If you ate in some of the mom and pop establishments I grew up eating in (in the small towns of Pennsylvania and New Jersey), I am here to tell you, the concept of smashing 'burgers isn't new -- it has merely been revisited and remarketed. As a kid living in the pre-McDonald's food world, I watched many grill-cooks grab and slap an ill-formed ball of ground beef onto a seething-hot flat-top-griddle, then give it a giant whack with a big, heavy all-purpose spatula to smash it into a patty. A few juices would bubble up around the sides, but, these 'burgers cooked so fast there was no reason to worry that might be cause to dry them out -- they were drippy-juicy to a fault.
If you've ever longed for a drippy-juicy old-fashioned 'burger, you'd be wanting to check out Smashburger.
Smashburger is an American 'burger chain that was founded in Denver, CO, in 2007. It currently has over 370 franchises in 37 states and 9 countries. The name explains what they do, as they literally smash secret-seasoned 'burgers on a flat-topped griddle over high heat, so the fat and juices stay trapped inside. American cheese gets melted over the top, then, crusty and cragged-edged, they are served with various customized toppings on a soft, sweet secret-sauced bun.
Founders, Rick Schaden and Tom Ryan are veterans of the restaurant-chain world, with Ryan inventing some legendary items. At pizza hut, he was behind the Lover's Line of toppings, and, the Stuffed Crust. At McDonald's, the Dollar Menu, McFlurries and McGriddles are all his. At Quiznos he played a leading roll in developing Steakhouse Beef Dip and the Prime Rib Sub.
At Smashburger, Ryan put his PhD in Flavor and Fragrance Chemistry to use. Every burger is made the same, using never-frozen chuck & steak trimmings, which resemble being chopped or food processored rather than ground. Loose balls of meat, not patties, go on on a butter-brushed 385° flat-top griddle, and smashed with his invention, the multismasher to create almost-instant crusty-caramelization.
The patented multismasher at Smashburger, with about 3/8" lip of headspace to insure consistent thickness, makes four burgers at one time. The loose texture of the meat being smashed below its weight allows meat juices to bubble up, creating and trapping steam. After 90 seconds of additional cooking, the burger gets flipped and it's finished cooking within three minutes.
Smashburger isn't another cookie-stamp fast-food chain.
While the technique for making the 'burger is precisely the same in each and every location, everything else is left open to controlled interpretation. In order to avoid the stigma of a fast-food chain, after doing extensive localized market research, every menu includes at least one signature 'burger crafted for the locals. For example: Colorado locations serve 'burgers topped with roasted green chiles; Miami's locations serve 'em with grilled chorizo; in Minneapolis, which has a big Scandinavian populous, Swiss and caramelized onion goes on; Oklahoma features fried-pickles, and, in Boston, it's onions and cranberry chutney (supplied by Ocean Spray).
The bread and sauces on the signature 'burgers are also regionally inspired: Sourdough in San Francisco; telera rolls in California; pretzel buns in Chicago, onion rolls in Minnesota, and; brioche in New York. In Michigan the bread is slathered with cherry barbecue sauce; in Chicago, Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce; in Tennessee you'll get Jack Daniels barbecue sauce; Florida's sauce contains orange juice; New Orlean's makes theirs with Barq's root beer syrup, and: in Utah (The Behive State), it's honey barbecue. One more tidbit: In 2012 a program to partner with regional craft beer breweries to pair and serve local beers was launched too.
For the Love of Hamburgers -- My Smashed 'Burger Recipe:
Double French Onion, Swiss & Smashburger Sliders:
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2018)
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