Smash burger presses

Why a press at all

A smash burger’s crust comes from maximum contact between beef and very hot steel, for long enough to brown hard before the thin patty overcooks.

A spatula cannot do this. You can lean on one, but the blade flexes and the pressure is uneven — and the moment you lift, the patty contracts away from the plate. A press holds the whole face down flat, under constant weight, for as long as you need.

Specification 1: mass

The press has to overcome the patty’s tendency to contract and spring back. A light press — thin aluminum is the common offender — gets pushed back up by the meat and never achieves full contact.

Heavy cast iron does the job essentially by itself: you place it, hold briefly, and the weight does the work. That is the whole reason cast iron dominates this category.

Specification 2: a dead-flat face

A domed or slightly convex face presses the center harder than the edges, which gives you a patty that is thin in the middle and thick at the rim — the opposite of what you want, since the rim is where the crust should be most developed.

Flat means even thickness, and even thickness means even browning.

Diameter

Wider than your finished patty. If the press is narrower, you press the middle and the edges spread out un-pressed, so the rim never makes proper contact.

Err wide. A press that overhangs slightly is fine; one that is too small is useless.

The handle

Offset and insulated. The press sits on a 400 °F-plus plate and conducts heat straight up — a handle sitting flush against the body becomes untouchable within a minute.

Wooden handles are common and work well, but they char at the joint if the press is left on the plate. Take it off between burgers.

The technique, which matters more than the press

1. Plate as hot as it goes. 450 °F and up. This is where heat density earns its keep — the plate has to recover after the cold ball of beef lands.
2. Loose ball, not a formed patty. Over-worked meat is dense and will not spread properly.
3. Press once, immediately, hard. Within a few seconds of the ball hitting the plate, while it is still pliable.
4. Hold about ten seconds. Long enough for the face to set flat against the steel.
5. Then never press again. This is the rule people break. A second press squeezes out the rendered fat and juice you built the crust to retain, and gives you a dry burger with a good crust — which is a worse outcome than a decent crust on a juicy one.
6. Flip once, cheese on, and a dome with a squirt of water to melt it. The patty is done in about ninety seconds and cheese does not melt in ninety seconds.

The full technique guide.

Parchment: the one accessory worth adding

A square of parchment between the press and the patty stops the meat sticking to the press and tearing when you lift. It costs nothing and removes the most common frustration.

A bare cast iron press that is well seasoned sticks less, but parchment is more reliable.