The WGC Smash Burger

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The Best Smash Burger with caramelized onions, sharp cheddar mixed into the meat, a yellow mustard sear, and lemony arugula on brioche. Burger night just leveled up

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Main Course, Dinner, Sandwich

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Author: Gaby Dalkin

Ingredients

For the burgers:

2 pounds 80/20 ground beef
2-3 tablespoons Dalkin&Co. Meat Seasoning
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar or monterey jack divided
4 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons butter
4 brioche buns toasted

For the caramelized onions:

2 large yellow onions thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt

For the arugula:

2 cups arugula
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ lemon juiced
Flaky salt

Instructions

Melt the butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions with a generous pinch of kosher salt and cook, stirring every 8 to 10 minutes, for 35 to 45 minutes until deeply golden, soft, and jammy. Set aside.
Divide the ground beef into 8 equal loose balls, about 4 ounces each. Mix half the shredded cheese and a generous amount of Meat Seasoning directly into the meat. Do not overwork. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat until screaming hot. Add the butter and let it melt.
Brush one side of each beef ball generously with yellow mustard. Working in batches of 2 to 3 at a time, place each ball mustard-side down onto the hot skillet. Immediately smash as flat as possible with a sturdy spatula or burger press. Season the top with more Meat Seasoning.
Cook completely undisturbed for about 2 minutes until the edges are deeply browned and crispy. Flip and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Cook for 1 more minute until the cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining patties.
Toss the arugula with olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of flaky salt.
To assemble, pile a generous spoonful of caramelized onions on the bottom of each toasted brioche bun. Stack two cheesy patties on top and finish with the dressed arugula. Serve immediately

Notes

Use 80/20 ground beef and nothing leaner. The fat content in 80/20 is what creates the crispy, lacey edges when the patty hits a screaming hot pan. Leaner beef steams instead of sears and you lose the entire point of a smash burger.
Mix half the cheese directly into the meat. Incorporating cheese into the patty itself means you get melty pockets of cheddar in every single bite, not just on top. This is what separates a good smash burger from a great one.
Keep your meat balls loose and do not compact them before smashing. Overworked beef develops tough myosin strands that make the patty dense and rubbery. A loose ball smashes into a more irregular, craggier patty, which means more surface area and more crispy bits.
Brush the mustard side down onto the hot skillet, not up. Placing the mustard-coated side directly onto the hot cast iron lets the mustard essentially fry into the crust of the burger, adding tangy depth and helping with browning through the Maillard reaction.
Get your cast iron or griddle screaming hot before the meat touches it. A properly preheated pan, at least 5 full minutes over high heat, is non-negotiable. If the pan is not hot enough, the patty will not sear fast enough and you will steam the meat instead of crisping it.
Smash the patty within the first 10 seconds of hitting the pan. The proteins in ground beef begin to set almost immediately on contact with heat. If you wait too long to smash, the patty will resist flattening and you will squeeze out juices instead of locking them in.
Add the remaining cheese right after the flip, not before. Flipping first means you have a freshly seared, super hot surface on top. Laying cheese onto that surface lets it melt fast and completely in about 60 seconds without overcooking the patty underneath.
Start your caramelized onions at least 45 minutes before you plan to cook the burgers. True caramelization takes time and cannot be rushed with high heat. Cranking the temperature just burns the outside while leaving the inside sharp and raw. Low and slow for 35 to 45 minutes is the only path to jammy, golden onions.
Dress the arugula right before assembling, not ahead of time. Lemon juice and olive oil will wilt arugula quickly. Dressing at the last second keeps the leaves peppery and slightly crisp, which is the textural contrast the whole burger is built around.
Toast your brioche buns cut-side down in butter on the same skillet. A dry, untoasted bun will collapse the moment it hits the juicy patties and onions. Toasting in butter creates a barrier that holds up structurally and adds a richness that ties the whole burger together.
Season the top of each patty again after smashing. The initial seasoning in the meat ball gets distributed throughout the patty when smashed. A second hit of Meat Seasoning on the exposed top ensures the crust that forms on the second side is just as flavorful as the first.
Serve immediately after assembly. Smash burgers do not hold. The crispy crust softens within minutes and the dressed arugula wilts fast. Build the burgers and get them to the table right away for the full textural payoff.

Nutrition