Crispy, lacy-edged double smash burgers layered with melty American cheese, sticky-sweet bacon onion jam, and a creamy, tangy burger sauce. One skillet, about 45 minutes. and a crust you can hear.
Why Smashing Beats a Thick Patty
A pub-style burger and a smash burger are two different animals. A smash burger is all about crust. Pressing a loose ball of 80/20 chuck onto ripping-hot cast iron forces maximum contact between beef and metal, and the Maillard reaction does the rest: the edges go deeply browned, brittle, and lacy (like the crispy frizzled cheese around the edge of a great grilled cheese!).
My Go-To Burger Sauce
Every great burger needs a sauce that’s creamy, tangy, and a little sharp — enough acid to cut through all that beef and cheese without shouting over it.
The Bacon Onion Jam (Make This Ahead!)
Bacon jam sounds fussy, but it’s really just bacon, onions, and a sweet-sour glaze cooked down until it’s spoonable.
Drain off a bit of the bacon grease, leaving just a tablespoon behind.
Trust me when I say the leftovers are beyond amazing. Try tucking a spoonful into a grilled cheese. 😮💨 Holy yum!
Getting The Crust Right
A few things separate a good smash burger from a great one, and none of them are difficult. Start with 80/20 ground chuck and handle it as little as possible.
Take Note (Tips Worth Reading!)
- Don’t season the patties until they’re in the pan. Salting beforehand draws out moisture.
- Your pan needs to be genuinely hot — cast iron or carbon steel, preheated until it’s just starting to smoke, with only a tiny bit of neutral oil.
- One smash only. Pressing again mid-cook squeezes out exactly the juice you’re trying to lock inside the burger!
- For a faster, gooier melt, add a splash of water to the pan and cover it for a few seconds to steam the cheese.
Rounding Out the Plate
Keep everything else crisp and cold to balance the richness. Shatteringly crisp twice-fried French fries are the obvious and correct answer. A scoop of cool, crunchy red cabbage slaw cuts straight through the fat, and if you’re feeding a crowd, briny French potato salad with cornichons travels beautifully to a cookout.
For full diner treatment, wash it all down with an ice-cold blueberry pie milkshake (my kids go crazy for these!).
If there’s one recipe worth turning on your smoke detector for, it’s this one. Make the jam ahead, get your pan screaming hot, and trust the crust. 😎 Can’t wait to hear what you think of these double smash burgers!
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Crispy-Edged Double Smash Burgers with Bacon Jam
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Burger Sauce
- ⅓ cup (75g) Duke’s mayo
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) ketchup
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp (15ml) sweet pickle relish + 1 tsp (5ml) relish or pickle brine (or ½ tsp apple cider vinegar)
- 1 Tbsp diced white onion
- ½ tsp granulated garlic
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp sweet paprika
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
For the Bacon Onion Jam
- 6 slices (about 170g) applewood smoked, thick cut bacon, diced
- ½ small sweet onion, about 75g, diced
- 1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- ¼ cup (50g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) apple cider vinegar
- Kosher salt
For the Burgers
- 1½ lbs (675g) 80/20 ground chuck, enough for 4 double burger sandwiches
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 thin slices American cheese
- 4 potato buns, split (brioche also works)
- 2 Tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, softened
- Pickle slices
- Neutral oil
Instructions
- Make the burger sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients until smooth and evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (optional) to let the onion mellow and the flavors marry. Taste and adjust salt or acid before serving.
- Cook bacon. Add diced bacon to a cold medium skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp and deeply browned, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon, then pour off all but about 1 Tbsp (15ml) of the rendered fat.
- Finish the bacon onion jam. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the diced onion with a pinch of kosher salt and cook, stirring often, until softened and lightly caramelized, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and chili flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar, 2 Tbsp (30ml) maple syrup, and 2 Tbsp (30ml) apple cider vinegar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Return the bacon to the pan. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is glossy and jammy and the liquid has reduced to a glaze, about 5-6 minutes. Off the heat, season with salt to taste and let cool slightly.
- Form loose balls. Gently divide the chuck into 8 balls, about 2½-3oz (70-85g) each (for two patties per burger). Handle them as little as possible and don’t pack them tight.
- Heat the pan. Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over high heat until it’s starting to smoke, then add a thin film of neutral oil. If needed, open a window. This is high-heat and smoky!
- Smash burgers. Place a ball in the pan and within the first 10 seconds, before it can seize, smash it flat to about ¼ inch with a kitchen press, using a square of parchment between the press and the meat so it won’t stick.
- Sear and cheese. Immediately season the tops generously with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed until the edges are deeply browned and lacy and the crust has set, about 2-2½ minutes. Resist the urge to peek. Using a thin, metal spatula, slide flat along the pan to get under the crust, then flip each patty and lay a slice of cheese on top right away. Cook for another 30-45 seconds, then stack the two cheesy patties together. Repeat with remaining beef.
- Toast the buns. Butter the cut sides of the buns, then toast on the griddle until golden, about 1 minute. You can do this while the patties rest a minute or in the rendered fat in between batches. Transfer to a plate and keep cut-side up until ready to assemble.
- Assemble. Spoon a generous amount of burger sauce on the bottom bun. Layer with the two cheesy patties, a warm spoonful of bacon onion jam, and pickles. Add a bit more sauce to the top bun and crown.
Notes
- Each patty should be about 2½-3oz (70-85g).
- Make the jam and sauce ahead and day-of prep and cook time drops to roughly 25–30 minutes. Loosen jam in a skillet with a splash of water.
- If you are making a lot of smash burgers for a party, here’s my favorite tip: use a tortilla press to smash the patties in between squares of cut parchment paper, then stack them until ready to cook. You’ll save a lot of arm muscle by having them pre-smashed!
- If you’re not using sweet pickle relish in the burger sauce, you may want to add ½ tsp sugar.
- Timing: I recommend making both the jam and sauce(s) ahead. Have your cheese, pickles, and buns laid out before the first ball hits the pan, and toast buns in the fat between batches so everything lands hot at once.
Nutrition
Photography by Megan McKeehan.
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