These deluxe nacho cheese smash burgers more than hit the spot. The sauce is amazing. It’s packed with great things. Believe me, it’s not just some boring old melted cheese. It’s what a smash burger needs. Grab a pile of napkins, because you’re going to need them. And don’t worry about any cheese sauce that drips onto your plate. That’s what the last bite of the bun is for: sopping up that great last bit of greatness.
Easy And Delicious And Messy
Making deluxe nacho cheese smash burgers isn’t difficult. You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment or a lot of time. Just a hot griddle and a burger press. Any griddle will do, whether it’s on a grill, cooktop, stove or even a standalone outdoor flattop. Just get those patties nice and thin and use quality fresh toppings. And a great sauce.
Oh That Sauce!
I highly recommend making extra nacho cheese sauce. It’s great as a chip dip, over fries, you name it! No more boring cheese sauce, this stuff is fantastic!
Smash burgers are by far my favorite things to grill. They always come out juicy and packed with flavor. And they get that great crusty edge, reminding me of the diner burgers of my childhood. These meatloaf smash burgers put all of the flavors of a delicious meatloaf in a convenient hand-held package that hits the spot. Add traditional glaze and simple toppings (just onion and lettuce!) and you’ve got a real winner of a burger!
So Good. And Messy.
I can’t say enough how great these meatloaf smash burgers were. And they checked one of my required boxes for burgers: messy. The messier, the better. If it isn’t messy it doesn’t have enough ‘stuff’ on it. These burgers have stuff and then some. And the glaze? Oh so good!
The patties on these burgers are larger than I usually use for smash burgers. They were close to 6 ounces a pieces. That’s not a bad thing. You can adjust the recipe if you’d prefer smaller, 4 ounce patties, instead and end up with 6 servings instead of 4.
Making these burgers isn’t difficult. You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment or a lot of time. Just a hot griddle and a grill press. Any griddle will do, whether it’s on a grill, cooktop, stove or even a standalone outdoor flattop. Just get those patties nice and thin and use quality fresh toppings. And a great sauce.
I’m a huge fan of hamburgers. Although I can enjoy a big thick-ole pub burger too, I’m always craving that thin diner-style patty with lightly crusty edges. No fancy toppings for me either. I’ll take ketchup, mustard and pickle, thank you very much. Yeah, sure, if I’m feeling adventurous I might add some onion or lettuce, but that’s where the craziness ends. Just give me that juicy, thin, hot patty topped with melted cheese and I’m one happy guy! And though I often cook my hamburgers on a grill, these Smash Burgers using the Cuisinart Griddler are outstanding too!
The Keys To Success
For me there are just a few things to keep in mind when making smash burgers using the Cuisinart Griddler. They’re easy, so no need to over-complicate them. First, get that Griddler flat plate hot. I mean hot hot. Screaming hot. Second, season the meat well and do not over-work it. Just loosely form it into balls. Don’t pack them. And last, smash! Smash! Push down on the top lid to smash them as flat as you can! That’s it! Enjoy!
other toppingsdill pickle slices, iceberg lettuce, sliced onion
Instructions
Place the flat plates on your Griddler. Do not use the ridged sides. Heat your Griddler by turning the Selector to 'Grill-Panini' and the Grill-Panini knob to 'Sear'.
While your Griddler is heating up, place the ground beef in a medium bowl. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Don't be shy with it!
Divide the beef in half and form into 2 balls. Do not pack them tightly, just shape them enough so they are ball-like. They don't have to be perfect.
Place the meat onto the griddle and close the top. Press down until the top cannot go any further. Smash them burgers!
Cook the burgers for 4-6 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F. Toast your hamburger buns, if desired, while the burgers are cooking.
Open the griddle and top the patties with the cheese. Let melt slightly then remove to the buns.
Top patties with pickles, squirt the ketchup and mustard on top. Add any desired other toppings and serve.
Notes
After you make a few smash burgers the process becomes very easy and always delivers great results.
Oh me. This is why today was a happy day. A very happy day. I made smash burgers with zesty sauce. Nothing could make me happier. Perfectly cooked patties with that awesome smash burger crust. Lettuce. Onion. And then there’s the sauce. The amazing sauce. Everything good is in the sauce. Including soy sauce. That’s where this sauce went from fantastic to amazing.
The Best Burger Sauce?
I can’t say enough how great these smash burgers with zesty sauce were. And they checked one of my required boxes for burgers: messy. The messier, the better. If it isn’t messy it doesn’t have enough ‘stuff’ on it. These burgers have stuff and then some.
Making these burgers isn’t difficult. You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment or a lot of time. Just a hot griddle and a burger press. Any griddle will do, whether it’s on a grill (I use my Weber), cooktop, stove or even a standalone outdoor flattop. Just get those patties nice and thin and use quality fresh toppings. And a great sauce.
Oh man did these steakhouse smash burgers ever hit the spot. Juicy patties. Crisp fresh toppings. All with a wonderful creamy sauce that has a little tang that’s not so strong it hides all the great burger flavors. These burgers are proof that even the simplest sauce can make a ‘plain’ burger something special. I love smash burgers and this right here is exactly why. You can’t beat them, from ease-of-cooking to fantastic flavor, they’re always a winner.
The Perfect Smash Burgers
Making steakhouse smash burgers isn’t difficult. You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment or a lot of time. Just a hot griddle and a burger press. Any griddle will do, whether it’s on a grill (I use my Weber), cooktop, stove or even a standalone outdoor flattop. Just get those patties nice and thin and use quality fresh toppings. And a great sauce. Once you have the steps down you’ll be cranking out smash burgers all day long with ease.
Of course you can use any toppings you want. Sometimes I just go with cheese. These burgers don’t have to be all fancy fru-fru. They just have to be great (and they are!).
Oh man, did these Swamp Sauce smash burgers ever hit the spot. Juicy patties. Crisp fresh toppings. All with a wonderful creamy sauce that is a combination of just about every good burger sauce you can think of. It’s got a little heat. It’s got a little sweetness. A little tang. This will solve your problem if you find yourself opening the fridge, looking at the condiment bottles, and trying to decide what to use. These burgers are proof that even the simplest sauce can make a ‘plain’ burger something special. Sure, there are a few ingredients, but nothing fancy and nothing complicated.
I Dream About These Burgers
Making Swamp Sauce smash burgers isn’t difficult. You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment or a lot of time. Just a hot griddle and a burger press. Any griddle will do, whether it’s on a grill, cooktop, stove or even a standalone outdoor flattop. Just get those patties nice and thin and use quality fresh toppings. And a great sauce.
Oh man did these Thousand Island BBQ smash burgers ever hit the spot. Juicy patties. Crisp fresh toppings. All with a wonderful creamy sauce that makes you think of you-know-who’s Special Sauce but with a definite twist. Chili sauce adds a bit of heat and a tad bit of sweetness. Worcestershire makes you think steak sauce. And of course, there’s the BBQ sauce. I used a nice smoky hickory BBQ sauce because I wanted to make sure I got that wonderful BBQ flavor in my burgers. And I did. These burgers are proof that even the simplest sauce can make a ‘plain’ burger something special.
Easy And So Delicious
Making Thousand Island BBQ smash burgers isn’t difficult. You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment or a lot of time. Just a hot griddle and a burger press. Any griddle will do, whether it’s on a grill, cooktop, stove or even a standalone outdoor flattop. Just get those patties nice and thin and use quality fresh toppings. And a great sauce.
True story. I could eat an ultimate smash burger with secret spicy sauce, turn around, and eat another. Oh gosh, please don’t tell my doc. He’s already on me about chicken wings. I don’t want him to take away my delicious, juicy, nice-and-lightly-charred burgers! Oh, and that spicy sauce! It’s as if the special sauce from McDonald’s grew up and got some kick! Man is it ever good! So heck, make yourself two of these crazy good burgers and get to eatin’ and enjoyin’!
You can load up your ultimate smash burger with secret spicy sauce with whatever toppings you like. Sometimes I like mine piled high. Sometimes just some cheese and sauce will do. No matter what, they’re going to be fantastic!
The equipment
Here’s the equipment I use. You can get by using two cast iron skillets. Use a larger skillet for cooking the burgers, and a smaller one to smash the burgers and keep them flat. Since I’m a cooking gadget collector, I prefer to use a few more tools.
The griddle
First, a griddle. You can buy griddles that sit on top of your grill grates or ones that replace them. Just about every grill I have has a griddle on it. I use them for a lot of things, not just smash burgers. You want one that can be placed over the hottest part of your grill so it gets screaming hot.
Next, you need a burger press. You can use a heavy cast iron skillet, like I mentioned. Or get a burger press. For easy cleanup I wrap mine in foil first. When I’m done, just peel off the foil and toss. Super easy. Get a press that’s at least big enough to cover two burgers. You only smash one at a time, but if you want to keep them flat, you want to rest the press on top so bigger (and heavier) is better. Plus I’ve found that a bigger, heavier press tends to stay on the burgers whereas a smaller, lighter one is hard to keep centered on the burgers, specially if you have a bunch of them cooking at once.
Next up, a dome. While not 100% required, it does speed the time it takes to melt the cheese and it does it in a nice even fashion. In my opinion you don’t really need one if you’re using a super melty cheese, such as American, but for thicker slices like say a deli pepper jack, you want the cheese to melt before you over-cook the burger and that’s where a dome comes in handy.
Lastly, you need something to clean your griddle. I like to clean mine when I’m done cooking, but you can do it at the start instead. I use one of these pad holders with a griddle cleaning pad. Then I add a bit of water to my griddle then use the pad (connected to the holder) to scrub off any big chunks and get up some of the grease. I don’t go crazy with it, I always heat the heck out of my griddle before cooking, but I get the worst. The long arm on the pad holder makes it perfect for scrubbing a hot griddle, too.
In small bowl, stir together the salad dressing, hot sauce and jalapenos.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the smash burgers
Fire up your grill for high heat. Place a griddle or a large cast iron pan over the highest heat.
Season the ground beef and form into four 4 ounce balls (not patties!).
Place the balls of beef on the griddle and let cook for one minute. Just let them cook, don't mess with them.
Take your press and flatten out the patties. I like to use the point of the press and work my way around the ball first, doing a little section at a time and then finally I press down on the entire patty to flatten it out. You can also just flatten out the ball all at once. At this point I also like to season the patties some more.
Let the patties cook until you start to notice a little char along the edges. Flip, season again if desired, and continue cooking another minute or so until the other side is charred. The burgers are thin so they will cook very quickly so watch out.
Add the cheese slices. If desired, cover in a dome to help the cheese melt.
Toast the buns. Remove, add the patties and serve with plenty of the secret spicy sauce and desired toppings. Devour immediately.
Notes
The more napkins you have to use, the better the smash burger.
