I’ve made her patty melts… hmmmm). Time for me to get to making something even better. At home. And I did. These smash burger patty melts are now the best patty melts she’s ever had. They’re tastier. Juicier. And less messy. And made with our favorite, smash burgers instead of overly-thick patties. I accepted the challenge. And I won!
Griddled To Perfection
To make smash burger patty melts, you’ll need some sort of griddle or grill pan or even cast iron skillet for your grill. I use a big ole cast iron griddle. Yes, I have one for most of my grills because they’re great for more than just burgers. I find myself using them all of the time. They don’t take up the entire grill surface so I can still cook on the grates too if I need.
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I don’t go crazy nuts obsessing about it, but I like to keep my griddle pretty clean. Especially if I’m toasting bread. No one wants yesterday’s chicken on today’s Texas toast. I use these scrubby pads attached to a long handle holder that prevents me from burning myself.
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Last, I gotta get my patties thin and spread out. I use a burger press. I wrap the bottom in foil for easy clean up. This press makes for fantastic smash burgers with the right thickness so I get that little crunch around the edges. Perfect!
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Also try my not-so-plain plain ole smash burgers and my pub sauce smash burgers!
Smash Burger Patty Melts
Equipment
- Grill Brush for getting that griddle good and clean!
- Grill Scouring Pads keep several on hand for those greasy messes!
- Grill Press or large cast iron pan
- Burger Press or small cast iron pan
Ingredients
For the sauce
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon spicy mustard
- 1 tablespoon your favorite BBQ sauce I recommend a smoky sauce.
- 1 tablespoon Ketchup
- 1 jalapeno grated, You can substitute finely minced pickled jalapeno.
For the burgers
- mayonnaise
- 8 pieces Texas Toast
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into squares, divided
- 1 large sweet onion sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 20 ounces ground beef I prefer 5 ounce patties for this. You don't have to be super accurate with the weight.
- your favorite burger seasoning to taste. Salt and pepper works great too
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- 4 slices pepper jack cheese
Instructions
For the sauce
- Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the burgers
- Fire up your grill with a griddle or grill pan over direct medium-high heat.
- Clean your griddle well. I use a brush and water, it works better than a scraper. Just be careful adding water to a hot griddle. DO NOT have any body parts near the griddle when you add the water as it will instantly create a cloud of very hot steam. Then scrub, scrub, scrub. Repeat as necessary. You want the griddle clean to toast the bread.
- Lightly spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on one side of each slice of bread. Working in batches if necessary, lay the bread mayo-side down on the hot griddle and toast for 2-3 minutes or until lightly brown and crunchy.
- Flip and lightly brown the non-mayo sides too. Remove to a plate for the final assembly step.
- Once the griddle is hot add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted add the onion and cook for 20 minutes or longer, until they are golden brown and caramelized. Stir and flip often with a spatula or tongs. If they start to burn reduce the heat. If they get too dry add a bit more butter.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and cook for 1 more minute. Remove to a bowl and cover with foil or a plate to keep warm.
- Form burger into 4 5-ounce patties. Don't pack them tightly, just get them lightly shaped.
- Season beef on both sides. Don't be shy with it.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the griddle. Add the burgers. Let them cook for 3 minutes then smash out as thinly as possible using a burger press.
- Continue cooking burgers until you see a bit of a crunchy edge. Flip.
- Cook burgers another 3 minutes. Add 1 slice of Swiss and 1 slice of pepper jack to each patty.
- Divide the onion between the patties. Grill another minute or two to melt the cheese.
- Divide sauce between the non-mayonnaise sides of the bread. Use a little or a lot, it's up to you.
- Add the cooked patties and top bread slices and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
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