A smash burger cooked directly onto a flour tortilla. The tortilla goes on top of the beef while it is still on the griddle, gets pressed down, and the two fuse into one thing.
Twenty minutes for four of them, and no oven involved.
The tortilla does the smashing
This is the part that makes the whole idea work.
You drop loose portions of beef onto a hot griddle, cook them two minutes, then lay a tortilla over each one and press down firmly until the beef spreads out to the edges of the tortilla.
The tortilla acts as your barrier. Instead of pressing metal onto meat, you press through the tortilla, which means the beef bonds to it as it flattens. The juices and rendered fat go straight into the tortilla rather than onto the griddle. By the time you flip it, they are a single piece.
Loose portions, not formed patties
Divide the beef into four loose portions and put them down as they are.
Do not roll them into balls, do not pack them, do not shape them. Compressed beef will not spread properly under pressure and it develops a dense chewy texture. A loose mound of ground round flattens into a thin patty with rough irregular edges, and those edges are where the crisp bits come from.
Season after they hit the griddle rather than mixing salt into the beef. Salt worked into raw ground meat draws out moisture and firms the protein.
Get the griddle properly hot
Medium-high, and give it time to come up before anything touches it.
The whole point of a smash burger is the crust that forms where beef meets hot metal. A lukewarm surface means the beef releases its liquid and simmers in it, and you get grey meat with no crust at all.
Ground round at around eighty five percent lean is the right choice. Enough fat to crisp the edges and lubricate the griddle, not so much that it floods the surface.
The sauce is standard and it should be
Mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, relish and hot sauce stirred together in a small bowl.
This is a burger sauce and there is no reason to reinvent it. Make it first and set it aside, because the cooking moves fast once the griddle is hot and there is no time to be measuring condiments halfway through.
Cheese goes on after the flip
Cook until the tortilla is golden brown, two to three minutes, then flip the whole thing over and lay the half slice of American cheese onto the beef.
American cheese melts smoother than anything else because of the emulsifying salts in it, and on a surface this hot you want something that goes liquid rather than oily and stringy. Cheddar splits.
Ground beef should reach 160F to be safe, which is easy to overshoot on a patty this thin, so work quickly once it goes down.
Six inch tortillas, not larger
Size matters more than it looks like it should. A pound of beef divided into four means each portion has to spread to fill its tortilla completely, and a six inch flour tortilla is exactly the right target.
Go bigger and the beef will not reach the edges, so you get bare tortilla around the rim that stays floppy while the middle crisps. Flour rather than corn, since corn tortillas crack rather than fold.
Building and eating
Once the cheese has melted and the tortilla is crisp and golden, top with shredded iceberg and diced onion, drizzle the sauce over, then lift it off the griddle and fold it in half like a taco.
Serve immediately. The tortilla is crisp for about ninety seconds before the sauce and the residual heat soften it. That crisp window is the whole appeal, so cook these when everyone is already sitting down.
Cooking more than four
Work in batches rather than crowding the griddle. A crowded surface drops in temperature and the beef steams instead of searing. Keep finished tacos warm in a low oven, accepting that they lose some crispness.
Iceberg specifically
Shredded iceberg is the right lettuce here and not a compromise. It is watery and crunchy and cold, which is exactly the contrast a hot fatty beef and cheese taco needs. Softer leaves wilt on contact.
Smash Burger Tacos
Description
Smash burgers cooked directly onto flour tortillas with American cheese, shredded lettuce, onion and a classic burger sauce.
Ingredients:
Instructions
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Combine the mayonnaise ketchup mustard relish and hot sauce in a small bowl. Set the sauce aside.
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Heat a griddle over medium-high heat and let it come fully up to temperature.
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Divide the beef into 4 loose portions and place on the hot griddle without packing them. Season with salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes.
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Place a tortilla over each portion and press firmly to flatten the beef into a thin layer reaching the edges of the tortilla.
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Cook until the tortilla is golden brown, 2 to 3 more minutes. Flip each patty over and top with the cheese.
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Once the cheese is melted and the tortilla is golden and crisp, top with lettuce and onion and drizzle with the sauce. Remove from the griddle and fold in half like a taco. Serve immediately..
Note
The source gives no internal temperature. Ground beef should reach 160F / 71C. Nutrition per serving from source: 508 calories, 13g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 4g sugar, 37g protein, 34g fat, 11g saturated fat, 123mg cholesterol, 936mg sodium, 611mg potassium. Do not form the beef into packed patties; loose portions spread better and give crisper edges. Season after the beef hits the griddle rather than mixing salt into it. Serve immediately, as the tortilla softens within a couple of minutes.
