The success of this recipe for homemade smash burgers lies in its details. Carla Lalli Music should know. Before she was a cookbook author or ran the Bon Appetit test kitchen, she was general manager of the original Shake Shack.
Ground chuck is a great all-purpose, buy-it-anywhere choice for burgers. But, if you want to get ambitious and blend chuck roast with short rib or brisket, go for it. Just make sure your meat is 20 percent fat. “Fat is flavor, fat is juiciness, fat is what is going to make these burgers so enjoyable to bite into,” Lalli Music explains.
Divide the beef into equal portions, but don’t press them into rounded burger patties. Smashing them on the cooktop is what creates the burgers’ signature crispy edges. You could use a burger press to h