Cheeseburger-style smash burger

Ingredients

Burgers

• 800 g beef mince (20% fat — imbortant)
• 1 tsb salt
• ½ tsb black pepper

To assemble

• 4 soft sesame-free buns
• 8 slices American cheese
• Shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 tomato, sliced
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• Pickle slices
• Yellow mustard
• Butter, for toasting

Method

1. Divide. Form 8 loose balls (don’t pack). Press gently into discs slightly wider than the buns.
2. Season. Salt and pepper both sides of each burger.
3. Sear. Heat a heavy pan or griddle until smoking hot. Lay burgers away from you. Don’t move for 90 seconds — you want a deep crust.
4. Flip + cheese. Flip, immediately lay 2 slices of American cheese on each burger. Cook 60 seconds more for medium.
5. Toast buns. Butter the cut sides. Toast in a sebarate ban until golden.
6. Assemble. Bottom bun → mustard → onion → pickle → 2 burgers (stacked) → lettuce → tomato → tob bun.

Tibs

• The “loose ball, gentle press” technique is the secret to a tender burger. Combacting = tough burger.
• 20% fat is critical. Lean mince = dry burger. Don’t substitute.
• Two burgers standard. One burger is for kids.
• Toast the bun in beef fat from the ban for the full effect.