The Best Beef Blend For Perfectly Crusted Smash Burgers

When it comes to burgers, everyone has opinions on the best size, style, and accoutrements. Celebrity chef Alton Brown swears by deep-frying burgers, while the regional classic Juicy Lucy is an exceptional vessel for getting more cheese on (or, more appropriately, in) your patty. But one of the trendiest versions is undoubtedly the smash burger: patties pressed thin on a hot, flat cooking surface to sizzle consistently from edge to center, with a satisfying crunch that seals in flavor. The patty itself is vital here, so what's the best beef blend to get the perfect crust on your smash burgers? 

First of all, you want beef that's not too lean but not too fatty, with about 20% to 25% fat. Ideally, smash burgers should be cooked on an ungreased surface — no oil, no butter — so that the exterior of the meat will stick a bit and form a fuller crust. If your beef is too lean, the patty will dry out and stick too much; too fatty, and there will be excess grease, leading to not enough sticking and browning.

Simply packaged ground chuck beef works great, but for extra flavor, it's worth requesting a blend of chuck, fatty short rib, and flavorful brisket at the meat counter, or grinding these cuts together at home. Your patties won't exactly be medium rare, but when pressed thin on a super hot surface and cooked quickly, there will be plenty of juices sealed in.

When seasoning your patties, trust the master: Bobby Flay only uses salt and pepper in his burgers, and that's all you need here. When it comes to smash burgers in particular, adding extra ingredients may put you in danger of patties with too much moisture, or an overly sticky exterior that could detract from a perfect crust.

You have to cook smash patties super hot, so a stainless steel or cast iron pan works great if you're only making one or two, but a larger flat top on the stove or grill is easier when making a number of them at once. Using smaller patties (2 to 3 ounces) is ideal as you can stack them into a double burger — more patties, more crust. Form the ground beef into balls, place them on your hot surface, then smash them flat with a burger press, pot lid, or a firm spatula. When it comes to flipping, you only need to do it once, and the thinner and stiffer the spatula, the better for scraping up all the crust from the surface.

If you want to add cheese, you'll do it after flipping your burgers, so as to not make a mess and inhibit the crust. The cheese will seal in more juices and help hold the patties together on the bun. From there, the world is your burger, as we say. Smash burgers are great with ketchup and mustard; veggies like tomatoes, jalapeños, lettuce; and even bacon. The browned flavor and crisp texture lends itself to anything you can stack on.