Grate Smash Burgers
All Recipes, Burgers, Burgers and Sandwiches, Dinner, Grate Techniques, Lunch
Published Jun 24, 2019 | Last updated Feb 17, 2021
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 10 mins
- Yields: 8 yummy smash burgers
Directions
1Begin by portioning the ground beef into 3 oz balls.
2Flip your GrillGrates over so that rails are facing down and preheat your grill to medium high (about 500°F at the surface).
3Scrape any debris off the flat side of your GrillGrates.
4Once the grill is preheated, pour a little vegetable oil onto a paper towel. Use a pair of tongs to wipe the flat side of your GrillGrates down.
5Place a 3 oz ball of ground beef onto the grill and using the GrateTool or a spatula "smash" the burger flat. Season with salt and pepper.
6Repeat until all 8 ground beef balls have been placed and smashed.
7By the time you have smashed the 8th burger you will be able to flip the first smashed burger you put on the grill.
8After flipping the burgers add the cheese. Continue to cook until the cheese has melted.
9Remove from grill.
10Place burgers on buns and enjoy your Grate Smash Burger.
Curious on smashburgers. Will the heat of the upside down grate prevent the meat from squeezing through the openings when you smash the burger? Really enjoy using these grates. Thanks.
A bit of meat squeezes into the holes but sets up and releases when you go to flip them. It adds an interesting texture.
Do these burgers get that sear?
Yes burgers will get a really nice sear with GrillGrates
Tonight will be the first time using the bottom side of the grates on my Green Egg. I have had the grates for about 4 months and cook at least once a week on the egg using the grates. Do I need to clean the bottom side before using?
Yes, a paint scraper will do the trick or we sell a detailing tool that works rather well https://www.grillgrate.com/the-grillgrate-detailing-tool-and-scraper/
Here’s an additional step that I do. Reconstitute some dehydrated onion flakes with some water in the microwave (about 10 seconds on High). Put these on the flat side of the Grill Grate after wiping down with the vegetable oil. Put the ball of meat on top of the onions and smash. When turning over the patties, make sure you turn the onions over with it.
What a grrrrrate tip on the onion flakes Mike!
Mike is Einstein! Great tip.
The onions sound like a great idea. I’m going to try it tonight.
Awesome!
I grind my own hamburger,this time did a packer brisket(after trimming the unusable fat)did the double grind at medium.8oz each.Cooked on Weber Genesis II gas grill indirect to 120deg then on grill grate(flat side down)to finish medium.Was unhappy with texture.Would flipping the GG to flat side up make me happier with texture& can I still smash@8oz or not smash or split the two 8 oz balls into 4 4oz.sorry for the long question
Just to clarify – you want to make sure you’re only smashing on the flat side.
You can smash on wax paper first and then put on your flat side. We would also recommend two small 4 oz burgers, you’ll definitely get more crisp that way.
Tim, I’m late to the party, reading this post and your question. I’ve been making smash burgers for over a year, using the flat side of the grill grates. You want the grates hot and over direct heat. The key to these burgers is to quickly sear the outside of the burger, while cooking the center without drying it out. At first glance, you’ll think the burger is burnt. Just like a wood fired pizza, the outside of a smash burger is charred (not burnt), sealing in some of the fat. This is a very quick process, you need to have everything prepped before the first ball of meat is smashed – and you want these burgers smashed relatively thin. You may even see some grate through the meat (not paper thin, but possibly broken) – you do not want a thick burger. Once you start to see some of the fat bubbling up, through the uncooked side, it’s probably time to flip (but take a peek and look for the char first). These are “small” burgers, if you want a larger burger, stack two, don’t make a larger patty. We do not eat burgers any other way. If the weather is bad and we can’t use the grill, I use a large cast iron skillet on the stovetop (messy, but does the job).
I never thought about flipping the Grill Grates even after all these years that I’ve loved them. Thanks for the idea. I’ll have to give it a try!!