In and Out Style Smash Burger

Indulge in the satisfaction of our ultimate Smash Burger, an exquisite culinary experience crafted to elevate your love for burgers. This extraordinary creation combines premium beef patties expertly smashed to perfection, ensuring a delightful blend of juiciness and crispiness.

But the excellence doesn’t stop there – behold our secret weapon, the iconic In-N-Out-inspired Secret Sauce. This delectable condiment, with its harmonious balance of flavours, transforms each bite into a symphony of taste. Served on a toasted bun with the freshest fixings, this smash burger is a culinary masterpiece designed to redefine your burger expectations.

What is a Smash Burger and Why is it Better Than a Regular Burger?

A Smash Burger is a type of burger preparation that involves smashing a ball of ground beef onto a hot griddle or skillet, creating a thin patty with a crispy, caramelised exterior. This cooking method is the key to what makes a Smash Burger distinct from a regular burger.

Here’s why Smash Burgers are often considered better than regular burgers:

1. Crispy Exterior, Juicy Interior: The smashing process creates a large surface area, allowing the beef to form a delicious crust while maintaining a juicy and flavourful interior.

2. Caramelisation: The direct contact with the hot cooking surface caramelises the sugars in the beef, resulting in a flavourful sear that enhances the taste and texture.

3. Quick Cooking: Smash Burgers cook rapidly due to their thinness. This quick cooking time preserves the natural juices of the beef, ensuring a moist and succulent burger.

4. Versatility: The thin patty allows for a variety of toppings to be added without overwhelming the burger. It’s a versatile canvas for creative and diverse flavour combinations.

5. Iconic Flavour Profile: The cooking method and thin patty are reminiscent of classic diner-style burgers, offering a nostalgic and beloved flavour profile.

6. Customisation: Smash Burgers are highly customisable, allowing you to experiment with different types of meat, seasonings, and toppings to suit your preferences.

In essence, a smash burger is an artful balance of simplicity and perfection, focusing on maximising flavour and texture through a unique cooking process. The result is a burger that stands out for its deliciously crispy exterior, mouthwatering juiciness, and the ability to adapt to a wide range of flavour profiles.

Ingredients for a Smash Burger

Sauce

• Mayonnaise
• Ketchup
• Pickle juice
• Finely chopped pickles
• Yellow mustard
• Salt and pepper

Burger

• Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• 80/20 ground beef
• Burger buns
• American Cheese
• Optional toppings: caramelised onions, tomato slices, iceberg lettuce, pickle slices

Our Version of the In-And-Out Secret Sauce

There’s a reason why the In-N-Out Burger has a cult following, and part of that secret lies in their irresistible smash burgers and, of course, the iconic secret sauce. Today, we’re bringing that West Coast magic to your kitchen with a homemade In-N-Out style smash burger that’s bound to elevate your burger experience.

Ingredients

• Mayonnaise
• Ketchup
• Pickle juice
• Yellow mustard
• Pickles
• Salt and pepper to taste

In-N-Out’s secret sauce is the stuff of legends, and for good reason. It’s a harmonious blend of creamy, tangy, and slightly sweet flavours that dance on your palate. Imagine the richness of mayonnaise, the zing of ketchup, a hint of acidity from pickle juice, the warmth of yellow mustard, and the crunch of finely chopped pickles, all coming together in the most perfect way. It’s a sauce that strikes the right balance, leaving your taste buds craving more.

1. Creaminess and Depth: Mayonnaise adds a velvety creaminess that wraps each bite in a luscious texture, while also providing a subtle depth of flavour.
2. Zesty Tang: Ketchup contributes a delightful tanginess, enhancing the overall vibrancy of the sauce and cutting through the richness of the burger.
3. Pickle Infusion: The addition of pickle juice and finely chopped pickles brings a burst of briny freshness, elevating the sauce with a unique twist and providing a delightful crunch.
4. Mustard Kick: Yellow mustard introduces a warm, slightly spicy kick, adding complexity and balancing the sweetness from other components.
5. Versatility and Harmony: The secret sauce acts as the unifying element, tying together all the flavours in our burger. It’s the catalyst that transforms a collection of ingredients into a cohesive, mouthwatering experience.

Tips For Achieving The Perfect Smash Effect For Your Burger Patty

1. Choose the Right Ground Beef: Opt for ground beef with an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio. The higher fat content contributes to juiciness and flavour, while the lower lean content aids in achieving that desirable crispy crust during the smashing process.

2. Dividing the Beef: Divide the ground beef into equal portions, approximately 3-4 ounces each. This ensures uniform cooking and an even surface for the smash effect.

3. Preheat the Cooking Surface: Ensure your cooking surface, whether it’s a griddle or skillet, is thoroughly preheated. A hot surface is essential for creating that instant sear, leading to a crispy exterior.

4. The Smashing Technique: Use a sturdy spatula or burger press to firmly press down on each portion of ground beef. Apply enough pressure to achieve a thin patty. This process maximises the surface area in contact with the hot surface, promoting the development of a delicious crust.

5. Oil for Crisp: It enhances the overall flavour and aids in achieving a beautifully golden crust.

6. Timing is Crucial: Smash each portion for a short duration, around 10-15 seconds, to ensure the patty maintains juiciness while achieving that crispy edge. Don’t over-smash; you’re aiming for thinness without compromising succulence.

7. Seasoning with Salt and Pepper: Season the patties liberally with salt and pepper immediately after smashing. This enhances the overall flavour profile, ensuring that each bite is well-seasoned.

8. Cheese Melting Technique: After flipping the patties, add a slice of American cheese to each. Create a steam dome by adding a bit of water to the hot surface and covering the patties with a lid. This helps the cheese melt evenly, creating a gooey and flavourful layer.

Why You Should Make Caramelised To Have The Full Smash Burger Experience

Caramelised onions can be a fantastic addition to your smash burger recipe. They bring a rich, sweet, and savoury flavour that complements the juicy and crispy elements of the smash burger. Here’s how we made ours:

• Add 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil over low to medium-low heat. Add finely diced onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the hot pan.
• Continuously stir, making sure to scrape the pan, for about 12 minutes until it starts to get golden brown.
• Then, turn up the heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of water to the onions and stir until it evaporates. Repeat this process with another 3 tablespoons of water (making 4 in total), one at a time.
• At the end, it should be a dark golden brown and completely translucent.

Crafting the Perfect In-N-Out Style Smash Burger

1. Smashing Technique: Start by smashing your beef patties on a hot griddle, creating a crispy, flavorful crust that’s the hallmark of In-N-Out style burgers.
2. Perfectly Melted Cheese: Place a slice of American cheese on each patty, allowing it to melt into gooey perfection.
3. The Bun: Toast your buns to golden perfection. A buttered, toasted bun provides the ideal canvas for the layers of flavour to unfold.
4. Layering: Assemble your burger with fresh lettuce, juicy tomato slices, and thinly sliced onions, creating a symphony of textures.
5. Generous Sauce Application: Smear a generous dollop of our In-N-Out style secret sauce on the bun, ensuring each bite is infused with that iconic flavour.
6. Enjoy the Perfection: The result? A homemade smash burger that pays homage to the West Coast legend, a flavorful masterpiece that brings the essence of In-N-Out to your own kitchen.

In and Out Style Smash Burger with Secret Sauce