Smash Burger

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 lb 80/20 fresh ground beef ground together with an untrimmed ribeye (about a lb) 

• large cast iron skillet or flat griddle 

• two really sturdy spatulas

• toppings of your choice

 Everyone has their favorite toppings so Im not going to get into that but rather stick with the meat and the technique that we like to use. Let's start with the meat.  

The Meat
We go to our local grocer and get a 1-2 lb pack of 80-20 ground beef. We also get a really big, fatty rib eye about 1 lb. Give these to the butcher and have them grind the two together. Be sure and tell them "no trimming" on the ribeye.  Take the meat and form into 3oz pucks and season after forming. Cover and put in fridge for at least an hour. As a side note you can also use ground lamb which is plenty fatty and needs no extra fat aded. 

The Technique
We use a 12in cast iron skillet to grill the burgers. It's large enough that you can get 3 burgers at once. Get it really hot and do not use any oil. The burgers will make their own while searing. Have two, wide, sturdy spatulas handy and get ready with cheese and a plate for the burgers.  Space the pucks evenly in the skillet and using the spatulas "smash" the burgers as hard as you can until they are about about 3/16" thick. This can be aided by first laying a spatula on top of the burger then taking the other spatula and going perpendicular, applying force straight down on the top of the burger.  Be sure and protect your hands because the skillet will be really hot.