Classic Double Smash Burgers with Burger Sauce

Name: Classic Double Smash Burgers with Burger Sauce
Prep time: 22 min
Cook time: 29 min
Total time: 51 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ½ cup (115 g) mayonnaise; 3 tablespoons (50 g) ketchup; 1½ teaspoons (8 g) yellow mustard; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dill pickle brine, from the pickle jar; 2 tablespoons (20 g) dill pickle chips, finely chopped; ¾ teaspoon (1½ g) sweet paprika; ¼ teaspoon (0.8 g) garlic powder; 1½ pounds (680 g) 80/20 ground beef chuck, cold, divided into 8 equal portions of about 3 oz (85 g); 2 teaspoons (6 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, about ¼ teaspoon (0.75 g) per patty; ½ teaspoon (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground, about a pinch (⅛ tsp... ) per patty; 8 slices (150 g) American cheese slices, unwrapped, at room temperature; 1 small (about 5 oz) (140 g) yellow onion, peeled and sliced paper-thin, about ⅛ inch (3 mm) or thinner; 16 chips (80 g) dill pickle chips, patted dry; 4 buns (240 g) potato hamburger buns, split; 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter, softened

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Thin, lacy-edged beef patties are smashed onto a screaming-hot pan, topped with melty American cheese, and stacked on buttery toasted potato buns with pickles, onion and a tangy homemade burger sauce.

Prep: 22 min
Cook: 29 min
Wait: 15 min
Total: 1 hr 6 min
Makes: 4 double-patty burgers

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the burger sauce
½ cup (115 g) mayonnaise
3 tablespoons (50 g) ketchup
1½ teaspoons (8 g) yellow mustard
1 tablespoon (15 ml) dill pickle brine, from the pickle jar
2 tablespoons (20 g) dill pickle chips, finely chopped
¾ teaspoon (1.5 g) sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon (0.8 g) garlic powder
For the burgers
1½ pounds (680 g) 80/20 ground beef chuck, cold, divided into 8 equal portions of about 3 oz (85 g)
2 teaspoons (6 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, about ¼ teaspoon (0.75 g) per patty
½ teaspoon (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground, about a pinch (⅛ tsp... ) per patty
8 slices (150 g) American cheese slices, unwrapped, at room temperature
To serve
1 small (about 5 oz) (140 g) yellow onion, peeled and sliced paper-thin, about ⅛ inch (3 mm) or thinner
16 chips (80 g) dill pickle chips, patted dry
4 buns (240 g) potato hamburger buns, split
1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter, softened

Equipment (9)

12-inch (30 cm) cast-iron skillet, carbon steel pan or flat-top griddle
Stiff, wide metal spatula or burger press
Long metal tongs (to hold the paper towel when wiping the hot pan)
Parchment paper, 3 squares about 6×6 inches (15×15 cm), reused for each batch
Rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack or oven-safe plate, to keep cooked patties warm
Small mixing bowl and spoon
Sharp knife and cutting board
Paper towels
Instant-read thermometer

Steps

Before you start

Use cold 80/20 ground beef straight from the fridge. Leaner beef won't crisp or stay juicy, and no oil is needed because the beef supplies the fat.
Open a window and turn on the vent fan. Smashing on a very hot pan makes smoke.
Plan on 3 batches in a 12-inch (30 cm) pan (3 patties, 3 patties, then 2). Each batch takes about 4 minutes, so a warm oven keeps the finished patties hot while you cook the rest.
Have everything sliced, sauced and laid out before you turn on the heat. Once the pan is hot, the cooking moves quickly.
This recipe uses Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you only have Morton kosher salt or fine salt, use half as much (1 teaspoon total).

1
Mix the sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, pickle brine, chopped pickles, paprika and garlic powder until smooth.
- Cover and refrigerate.
- This makes about ¾ cup (180 ml); you will use about 5 tablespoons on the burgers and have the rest for dipping.
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Ready when: Sauce is a uniform pink-orange with no streaks of mustard or ketchup.
Tip: Make it up to 3 days ahead; the flavor improves as it sits.
2
Portion and chill beef
- Divide the cold beef into 8 equal portions of about 3 oz (85 g) each.
- Gently roll each into a loose ball without compressing it.
- Place on a parchment-lined plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
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Ready when: Balls are loosely formed and cold to the touch.
Tip: Don't pack or knead the meat. Overworked beef turns dense and tough.
3
Prep toppings, warm ovenOven 200°F / 95°C
- Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and put a baking sheet with a rack (or an oven-safe plate) inside.
- While the beef chills, slice the onion paper-thin and pat the pickle chips dry.
- Unwrap the cheese.
- Spread the softened butter on the cut sides of the buns.
- Set the salt, pepper, parchment squares, spatula, tongs and paper towels beside the stove.
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Ready when: Onion slices are almost translucent; oven is at 200°F (95°C).
Tip: Slice the onion as thin as you can. Thick slices stay raw and crunchy on a quick-cooked burger.
4
Toast the bunsOven 200°F / 95°C
- Heat the dry skillet or griddle over medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Place 4 bun halves buttered side down and toast 1 to 2 minutes.
- Move them to the warm oven and toast the remaining 4 halves the same way.
- Keep all the buns in the oven.
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Ready when: Cut sides are golden brown and lightly crisp.
Tip: Toast the buns first so the butter doesn't burn later on the very hot pan.
5
Clean and heat the pan
- Turn off the heat.
- Hold a folded paper towel with tongs and wipe out any butter and crumbs from the pan.
- Turn the heat to high and preheat 4 minutes.
- No oil is needed; the beef fat will lubricate the pan.
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Ready when: A drop of water sizzles and evaporates within a second.
Tip: Always use tongs for wiping a hot pan; never use your fingers. On a stainless or uncured pan, wipe on a few drops of oil with tongs.
6
Smash first batch
- Place 3 beef balls in the hot pan in a triangle, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
- Immediately cover each with parchment and press hard with the spatula for about 10 seconds to a thin patty about 4 inches (10 cm) wide.
- Peel off the parchment.
- Season each patty with about ¼ tsp salt and a pinch of pepper, then top with a small pinch of sliced onion.
- Cook undisturbed for 2 minutes.
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Ready when: Edges are deep brown and lacy, and the surface looks beaded and darkened.
Tip: Smash only once, at the start. Pressing again later squeezes out the juices.
7
Scrape, flip, add cheese
- Slide the spatula under each patty, scraping hard against the pan to keep the brown crust, and flip.
- Immediately lay a slice of American cheese on each patty.
- Cook 45 to 60 seconds.
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Ready when: Cheese is melted and slumping over the edges, and the patty is browned with no pink and clear juices.
Tip: If the pan smokes heavily, drop to medium-high between batches.
8
Stack and keep warmOven 200°F / 95°C
- Move the 3 cheesed patties to the baking sheet in the warm oven.
- For a check, slide an instant-read thermometer into the side of one patty; it should read 160°F (71°C).
- If it's below that, return it to the pan for 30 seconds.
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Ready when: Patty reads 160°F (71°C) in the center, or is deeply browned with clear juices.
Tip: Thin patties are tricky to probe. Insert the tip horizontally from the side, or check one patty per batch.
9
Cook batches 2 and 3Oven 200°F / 95°C
- Repeat the smash, flip and cheese steps with the next 3 beef balls, then the final 2, using the rest of the salt, pepper and onion.
- Let the pan return to very hot for about 30 seconds between batches.
- Each batch takes about 4 to 5 minutes.
- As patties finish, stack one cheesed patty on another (2 per burger) on the baking sheet in the oven to make 4 doubles.
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Ready when: All 8 patties are deeply browned and lacy at the edges; cheese is melted between the patties of each stack.
Tip: Don't leave patties in the oven more than 10 minutes or they dry out.
10
Build and serve
- Spread about 2 teaspoons of sauce on each cut side of the toasted buns.
- Lay 4 pickle chips on each bottom bun, set a double patty on top, then close with the top bun.
- Serve right away with extra sauce for dipping.
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Ready when: Burger is hot, the cheese is glossy and the crust is still crisp.
Tip: Eat immediately; the crisp edges soften quickly as they sit.

Good to know

Tips

Cold beef and a very hot pan are the two keys to a lacy, crisp crust.
Use parchment when smashing so the meat doesn't stick to the spatula.
Scrape hard under the patty when flipping; the browned crust is the best part and sticks to the pan.
Salt only after smashing. Salting the beef ahead draws out moisture and makes the texture firm.

Make ahead

Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. Slice the onion up to 1 day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Portion the beef into balls up to 8 hours ahead, covered in the fridge. Smash and cook just before serving.

Storage & reheating

Best eaten immediately. Leftover cooked patties keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat in a hot skillet for about 1 minute per side until steaming hot. Freeze cooked patties up to 2 months and reheat from frozen in a skillet over medium heat, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes. Sauce keeps 5 days in the fridge. Raw beef balls can be frozen up to 3 months and thawed overnight in the fridge.

Substitutions

80/20 ground beef chuck → Brisket-chuck blend, or any ground beef with 15 to 20% fat. Avoid anything leaner than 80/20; the patties will dry out and not crisp.
American cheese slices → Mild cheddar or white cheddar slices. Melts less creamily than American but still tastes great.
potato hamburger buns → Brioche buns or soft sesame buns. Toast the same way; soft buns hold the sauce well.
Diamond Crystal kosher salt → Morton kosher salt or fine sea salt. Use half the amount (1 teaspoon, about 5 g total), since these are denser than Diamond Crystal.