Up today, we’re going to make smash burgers at home on our Kamado Joe using our Lodge reversible griddle.
This might be the best way to make smash burgers.
But you don’t need a Kamado Joe to make the best smash burgers. Use the grill that you have.
We’ll show you the grilling tools and techniques on the best way to make smash burgers at home. You might already have everything you need.
So let’s get started.
The Best Way to Make Smash Burgers at Home
Welcome to the sizzling world of smash burgers, where mouthwatering flavors and savory grilling aromas collide!
The secret to crafting the perfect smash burger lies in its simplicity and attention to detail.
Ingredients Needed for Making Smash Burgers at Home
- Ground beef, 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat, 80/20
- Buns
- Favorite burger toppings
- Seasonings
- High-temperature oil, such as ghee, or avocado oil for cooking, optional
You don’t need any special ingredients to make great-tasting smash burgers at home.
Supplies Needed for Making Smash Burgers at Home
You don’t need specialized outdoor cooking equipment to make the best smash burgers.
This is what we use.
- Cast iron griddle
- Cast iron round grill press
- Parchment paper
- Grilling spatula
- Infrared thermometer (optional)
Parchment paper helps make the job of smashing the burgers much easier. Cut the parchment paper into a shape that somewhat matches the size of your grill press.
The Best Meat for Smash Burgers at Home
The best meat for making smash burgers at home you can find at your local grocer.
We’re using 80/20 ground chuck. Ground chuck is made from the chuck roast and has decent marbling and a great beefy flavor. The 80% lean and 20% fat ensure a juicy bite. We don’t want dry smash burgers.
We’re not getting into specialty grinds today, but that is certainly an option.
Take a small portion of the meat, about 4 ounces, and gently shape it into a loose ball. This allows the patty to retain its natural juiciness and prevents it from becoming tough. I’ll use an inexpensive digital kitchen scale to measure them out.
You can always estimate and not use a scale to measure them out.
Refrigerate the burger balls until you get the grill and griddle stabilized and up to temperature.
Grilling Temperature for Making Smash Burgers
Get the griddle temperature up to 400 °F / 205 °C. We use an infrared thermometer. You don’t need one, but it sure does help. I can aim it down the vent cap of the Kamado Joe to measure the surface temperature of the griddle.
We use this one. It’s under $25.00 and has close to 37,000 customer reviews as we write this.
Optionally, just use the dome thermometer that’s on your grill.
Toasting the Burger Buns
For us, toasting the burger buns isn’t optional, it’s a necessary step for making the best homemade smash burgers at home.
Simply butter each cut side of the bun and lay on the hot griddle.
Slide them around and check them frequently. Remove them from the griddle once they are toasted to your preference.
How to Grill Smash Burgers
Once the griddle is at temperature, add a bit of cooking oil to the griddle surface to help prevent sticking.
Place the burger ball on the griddle, top with the parchment paper, grab your grill press, and give it a good smash. The burger will end up somewhere between 3/16 to 1/4 of an inch in thickness.
Repeat as needed for the space remaining on your griddle. I can get three smash burgers on the Lodge LDP3 reversible griddle.
Add any desired seasonings.
Let the smash burger cook for about a minute on the griddle. The more you grill smash burgers at home, the better you will be able to judge the timing.
Using your grilling spatula, flip the smash burger and top with cheese if you want. No further smashing is needed.
Continue to grill until the cheese is melted, probably another minute.
Homemade Smash Burger Taste Test
Top the smash burgers with what you like.
We’ll make singles, doubles, and triples, depending on how many were feeding. Did we say the neighbors will be jumping over the fence when they smell what you’re cooking?
Sometimes, we’ll add bacon to ours.
Once it’s ready, just dig in. These homemade smash burgers are good and we make a lot of them.
Check out my other Kamado Joe and JoeTisserie recipes and links here on my Outdoor Eats page.