Smashburger - pretty tasty, but iffy fries

[Dweller_Benthos]

Don't know how wide spread these guys are yet, but tried Smashburger for the first time Saturday.  Their schtick is they supposedly take a fresh ball of ground beef and smash it flat on the grill to cook it. They have many options for toppings and combinations and also do chicken and veggie burgers for those so inclined.

I had one with bacon, fried onions, mushrooms and their Smash sauce, which is essentially Dijon mustard, but it was pretty good. If the one store in my area was closer, I'd go more often. The one thing that I wasn't keen on was the fries. The fries there are super skinny, thinner than shoestring fries if you know what those are. They are just short of being those crispy potato stick things you can buy in a can or at least used to be able to, I haven't seen them in a long time.

Anyway, if you're out looking for a burger and there's one nearby, might be a place to try out.

[PZ]

That sounds interesting D_B  I've seen that technique on one of the food channels a while ago, but forgot all about it.

I think it will result in a much more tender burger because one of the biggest mistakes a novice burger cook makes is to over w0#k the beef.

[Art Blade]

with lots of practice behind me, I can tell you that my best patties are those that I have been doing for some time now:

Freshly ground beef (I prefer lean beef) put in the fridge. Normally chilled as it would come out, just rip chunks of ground beef out of the main beef chunk just so the smaller chunks will turn into a patty. Carefully squeeze the chunk flat (maybe using a plate on top and push down) and carefully stick the rough ends on the sides back in as in flatten the sides a bit. Lift the patty, place it into the pan or on the grill, and from now on treat the patty like a steak: Don't squeeze around on it, don't flip it a thousand times, just leave it be. Wait for one or two minutes then flip once. Yes, once. No moving it around, no squeezing, nothing, leave it be. After another minute or two, put it on a bun.

They won't fall apart and they will be juicy. Generally speaking, I maintained the "fluffy composure" (texture) of the ground meat and the cold helped form it and stay in shape.

[PZ]

Sounds like a good method, AB 

[Art Blade]

thanks  With good quality beef, you can prepare them rare or medium rare, like a steak Really tasty, juicy, and tender.

[PZ]

That's exactly why I like to grind my own - no contamination from the butcher mixed in the grind 

[Dweller_Benthos]

Yeah I rarely grill my own, except on vacation in the mountains when we get bison burgers at the local bison farm. Those are pre-made though, so no chance to do anything special with the meat, and since it's bison, less fat and really prone to over cooking. You have to be careful with it. I get it right about 50% of the time, a little over cooked 25% and a little under cooked the other 25%, but usually I like to let them sit a few minutes and they usually do as people are getting the condiments the like all set, so they cook a little after taking them off the grill.

[PZ]

Although I like my Kitchen Aid grinder attachment, I've my eye on a good stand alone unit at Amazon that is $99, which is 25% off the regular price. I might get it if I can get up the nerve to spend the cash