I’ve had the Blackstone for 3-4 years now, and smash burgers have been in the regular rotation the whole time — I’ve easily made these well over 50 times at this point. It’s one of the true staples of the griddle. I alternate between ground beef and ground pork, though these days it’s pork about three times out of four; we did a family taste test early on and just preferred it. I usually go with grilled onions and mushrooms on the side, and I like toasting the buns on the griddle at the same time. I cold-smoke my own cheese in bulk and use it here — most often a white cheddar, sometimes a sharp cheddar. If you want to try pressing the onions right into the patty instead of grilling them on the side, check out my Onion Smash Burgers post for that technique.

For the pork version, I start with 1 lb from Aldi — it’s actually cheaper there than ground beef. I divide it into 6 portions, roll them into loosely compacted balls, and tuck a small pat of butter under each one on the griddle to help build a crust on the bottom.

To smash them, I use a folded-over piece of wax paper and a decent spatula — no special gadget needed. I season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, and cook until there’s a good crust on the smashed side.

Once flipped, I add the cheese, and by the time it’s melted, the bottom’s usually done too. If a slice hangs off the edge of the patty, you get a crispy burnt-cheese bonus — that’s not a mistake, that’s a feature.

The pork version turns out great every time — crispy edges, toasted buns, smoked cheese, grilled onions and mushrooms. I usually top mine with barbecue sauce.

The beef version. Same portioning and smash technique, but when I’m doing beef I usually add bacon on top, and I’ll do grilled onions — sometimes mushrooms too, sometimes red onion instead of white for a change of pace.

Once the bacon’s crisped up and the cheese has melted in, it all comes together on a toasted bun with the onions (and mushrooms, if I’ve got them going) piled on top.