Fat is not optional
Most of the smash and diner recipes here call for 75/25 or 80/20 ground chuck: a quarter or a fifth fat. Weissman uses 75/25 for nearly all of his burgers; Motz uses 75/25 chuck for his Oklahoma onion burger and 80/20 for his thick pub burger.
From: Joshua’s Perfect Burger, Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger, Thick Pub Classic BurgerLeaner beef is the exception, not the rule. America’s Test Kitchen’s butter burger uses 90% lean beef, and makes up for it with a slab of butter on the bun.
From: Wisconsin Butter Burger
Blends and grinding at home
Kenji’s Fake Shack grinds sirloin, well-marbled chuck and brisket with its fat cap together, twice.
From: The Fake ShackATK’s pub burger grinds partly frozen sirloin steak tips in a food processor, then folds in melted butter so the thick patty stays juicy.
From: Juicy Pub-Style BurgersRamsay’s backyard burger uses 85/15 chuck and brisket, plus 2 oz of frozen butter for each pound of beef.
From: Ramsay’s Ultimate Burger
Handle it as little as possible
Motz presses his patties gently into a ring and warns against packing them: “you want it to maintain a somewhat loose grind.”
From: Thick Pub Classic Burger, Green Chile CheeseburgerKeep the meat cold until it hits the pan. Kenji and the Shake Shack cookbook both shape their pucks ahead and keep them refrigerated.
From: Classic Diner-Style Smashed Cheeseburger, ShackBurger
Salt last
Motz seasons only once the pan is hot. Salting too early binds the muscle fibres and makes the burger tough.
From: Thick Pub Classic Burger, Green Chile CheeseburgerSmash burgers are seasoned on the pan, right after smashing.
From: Ultra-Smashed Cheeseburger, Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger
Every tip above is taken from the recipe it links to. Where the experts disagree, we say so rather than picking one.