The tastiest smash burgers!

February 2, 2026

You'll want to try this new trend: the smash burger! It looks vaguely like a hamburger, but they taste completely different. As a true outdoor chef, you'll definitely taste it right away.

What's so different about smash burgers is their preparation. A smash burger can be described as a beef burger flattened on a grill. Let's be honest, a smash burger tastes much better. And speaking of delicious? You can certainly say that. Because the burger is flattened, a crispy crust is created, and other processes within the burger also create additional flavors in this crust. A "regular" burger has less surface area, therefore less crust and less flavor.

Do we have to make do with such a thin burger?
Whoa, whoa! That's not going to happen. Squishing it flat makes it quite large, and the classic smash burger is made up of multiple smash burgers on a single bun. Trust me, you'll want to try this.

Now bring on that recipe!
How do we make such a delicious smash burger? The toppings are endlessly varied. This recipe, inspired by the Fire and Smoke World's Best BBQ book, is highly recommended!

Ingredients for 2 smash burgers:

2x Burger bun
300g ground beef
5g salt
5g coarse pepper
4 slices of cheddar
tomato
BBQ sauce
pickle
salad
red onion
oil

Supplies

Method

Divide the minced meat into 4 balls and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cut the tomato into slices
Slice the red onion into rings and fry them briefly over high heat in your skillet or on your plancha until they caramelize slightly. Remove from the pan and reserve the onions.
Cut the burger buns in half and place them, cut-side down, in the skillet or on the plancha where you just fried the onions. Press them down briefly to allow the flavors to absorb and brown nicely. Set the burger buns aside.
Add a dash of oil to the pan/plancha
Place the meatballs in the pan and smash! Flatten the burgers with the smash burger tool.*
After 2 minutes, flip the burgers and press them down. You can already see that delicious crust!
Place a slice of cheddar on each burger and let it melt.
Let's start assembling: Bottom of burger bun, followed by the first smashed burger, BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, second smashed burger, followed by tomato slices, pickles, lettuce, and BBQ sauce. Then, the top of the burger bun can go on top. Let's dig in!

*Can you use a spatula? Yes, you can. But it's more fun to do it with the smashburger tool.

Need extra inspiration?
I can hardly imagine you're not convinced yet. Looking for more inspiration or could you use some variety? Then take a look at these examples!

The classic smash burger with cheddar, more cheddar and red onion