Smash Burger

also called cheeseburger · hamburger · diner burger · smashburger · smashed burger · single with cheese · double with cheese

The table

10 oz(280 g; 80/20 chuck, coarse ground)ground beefshape it loose, nothing mixed inpress once hard, season, flip at 2 min, cheese, 1 minstack two per bun and close
1 tsp(5 mL)neutral oil
1 tsp(6 g)kosher salt
1/2 tsp(1 g)coarse black pepper
4 slicesAmerican cheese
2(split)potato bunstoast the cut faces in butter 1 min
1 Tbs(14 g)unsalted butter
8dill pickle chips
2 Tbs(shaved paper-thin)yellow onion
2 tsp(10 mL)yellow mustard
Tap anything to cross it off.

What to lay out

Everything the recipe asks for, sitting under the step that eats it. Tick each one as you measure it.11 things to get out.

Pans and tools

1shape it loose, nothing mixed in

2press once hard, season, flip at 2 min, cheese, 1 min

goes in with what step 1 made

3toast the cut faces in butter 1 min

4stack two per bun and close

goes in with what steps 2 and 3 made

Cooking it

Start to finish is the longest chain through the table, so branches that overlap are counted once. That is why the waits add up to more than the clock — and it only holds if you get them going together.

Tap a step when it is done; the next one lights up.

The clock

Start to finish
at least 3 mintwo waits that overlap count once
Needs you
4 minof the steps that give a time

2 of the 4 steps never say how long they take, so both numbers are floors. It adds up to more hands-on time than the whole dish takes because two branches run at once — which needs someone free to run both. The recipe itself says 20 min.

  1. toast the cut faces in butter 1 min

    1 minneeds youfrom the start

  2. shape it loose, nothing mixed in

    not timedfrom the start

  3. press once hard, season, flip at 2 min, cheese, 1 min

    3 minneeds youfrom the start

  4. stack two per bun and close

    not timed3 min in

Drawn to scale, so a long wait really does take up the room it takes. The shortest stretches keep a sliver so they stay visible; their times are printed beside them. Bars that line up are happening at the same time.

You'll need griddle

Goes with

See how it is written
>> title: Smash Burger
>> category: Sandwiches & Rolls
>> tags: beef, cheese, griddle, burger, lunch
>> counters: Diner
>> aka: cheeseburger, hamburger, diner burger, smashburger, smashed burger, single with cheese, double with cheese
>> pairs-with: homemade-ketchup
>> servings: 2
>> time: 20 min
>> step.1: toast the cut faces in butter 1 min
>> step.2: shape it loose, nothing mixed in
>> step.3: press once hard, season, flip at 2 min, cheese, 1 min
>> step.4: stack two per bun and close

Toast @potato buns{2}(split) cut side down in @unsalted butter{1%Tbs}(14 g) on the griddle ~toast{1%min}, until the faces are gold. A toasted face is a seal; an untoasted one goes to paste under the patty.

Ball @ground beef{10%oz}(280 g; 80/20 chuck, coarse ground) into four loose 2 1/2-oz balls, handled as little as your hands allow. Nothing goes into the meat — no egg, no crumb, no salt yet. Salt mixed through raw beef dissolves the protein and the patty turns springy, like a sausage.

Smash @&(~1)beef balls{} onto a #griddle{} filmed with @neutral oil{1%tsp}(5 mL) and screaming hot, hard and flat with a stiff spatula, season the tops with @kosher salt{1%tsp}(6 g) and @coarse black pepper{1/2%tsp}(1 g), and ~sear{2%min} without touching them, then flip once, lay @American cheese{4%slices} on, and ~sear{1%min}. The smash has to happen in the first thirty seconds, while the surface is still wet enough to spread — after that it only squeezes juice out.

Stack @&(~1)patties{} two to a bun on @&(~3)toasted buns{} with @dill pickle chips{8}, @yellow onion{2%Tbs}(shaved paper-thin) and @yellow mustard{2%tsp}(10 mL), and close it.