Use 80/20 Ground Beef
If you can find 70/30, even better.
The point of using a higher fat content hamburger is to help keep the burger juicy since the patties are pre-smashed and they’re thin.
Using 90/10 or higher will result in a dryer burger.
Excess rendered fat will also drip on the fire and offer more char-grilled flavor to the meat.
Use Roughly 5-6 oz Patties and Pre-smash Them
I personally don’t weigh them BUT if you have a scale, weigh 1 and eyeball the rest.
1 lb of beef is ~2-3 smashed patties.
Grab a handful, form into a ball and then smash between 2 sheets of parchment paper or inside a gallon storage bag.
DO NOT overwork the patties when forming into a ball shape – this will only make them tougher later.
DO NOT season with salt at this stage – this will also make them tougher.
Light a Half Chimney of Charcoal and Setup a 2-Zone Fire
Once the charcoal is lit, dump it to one side of the Weber kettle.
Put the lid on and ensure the vents are wide open and over the fire; Cover for 15 minutes.
The goal here is around 400-600F over the fire.
Make Simple Seasoning
Combine in a bowl:
- 1/2 tbsp Dehydrated Minced Onion
- 1/2 tbsp Dehydrated Minced Garlic
- 1 tbsp Morton Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Medium Grind Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp 16 Mesh Black Pepper (coarse pepper)
Put the Burgers on the Grill
Put 2 smashed patties in the hot zone to sear at a time.
While they’re searing, take a pinch of your rub (1/4 tsp) and sprinkle onto the patty.
Leave the lid off and watch the top and sides of the burgers as they grill.
Once you start to see juices seeping through the top and the sides are visibly setup and you can see crispy edges – flip them.
Once flipped, season this side with another pinch of seasoning (1/4 tsp).
Allow them to grill for around 2-3 minutes on this side with the lid covered.
Move Burgers to the Cool Zone
Take the patties and slide them over to the cool zone after 2 minutes.
Then add 2 more patties to the hot zone.
Leave the lid open and repeat the process.
While they’re in the cool zone, you can add your cheese and allow it to melt OR sear a 2nd time and then add your cheese.
Re-Sear the Burgers a Second Time?
This isn’t super necessary but I think it creates an even more flavorful crust.
Since we moved them to the cool zone, the tops will dry out, but this is a good thing since dry surfaces create better crust.
Flip the burgers over again to the seared side and sear for 1 more minute.
If you like cheese, put the cheese on after this 2nd sear and cover the lid – allow to melt.
Then enjoy!
Smash-style Burgers on the Weber Kettle
Ingredients
- 1 lb 80/20 ground beef this is 2-3, 5-6 oz smashed patties
Dry Rub to Sprinkle on AS the Burgers Grill
- 1/2 tbsp Dehydrated Minced Onion
- 1/2 tbsp Dehydrated Minced Garlic
- 1 tbsp Morton Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp 16 Mesh Black Pepper coarse pepper
- 1 tbsp Table ground black pepper fine pepper
Instructions
- Take hamburger and form into balls. I personally don't weigh these but I know 1 lb of hamburger is roughly 2-3 balls of beef. DO NOT overwork the hamburger as this will make the burgers tougher when you eat.
- Take these balls and smash between 2 sheets of parchment paper OR inside of a gallon storage bag.
Make Seasoning
- Combine ingredients in specified quantities.1/2 tbsp Dehydrated Minced Onion, 1/2 tbsp Dehydrated Minced Garlic, 1 tbsp Morton Kosher Salt, 1 tbsp 16 Mesh Black Pepper, 1 tbsp Table ground black pepper
- DO NOT season the patties with this spice mixture at this time; The salt will make the burgers tougher when you go to eat.
Light a Half Chimney of Charcoal
- Dump this to one side of the Weber Kettle to create a 2 zone fire – so a cool zone and a hot zone.
- Cover with the lid for 15 minutes and put the exhaust damper over the fire.
Put the Burgers on the Grill, 2 at a Time
- While they sear on the first side, take a pinch (1/4 tsp) of the seasoning you made and sprinkle over the tops.
- Allow these to grill with the lid OFF and wait for the juices to seep through to the other side.
- Also check the sides, you'll notice they'll be "setup."
- Then flip the burgers over – season this seared side with another pinch of seasoning and then cover with the lid for 2-3 minutes.
- Then move the burgers to the cool side and repeat this process of searing and seasoning for the remainder of your patties.
- If you like cheese, add the cheese now OR sear a 2nd time then add your cheese.
Optionally, Sear a 2nd Time?
- The reason we're doing this is to create a better crust. The burgers have been in the cool zone, so the tops are dry which means they'll form crust faster.
- Put the burgers sear side down over the fire for ~1 minute.
- Then put back in the cool zone to add your cheese.
- Take the burgers off the grill when the cheese melts and then enjoy!
