Professional Flat-Top Strategies for Upcoming Summer Grilling

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

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

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I've made smash hamburgers on this thing that individuals still speak about. Smashburgers in your home are off the charts. Here's how I do it. More area equals more flavor. Smashing the beef thin maximizes contact with the hot steel, triggering the Maillard reaction, the chemical process that develops that deep, savory, browned flavor we all yearn for.

Your first hamburger and your fourth get the exact same extraordinary edge-to-edge crust without the temperature level dropping. I 'd know my family has been in the steel organization for over 50 years at our shop in Hanover, MA. I comprehend this product, and I constructed these griddles specifically to solve the heat retention issue that cast iron can't.

Key Tips for Perfect Outdoor BBQ Sides

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

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

Utilize a bench scraper or stiff spatula to get under the patty, ensuring you scrape up all the crispy, browned bits. Flip it over. Immediately position a slice of cheese on the turned patty. Prepare for another 30-45 seconds to melt the cheese. Briefly toast your buns on a cooler part of the frying pan for 15-20 seconds.

Flavorful Dinner Ideas for Grilling in 2026

Cheese melting perfectly on the Mini Griddle Cast iron is the traditional choice for smashburgers, and it works. After checking both side-by-side for over a decade, I switched to steel.

I comprehend how it shops and transfers heat in a way a lot of people never ever believe about. Here's the distinction: That suggests it recuperates temperature level quicker in between burgers.

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 quicker and disperses heat more equally. No hot spots, no cold spots. Simply constant, edge-to-edge browning. No seasoning, no babying. Just cook, scrape, wipe clean. I have actually checked cast iron, stainless-steel, and every griddle on the market.

Pre-heat the grill and steel for 15-20 minutes on high heat, then smash your burgers right on the steel. You get the exact same incredible crust with the added advantage of outdoor cooking and that subtle smoky flavor from the grill.

How to Craft a High-Quality Flat-Top Burger

Buddies lose their minds when they see it. They walk up expecting routine grilled hamburgers and rather they see me smashing patties on a piece of American-made steel on the grill. It's an entire thing. Perfect smash burgers made on the Baking Steel Original on an outside grill I developed each of these for a particular use case.

It fits on a single burner and is perfect for households or hamburger night with good friends. Very same heat retention, smaller footprint. Utilize it in the oven for pizza, or take it outdoors and place it on your grill for smashburgers, steaks, and more.