Working one at a time, add a patty to griddle and immediately flatten it to a 1/2-inch thickness with a heavy spatula and something with weight and heft (the handle of a second spatula, a meat pounder, etc.

And sitting on a bench, enjoying its calorie-laden deliciousness while enjoying the sunshine and people watching. We discovered the Shake Shack on one of our day trips, and he’s still in mourning that we live at least 2 hours away from any of them so he can’t have their burgers more often!

I’ll be making these delicious burgers this weekend and will use my grill pan (an awesome substitution for an outdoor grill and you get the super cool grill marks!

If I didn’t have a shake shack within a mile of my house, I’d be forming meat “pucks” instead of typing. My husband is a burger guy but I’ve never gotten too excited about them, for the same reasons as Deb. They’re cooked extra-cold from special fridges — we’re going to copy this by putting our in the freezer for 15 minutes first — not for food safety reasons, but when that cold puck hits the very hot grill, it browns extremely well but retains its juices because the fats haven’t fully melted inside. For this Kosher gal who would otherwise ever have Shake Shack, it was great even without cheese and with vegan butter. Then you can make loose meatballs, remembering to use just enough pressure to make the meat stick without overworking it.

i usually make two “regular” size patties first and set them aside (i throw them on a plate in the fridge for lunches) and then make four little slider patties for us to share at dinner. Can’t wait to try this version (I did read the Epicurious article when it came out but honestly, you make it sound less exhausting! Manufacturer warranties and service options may not be valid or available outside of the United States. The Apple Pan, a Los Angeles institution, makes the ne plus ultra of California lunchroom burgers, according to Gold.

I make smashed burgers all the time, this is what most of our local diners here in the midwest serve.I also cooked off just a handful of the fries in that first round, although a much larger handful than made it into the photo because: FRIES. The cold burger part is interesting, I do something similar though in reverse–I keep burger patties in the freezer and take one out an hour or so before I plan to grill. No Shake Shack here in Lancaster (although Five Guys isn’t anything to sneeze at–and we love the peanuts), but this brings it home.