Smash Burgers on Electric Grill

Smash burgers have taken the burger world by storm, and an electric grill with a flat cooking surface is one of the best tools for making them at home. The technique is dead simple: take a small ball of ground beef, smash it impossibly thin on a screaming hot surface, and let the Maillard reaction create an outrageously crispy, caramelized crust. The magic of a smash burger is the ratio of crust to meat. With a traditional thick burger, you get a thin layer of sear on the outside and a lot of interior meat. With a smash burger, the entire patty is essentially crust. Every bite delivers maximum flavor and maximum crunch. Electric grills with flat plates or griddle surfaces are ideal because the flat contact means every square inch of the patty touches the hot surface. Even on a grill with raised ridges, smash burgers work well because the pressure forces the meat into the grooves. The key technique is committing to the smash. Many people are timid and only press halfway. You need to use both hands, lean your body weight into the spatula, and flatten the beef until it is almost translucent. This feels aggressive, but it is exactly what creates the signature lacy, caramelized edges that make smash burgers addictive. Double-stacking two thin patties per bun gives you the perfect meat-to-bun ratio and two layers of that incredible crust.