Notes for Porter and Jackson, from Porter and Jackson, about making smash burgers.

- make sure your buns are toasted and your toppings are fixed ahead of time, since this shit goes quick. For us, toppings are usually sliced pickles, cheese, ketchup, mustard, and very thinly sliced onions.
- Apparently cast iron skillets heat more evenly if you begin by heating them over medium-low for five minutes.
- Patties should be 2.5-3 oz each.
- You can either smash the patties ahead of time between sheets of parchment paper, or keep the patties in meatball form, then use a foil-lined pan to smash them into the hot skillet. The latter approach gets a bit more sear on the patties, and a pan bottom yields more even smashing than a regular spatula. That said, this method doesn't work well if you're making four patties at a time, because the skillet is too crowded.
- If you didn't get a chance to season the patties ahead of time, salt and pepper the tops of the patties as soon as they're on the skillet. Jackson prefers to use a mix a spices on his patties, including garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne, so he seasons ahead of time. I prefer straight up salt and pepper on the patties, which can be applied ahead of time or in the skillet.
- As soon as the patties are on and seasoned, pile them up thinly sliced onions. Use a spatula to press the onions into the patties, and use tongs to collect onion slices that fall off. Be careful not to destroy your patty while pressing the onions in.
- I usually cook the patties on the first side for 2.5 minutes or so. This side is where the bulk of the cooking happens, since the patties are suspended over onions after you flip them.
- Flip the patties quickly to avoid making a mess of the onions. As soon as they're flipped, quickly salt and pepper the other side if needed, then apply the cheese, unless you're using american. Jackson and I both agree that putting cheese on one, but not both, of the patties is ideal. If you're using american cheese, you should wait to apply the cheese until after the burgers come off the skillet, because it melts so quickly.
- The cook on the second side is mainly to get the onions nice and griddled, and to get the cheese mostly-melted, assuming it's not american. I'd say another 1.5 minutes on the 2nd side is sufficient, but use your judgement. For reference, the last time I made smash burgers, the patties were on the skillet for 4.5 minutes before I began the removal process.
- When taking the patties off, stack the patty without cheese on top of the patty with cheese, so that the hot onions and patty continue to melt the cheese.
- I like to let the double-stacked patty rest on a plate for a few minutes while I assemble my bun and toppings, so that the burger isn't quite so hot.