Trend: flatten your hamburger
The latest trend in the hamburger world is so-called smashburgers: hamburgers that don’t have a neat, round shape but look as if a truck has driven over them. The advantage of such a flattened burger? Deliciously crispy edges, better meaty flavor and… you can fit more of them between a single bun.
Smashburgers were probably invented by Shake Shack, an American fast-casual restaurant chain with locations worldwide (including London). Anthony Bourdain was wildly enthusiastic about their burgers, and the culinary world still places great value on the judgment of the Great Bourdain. During lockdown, those smashburgers suddenly became hugely popular in America, especially at pop-up takeaway stands in San Francisco and Los Angeles. People queued for hours at alternative spots such as Smish Smash and Lil’ Eagle for a real smashburger.
Crispy edge
So what exactly is a smashburger? When you make a regular hamburger, the meat is pressed into a mold together with some extra ingredients for flavor and to keep everything in shape. And because of that mold, the burger cooks evenly, so they all taste the same. Convenient, right?
You might think so, but the inventors of the smashburger discovered that the burger tastes much better when you don’t turn it into such a neat patty. They take a handful of coarse-ground meat and place it on a hot griddle. Using a flat spatula, they press it onto the griddle so that the edges of the smashburger become deliciously crispy, while the inside stays beautifully rosy-red. If you’re aiming for the very best, don’t use bargain-bin mince, but beautiful meat such as wagyu, and grind it coarsely yourself.
Perfect bun
Add cheese, pickles, sauce, a mountain of lettuce or crunchy vegetables: do your thing. With smashburgers, it’s mainly about the meat, which according to the experts tastes as if you’re eating a perfect steak in a bun. That’s why smashburgers are stacked, with even more delicious — homemade — sauces in between, and that stack goes into the perfect (not too hard and not too soft) hamburger bun.
Read also:
- This is the grossest Burger King hamburger EVER
- How to make the very best burgers in 5 steps
- Record attempt: bodybuilders eat the biggest hamburger in the Netherlands
