How to Make Smash Burgers

First up, get your charcoal lit and bring it up to a decent temperature before you even think about adding your plancha in.

When you add the plancha you're going to restrict airflow, and if you do this too early your charcoal might not get hot enough.

I'm using our Iberian Holm Oak Charcoal, for high heat with a super long burn.

There's a lot of thoughts online about the weight of a smash patty, ranging from 80g as high as 130g.

I like a double smash and find 90g to be the perfect size for this... I also don't mind a triple-stack as a treat, and they work for that too!

When you form your patties you don't want to over-work them or ball them up too tightly.

It's the air gaps and all the little bits sticking out that help you form the delicious crispy bits on a smash burger - keeping your balls loose helps with this.

Get your buns ready ahead of time - for me, toasting them adds quite a lot.

I like doing buns two ways - either straight up toasted, over coals before the plancha goes on, or spread with a little bit of mayo and toasted on the plancha as it comes up to temperature.

If you choose to toast them on the plancha make sure you don't do it once it's too hot, otherwise the buns will stick. Keep checking them and keep them moving while they're on, they don't take too long.

You get a really lovely caramelised finish which we love.

If you haven't got one, invest in an infrared temperature gun - mine was about £20 on Amazon about 5 years ago, bought for pizza.

You want to smash them within a temperature range of around 230°C to 290°C, my sweet spot is somewhere around 270-275°C.

My next advice is to make sure everything is ready and laid out near your BBQ.

Patties ✅

Burger press ✅

Greaseproof ✅ (personal preference)

Salt ✅

Cheese ✅

Toppings ✅

Buns ✅

Right, let's get these burgers on the BBQ.

A really important step when is to place the patties on the plancha then give them a little press down with your hand. This gives a little time for the beef to stick to the hot plancha and helps with the patties not coming away after you've smashed them.

Remember - sticking is good, that's how we get the crust. 

Time to get smashing! I tried a few methods - a press plus greaseproof, a press on its own, an oiled press - and I came back to using greaseproof every time, I just found I got a more consistent result and no lifting from the plancha.

Greaseproof on the ball, smash down as hard as you can, pull away your press then gently peel the greaseproof away.

At this stage, add a sprinkle of salt on each patty.

It's hard to get a photo of this, but what you're looking for is a thin, dark line to form around the edge of the patties.

This shows you that the Maillard reaction is happening and your burgers are turning a lovely deep caramelised brown colour.

Knowing when to turn is another super critical part! In this photo you can see the patty "bleeding" upwards as it cooks, with juices bubbling up.

Once you know you have a crust, the juices are bubbling up and the edges look cooked, it's time to flip. Please, don't use a spatula, get the right tool for the job - I use a cheap DIY scraper, you need that sharp edge to get under the patties and release them from the plancha.

Here it is... this is what you're looking for!!!

A deep brown caramelisation that's full of sweet, beefy flavour, and a crispy, almost fried texture created by the fat rendering out of the mince... truly a wonderful thing!

Time to add your cheese... I always go for a single slice on each patty, but it's your burger, you do you.

Get the lid down on your BBQ to create a hot environment that will melt your cheese while the patties cook through.

It's time to build your burgers, so stack them up on the plancha for speed, as high as you're going.

Have your buns ready nearby the BBQ, and get your patty stacks loaded up on your bottom buns.

At this stage you can add your toppings of choice - for me, it's always pickles, ketchup and mustard, an absolute classic, with the sauces added on the top bun before it goes on.

If you're cooking for a crowd, get them involved and get them to build their own burgers up once you've cooked them!