Expert Flat-Top Methods for 2026 Summer Grilling

Cast iron drops in temperature level after each burger. Steel does not. That's why I created it I come from a steel household and I knew the product might outshine cast iron for high-heat cooking.

I do this all summer. Cook smashburgers at on a preheated griddle or steel. This high heat is important for developing the Maillard response, which provides smashburgers their signature crispy, lacy edges and deep flavor. Get it ripping hot. You desire to hear that sizzle the 2nd the beef strikes the steel.

Flip, add cheese, and cook for another to melt the cheese and surface cooking. You need to work fast. This is high-heat, high-speed cooking. That's what makes it so great. is the very best ratio for smashburgers. The 20% fat content is essential for producing a juicy burger and crispy edges.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Leaner beef will result in a drier, less flavorful hamburger. Crispy edges come from 3 things: (500-550F) Get your frying pan ripping hot. Maximize contact with the frying pan.

The strategy needs direct, high heat from a griddle to develop the signature crust. You can bake hamburgers in the oven, however they won't be smashburgers. They'll just be ... baked hamburgers. is the traditional option it melts perfectly and has a velvety texture. Cheddar, Swiss, and provolone are likewise excellent if you wish to mix it up.

Savory Dinner and Home Recipes for Grilling Success

This makes the most of area for browning and creates the signature crispy edges. Do not be shy. Actually smash it. That's where the magic occurs. Season on the griddle. Do not season the beef before forming the balls it can make the texture mushy. Absolutely. I use mine for pancakes, bacon, eggs, grilled cheese, quesadillas, seared steaks, and more.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

When you understand how steel holds and transfers heat, you start utilizing it for whatever. I did Andris Lagsdin. I invented the Baking Steel in 2012 after reading that steel performs heat better than stone. My family has run Stoughton Steel Business in Hanover, MA because the 1960s, so I grabbed a piece from my daddy's shop, tested it, and the rest is history.

It shops more heat, recuperates quicker, and provides you a constant crust from the first hamburger to the last. Get it ripping hot, work fast, and make some bad ass burgers.

What started as a Kickstarter task (boosted by an early endorsement from Kenji Lpez-Alt on Serious Eats) has actually become the go-to tool for hundreds of countless home cooks. His obsession with high-heat cooking goes method beyond pizza. After years of screening smashburgers on cast iron, stainless steel, and every frying pan on the market, he developed the Skinny Griddle and Mini Griddle particularly for stovetop cooking crafted to hold heat the method just steel can.

The Skinny Frying pan is his go-to tool for smashburgers in your home. He's the co-author of Baking with Steel with Jesse Olson Moore and teaches high-heat cooking through his complimentary online classes and recipes.

Advanced Flat-Top Strategies for 2026 Summer Grilling

It's an easy meal, and it takes simply a couple of minutes to prepare and a couple of minutes to cook your tasty griddle burgers. Choose your hamburger patty, select your cheese, and pick your buns and filling.! Cooking up your hamburgers on a flat frying pan is an excellent way to get all the flavor you can out of both your burger patty and your cooking surface area.

These flat, smooth cooking surfaces can take a lot of heat, and they can give your hamburger the best sear, and a well rounded, even cook. We like griddles since they are so flexible, and while typically they are utilized on stovetops, we routinely cook hamburgers on a griddle in the oven, or perhaps over an open campfire.

If you're utilizing your frying pan on the stovetop, in the oven, or on the campfire, there are a few universal guidelines to follow when you're cooking hamburgers: If you have actually cast iron frying pans, they are going to need a layer of seasoning to protect the surface area. This makes it non-stick, and also secures it from rust.