Why is it that any burger served on Texas toast just tastes better? There’s just something special about it. It certainly rounds out these great spicy Texas Toast smash burgers. Thin patties, cooked perfectly, with that little crust around the edges. Ooey gooey cheese. Bacon. Roasted jalapenos and caramelized onions. Oh, and a sauce. A fantastic burger sauce. This is my kind of burger.
Stay Cheesy, My Friend
I prefer Colby jack cheese on my spicy Texas toast smash burgers. It’s so creamy and it melts so well. Any good melting cheese will work. But trust me on the Colby jack. If you’re lucky, you can find jalapeno Colby jack. A little more heat is a good thing.
The Right Bread for the Job
Go big with the burger sauce. Don’t just dollop a teaspoon or two on the bread. Load it up. The sauce is fantastic, lightly smoky, lightly spicy. And don’t worry, the Texas toast can more than handle it without getting soggy and leaving you with burger sadness. That isn’t going to happen here.
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.
A burger press
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.
A dome
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.
Cleaning time!
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.
Spicy Texas Toast Smash Burgers
Ingredients
For the burger sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ tablespoon ketchup
- ½ tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- ½ tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- ½ chipotles in adobo sauce chopped, plus 1 teaspoon of the sauce
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the burger topping
- 1 white onion diced
- 1 large jalapeno stemmed, seeded and cut into thin rings
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus another splash or two
For the smash burgers
- 1 pound ground beef
- kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 8 slices Texas toast
- 4 slices Colby jack cheese
- 6 slices bacon cooked
Instructions
For the burger sauce
- In small bowl, stir together all ingredients until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the burger topping
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Note: You can make this on the grill, just place the skillet over a hot part of the grill. I prefer to make it on the stovetop ahead of time.
- Add the onion and season with salt. Sauté for 40-45 minutes or until the onions are completely softened and turn golden brown, stirring often.
- Remove the onions to a plate.
- Add a splash or two of oil to the skillet and add the jalapeno.
- Sauté until the jalapenos are softened and are starting to turn golden brown.
- Remove to another plate and reserve until ready to use.
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 with salt and pepper 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 bread. Slather one side of each slice with the sauce.
- Cut the bacon pieces in half and put 3 halves onto 4 of the slices of bread.
- Remove the patties from the grill and place on top of the slices of bread with the bacon. Top with the onions and some jalapeno slices. Devour immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
