No.98 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Smashed Burgers

Made famous by J. Kenji López-Alt

Photo: Renee Comet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

From The Food Lab, 2015. J. Kenji López-Alt is No. 7 on the Hot 100.

Thin patties smashed on a hot pan for a deep brown crust took over burger joints and home kitchens in the 2010s. Kenji explained why it works.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in The Food Lab.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) freshly ground beef chuck, 20 percent fat, cold
• 4 soft hamburger buns (potato buns are classic)
• 1 tbsp butter, softened
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 8 slices American cheese
• To serve: thinly sliced onion, pickles, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, and a sauce of 1/4 cup mayonnaise mixed with 2 tbsp ketchup and 1 tbsp chopped pickles

Steps

1. Divide the beef into 8 loose balls of 3 oz (85 g). Don't pack them tightly. Keep them cold.
2. Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast them in a large cast-iron or carbon-steel skillet over medium heat until golden. Set aside and build the bottoms with sauce and toppings.
3. Turn the heat to high and heat the skillet until it smokes, about 2 minutes.
4. Put 2 or 3 balls in the pan and immediately smash each one flat with a stiff metal spatula, pressing hard (use a second spatula on top for leverage) until about 1/4 inch thick and slightly wider than the bun. Season the tops with salt and pepper.
5. Cook without moving them until the edges are deep brown and lacy, about 1 1/2 minutes.
6. Scrape under each patty with the spatula so the crust comes with it, flip, and put a slice of cheese on each. Cook 30 seconds more.
7. Stack two patties on each bun and serve right away. Repeat with the rest of the beef.

Chef's tips

• Smash only once, in the first 30 seconds. Smashing later squeezes out the juice.
• A thin, stiff spatula with a sharp edge is the most important tool here.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt: get the book, No. 5 on The 100 Greatest Cookbooks.

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