Born on a griddle
What is a
smashburger?
The technique is older than the hype. It's most often traced to a diner called Dairy Cheer in Ashland, Kentucky, where in the 1960s a cook pressed a ball of beef onto the griddle with a No. 10 bean can — though smashed patties were already being griddled across the American Midwest decades before that.
The reason it works has a name: the Maillard reaction. Crushing the beef onto screaming-hot steel multiplies the surface area, caramelising the crust into something lacy and deeply savoury while the inside stays juicy. One press, more flavour. That's the whole idea — and the one we build every burger on.
