Why heat up the house when it’s perfect grilling weather outside. Friends are coming over so let’s grill up some burgers! Specifically, let’s make some Smash Burgers topped off with an Animal-Style Sauce!

What’s a Smash Burger?

It is just what it sounds like. I am using a 3 oz ball of ground chuck beef that I smash down into a patty on a screaming hot griddle that I have placed on the grill. When all the experts start talking about burgers someone always says, “Do not take your spatula and “smash” down on it because you will press out all the moisture in the meat. That would be true if you are placing on your grill pre-formed patties and are cooking more of a pub-style burger.

That is not the case for our “smash burger”. By taking that ball, and smashing it on a very hot grill, we are in fact locking in the juices because of the sear we are putting on the burger. Once we get that hard sear/crust, we will flip the burger (no more pressing. Only one time to get the original sear.) When should we flip the burger? Flip when you start to see some bubbling coming thru the burger. You should have a very nice crust. Don’t forget to season your burger with your favorite seasoned salt.

We might as well make our burger a double-double. Add a slice of American Cheese and you have the almost perfect smash burger.

What’s an Animal Style Sauce?

Let’s add some Animal-Style Sauce and some grilled onions and make our burger the perfect Double-Double Animal-Style Smash Burger!

Am I a fan of a much thicker burger medium-rare on the inside with all the juices running down my arm? Why yes I am! The Smash Burger is just a different style of burger. This style will allow you to cook a lot of burgers in a shorter amount of time. That will make you very happy when you are cooking for a large group. Once you get that great char on both sides of the patty, you are done and ready to dive in and enjoy one for yourself!! Check out my other post on Burgers here!

Celebrate this upcoming weekend with friends and cook up some great Smash Burgers topped off with the perfect Animal-Style Sauce. I hope you enjoy this version of a burger and as always, thanks for Spending Time in My Kitchen!

Smash Burgers and Animal-Style Sauce!

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Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen

Servings / double-double

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Animal Style Sauce

3 Cups

Ingredients

3 lbs 3 Ground chuck, 80 / 20 %
16 16 American cheese slices
8 8 Favorite Burger Buns, ( I am using Brioche and potato)
Grilled Onions
3 Large 3 Sweet onion, finely diced
2 Tbl 2 Grapeseed oil
2 tsp 2 Brown sugar
2 tsp 2 Salt
Optional Ingredients
Lettuce
2 Large 2 Tomatoes, thinly sliced
Pickles, dill
Purple onion, thinly sliced (or your favorite type of onion)
Mustard
Animal Style Sauce
18 oz 18 Mayo
12 oz 12 Ketchup
4 oz 4 Sweet Bread and Butter Pickles, finely chopped
2 oz 2 White vinegar
1/2 tsp 1/2 Salt

Directions

Take your meat and roll them into 16 – 3oz balls. Since the patties are smashed so thin, I just season them on the grill. Do not overwork the meat when rolling. Set aside.
Brown your Onions
Chop the onions until they are finely diced.
Add grapeseed oil to your large non-stick saute pan. Add onions to the pan. Add a couple of pinches of salt to help release the moisture in the onions. Set heat on the pan to medium-high. Add the sugar to help in the caramelization process for the onions.
It will take a while for your onions to start to turn color. Give the onions a good stir occasionally. Add a little water to the pan to help deglaze the brown bits from the bottom of the pan when the onions start to brown after 3/4 cooked. Once onions are cooked, remove them from the heat and set them aside.
Animal Style Sauce
Combine all the ingredients for the sauce into a bowl. It is best if you make it the night before. Add a little more vinegar if you like the sauce with a little more bite.
This recipe gives you way more than what you need for 8 burgers. You can easily cut it down in half. I like to keep what’s left in the fridge for other meals.
Making the Burgers
Toast the buns on the grill, then set them aside before you start cooking the burgers. This will speed up the process if the buns are ready to go.
Make sure your griddle is nice and hot. Place a burger ball on the griddle and use your burger press / large spatula to press the burger into a thin patty.
Lightly season the burger. (Option – Before you flip the burger, spread some mustard on the patty. Now when you flip the burger, the mustard will sear into the other side and become part of the crust. This is what In-n-Out does when they make an Animal Style Burger)
Now that you flipped the burger, add seasoning to this side.
Depending on the heat of your grill (about 5 minutes), add your cheese.
After the cheese has melted perfectly on top of the patty, we can finish the burger preparation.
Garnish Your Burger
At this point, we can cook all the burgers and set them aside in a covered tray. Or cook and finish them one at a time.
Let’s finish off the burger. Add your prepared sauce to the bottom of your toasted bun.
Now is the time to add any optional ingredients, lettuce, raw onion slices, tomato, and pickles.
Place two patties on the bun. Top off the burger with grilled onions and a little more sauce.
Repeat the above steps for all eight burgers and enjoy the perfect Smash Burger topped off with your Animal Style Sauce!!

Notes

You can cook your onions on the griddle if you have a large enough space. I just preferred to precook them on my cast iron pan in the kitchen to cut down on my time at the grill. You can keep them warm on the indirect side of your grill and top off your burgers right before service.