Professional Flat-Top Methods for 2026 Summer Grilling

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

Get your griddle or steel ripping hot. We're cooking these for 30-60 seconds per side, and you want it yelling hot for that Maillard reaction, the sear that makes smashburgers legendary.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I have actually made smash burgers on this thing that people still discuss. Smashburgers in the house are off the charts. Here's how I do it. More area equates to more flavor. Smashing the beef thin optimizes contact with the hot steel, activating the Maillard reaction, the chemical procedure that creates that deep, savory, browned taste we all yearn for.

Your first hamburger and your 4th get the exact same extraordinary edge-to-edge crust without the temperature level dropping. I 'd know my family has remained in the steel service for over 50 years at our shop in Hanover, MA. I understand this material, and I developed these griddles specifically to fix the heat retention problem that cast iron can't.

Essential Steps for The Best Summer Dinner Sides

Let it pre-heat for 10-15 minutes until it's ripping hot (around 500-550F). This is the exact same principle behind our pizza steels fill the steel with heat, and it does the work for you. Carefully divide the ground beef into 4 x 4 oz (115g) balls. Do not exhaust the meat; just form it into a loose ball.

Season the smashed patties kindly with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Prepare for 60-90 seconds.

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.

Delicious Dinner Inspiration for Summer 2026

Cheese melting completely on the Mini Frying pan Cast iron is the conventional option for smashburgers, and it works. After evaluating both side-by-side for over a years, I switched to steel.

I comprehend how it stores and transfers heat in a method a lot of people never think about. Here's the difference: That means it recovers temperature level much faster in between hamburgers.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Steel doesn't drop. You get the very same screaming-hot crust on your very first hamburger and your 4th. It warms up much faster and distributes heat more evenly. No locations, no cold areas. Simply consistent, edge-to-edge browning. No spices, no babying. Just cook, scrape, wipe clean. I have actually tested cast iron, stainless steel, and every griddle on the market.

Preheat the grill and steel for 15-20 minutes on high heat, then smash your hamburgers right on the steel. You get the same unbelievable crust with the included advantage of outdoor cooking and that subtle smoky flavor from the grill.

How to Cook a Gourmet Flat-Top Burger

They stroll up expecting routine grilled hamburgers and rather they see me smashing patties on a piece of American-made steel on the grill. Perfect smash hamburgers made on the Baking Steel Original on an outdoor grill I designed each of these for a particular use case.

It fits on a single burner and is ideal for households or hamburger night with good friends. is compact and best for 1-2 hamburgers. It's terrific for little kitchen areas, apartments, or solo cooking. Exact same heat retention, smaller footprint. is the one that began it all. Use it in the oven for pizza, or take it outdoors and location it on your grill for smashburgers, steaks, and more.