Smash burgers

Steps

1. 1

   Roll the meat, do not work it

   Divide 1 lb of 80/20 ground beef into eight loose 2 oz balls. Roll just enough to hold together. Squeezing the meat tight makes the burger bouncy, and nothing you do later undoes it. Leave them on a plate at room temperature while the pan heats.

2. 2

   Get the pan properly hot

   Cast iron on high for 4 to 5 minutes, dry. No oil. You want it hot enough that a drop of water skates across the surface rather than sitting and hissing. This is hotter than feels sensible, and it is the whole recipe.

   4:30
3. 3

   Smash, hard, once

   Lay two balls in the pan with space between them. Put the parchment square on top of one and lean on it with the spatula until the patty is about a quarter inch thick, roughly 4 inches across. Hold for 10 seconds, then peel the paper off. Repeat on the second.

   0:10
4. 4

   Leave them alone

   Season the tops with salt and pepper. Now do not touch them for about 2 minutes. The edges will go lacy and dark brown. That brown is the flavour you came for, and it only forms on meat that is sitting still on hot metal.

   2:00
5. 5

   Scrape, flip, cheese

   Get the spatula flat against the pan and scrape under the patty rather than lifting it. The crust is stuck to the metal and you want all of it to come with the burger. Flip, lay a slice of American cheese on each, and give it 45 seconds more.

   0:45
6. 6

   Toast the buns in the fat

   Patties out onto a plate. Put the cut buns face down in the beef fat left behind and give them 30 seconds until golden. A toasted bun is also a waterproof bun, which is why it does not go soggy.

   0:30
7. 7

   Stack two per person

   Two patties per bun, cheese between them so it melts into both. Pickles and thin raw onion on top. Serve straight away: a smash burger is at its best about 60 seconds after it leaves the pan.