Fire-Grilled Smash Burgers with Pepper Salada - Carloochi's Way

Name: Fire-Grilled Smash Burgers with Pepper Salada - Carloochi's Way
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 lbs 80/20 ground chuck; Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 8 slices American cheese; 4 soft potato rolls; 1 jar Carlos' Pepper Salada; 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1-2 tbsp Carlos' Consuming Fire Hot Sauce of choice; 1 tbsp neutral oil, for the griddle; You'll also want a cast-iron griddle or heavy skillet and a sturdy metal spatula, the wide, stiff kind. A flimsy spatula can't smash and can't scrape up the crust.

15 minServes 41M SHU

Prep 5mCook 10m

A proper smash burger doesn't need a secret menu or a 14-ingredient special sauce. It needs good beef, a screaming-hot surface, a firm press, and the patience to leave it alone while the crust forms. This is my version: 80/20 chuck smashed thin on a ripping cast-iron griddle until the edges go lacy and crisp, draped in melted American cheese, stacked on a soft potato roll with a spicy mayo, and finished with a generous spoonful of Carlos' Pepper Salada straight from the jar. Bright, tangy, pre-marinated peppers on a crispy-edged burger. That's the move. This is my family's burger night. We call it Carloochi's. Fifteen minutes, start to finish.

Jump to recipe ↓

Ingredients

Serves 4

Shop ↗

Method

1
Mix the spicy mayo: Stir the Carlos' Hot Sauce into the mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon for a gentle warmth, 2 for a real kick. Set aside.
2
Ball the beef: Divide the chuck into 8 loose balls, about 4 oz each. Don't pack them tight and don't season yet, salt too early and the texture turns bouncy. Keep them cold until they hit the heat.
3
Get the griddle ripping hot: Set a cast-iron griddle or skillet over high heat for a good 5 minutes, then film it with a little oil. It should shimmer and smoke lightly. If it's not hot, it's not a smash burger.
4
Smash: Drop 2-4 balls onto the griddle with room between them. Immediately press each one flat and thin with your spatula, really lean into it. Season the tops generously with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes, until the edges are deep brown and lacy.
5
Flip, cheese, stack: Scrape under each patty with the spatula edge, take the crust with you, and flip. Lay a slice of American cheese on each patty and cook 1 more minute. Ground beef should always reach a safe internal temperature of 160°F (71°C), and these thin patties get there fast. Stack two patties per burger.
6
Build: Toast the potato rolls cut-side down on the griddle for 30 seconds. Spread spicy mayo on both halves, set the cheesy double stack on the bottom bun, and crown it with a generous spoonful of Carlos' Pepper Salada. Cap it and press gently.

Rate this recipe

Be the first to rate it.

Featuring

Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce

Keep it on the shelf: one box, every month.

Get Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce monthly

Fire-Grilled Smash Burgers with Pepper Salada - Carloochi's Way

Ingredients

Method

More recipes

Carlos' Carne Asada

Crispy Honduran Fried Fish with Tajadas - Carlos' Way

Juicy Smoked Chicken Wings - Carlitos Way

First to the fire.