Smash Burgers

Instructions

1. 1

   Place a 9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, gently shape the ground beef into four balls. Handle the meat just enough to keep the ball together. Do not compact the meat. The more you work the ground beef, the tougher the burger. Use just your fingertips to form the loose balls. Don't worry about tucking in any strands that may stick out. They will turn into well-browned bits of goodness.

2. 2

   Increase the burner temperature to medium-high, and add the oil. Add two of the beef balls. With a heavy metal spatula, flatten each to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thickness. Sprinkle each with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook until the edges start to brown, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. When flattening the burgers, you can use a meat mallet to press on the spatula. This helps the burgers form and prevents the spatula from bending. After you smash the burgers, wait to move them until you're ready to flip. A lot of flavor develops during this browning step.

3. 3

   Flip the burgers, and sprinkle each with an additional 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook until well browned and a thermometer inserted into each patty reads at least 160°F, about 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining beef. If you have the space, flip the burger onto an unused area of the skillet. It's much hotter than the section of the pan where the burger was. To make a smash cheeseburger, add a slice of your favorite cheese right after you flip it.

4. 4

   Serve the smash burgers on hamburger buns with your favorite toppings, such as mayonnaise, sliced American cheese, sliced tomato, dill pickle slices, lettuce, ketchup and yellow mustard.