Delicious Dinner Secrets for Grilling in 2026

I make smashburgers on steel frequently. The work is getting your hamburger bar together: sliced pickles, onions, cheese, unique sauce.

Get your griddle or steel ripping hot. You have to work quickly. We're preparing these for 30-60 seconds per side, and you want it shouting hot for that Maillard reaction, the sear that makes smashburgers famous. I enjoy to smash for friends. Most of the time, they have actually already had our Baking Steel pizza, and I like to mix up the menu.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I've made smash burgers on this thing that people still talk about. Smashing the beef thin optimizes contact with the hot steel, setting off the Maillard reaction, the chemical process that produces that deep, tasty, browned flavor we all yearn for.

Your very first burger and your 4th get the exact same incredible edge-to-edge crust without the temperature level dropping. I 'd know my family has been in the steel company for over 50 years at our shop in Hanover, MA. I comprehend this product, and I developed these frying pans specifically to fix the heat retention issue that cast iron can't.

Mastering the Griddle: Essential Burger Techniques

Let it pre-heat for 10-15 minutes up until it's ripping hot (around 500-550F). This is the same concept behind our pizza steels pack the steel with heat, and it does the work for you.

Instantly smash them extremely thin (about 1/4 inch) with a stiff spatula or press. To prevent sticking, you can position a small piece of parchment paper between the meat and the spatula. Season the smashed patties kindly with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Cook for 60-90 seconds. You'll see the edges turn a deep, crispy brown.

Use a bench scraper or stiff spatula to get under the patty, guaranteeing you scrape up all the crispy, browned bits. Turn it over. Right away position a piece of cheese on the flipped patty. Cook for another 30-45 seconds to melt the cheese. Quickly toast your buns on a cooler part of the frying pan for 15-20 seconds.

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Cheese melting perfectly on the Mini Griddle Cast iron is the standard option for smashburgers, and it works. After testing both side-by-side for over a years, I changed to steel.

I comprehend how it stores and transfers heat in a manner many people never ever consider. That knowledge is exactly what led me to invent the Baking Steel in 2012, and it's why I designed the Skinny Griddle specifically for stovetop cooking like this. Here's the distinction: That indicates it recovers temperature level much faster in between burgers.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Steel doesn't drop. You get the exact same screaming-hot crust on your very first burger and your fourth. It warms up faster and disperses heat more equally. No locations, no cold spots. Simply constant, edge-to-edge browning. No spices, no babying. Just cook, scrape, wipe tidy. I have actually tested cast iron, stainless steel, and every griddle on the marketplace.

Preheat the grill and steel for 15-20 minutes on high heat, then smash your burgers right on the steel. You get the very same extraordinary crust with the added advantage of outside cooking and that subtle smoky taste from the grill.

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Buddies lose their minds when they see it. They walk up expecting regular grilled hamburgers and rather they see me smashing patties on a slab of American-made steel on the grill. It's a whole thing. Perfect smash burgers made on the Baking Steel Original on an outdoor grill I developed each of these for a specific usage case.

It fits on a single burner and is ideal for families or hamburger night with good friends. is compact and perfect for 1-2 burgers. It's terrific for small kitchens, apartments, or solo cooking. Exact same heat retention, smaller footprint. is the one that started it all. Utilize it in the oven for pizza, or take it outdoors and location it on your grill for smashburgers, steaks, and more.