Coast Packing Shows How to Make Father’s Day Burgers a Total Smash
Holiday Recipe Greets Summer with a New Take on the Art of the Cheeseburger
Why just grill a hamburger when you can smash it? That’s the 640-calorie question this Father’s Day as Greg Hozinsky, Corporate Chef for Coast Packing, the number one supplier of animal fat shortenings in the Western United States, serves up a delectable recipe for smash burgers.
“Smash burgers are a personal favorite and, when done right, they really do melt in your mouth,” Chef Greg said. “For starters, home cooks need the right kind of meat. You don’t want to use lean ground beef, but at least an 80/20 blend, or even better 75/25 (the percentage of lean meat and fat content). Second, make sure the ground beef is very fresh, never frozen, and it must be a loose grind. You want to see the shape the grinder left behind. With pre-packaged ground beef, the proteins typically are developed, making it impossible to smash properly.”
Chef Greg suggests investing in a simple smash burger pressing tool, which is affordable and readily available online. Using a spatula doesn’t yield an even press. In a pinch, use the bottom of a small frying pan, though pans are bulky and tend to be hard to work with. While it’s tempting to want to be fancy when preparing smash burgers, less is more. Keep it simple; find high quality American cheese for this burger — it just melts better and delivers the right flavor profile for a well-balanced dish. Again, a smash burger should melt in your mouth, so use a nice soft bun of moderate size.
Smash burgers cook fast so don’t worry if you can cook only a few at a time. Have fun with this and Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!