FMT, have you ever been to Kuma's Korner in Chicago?

I have one of these. 3 pounds and close to 9". I put a piece of parchment on the burger so help keep it from sticking.

Gets used on the griddle a lot for burgers and smashed pork burgers. Sometimes steaks or chops also, and is nice of you cook kielbasi cut in half to keep it from curling.  Oddly enough, never used it on bacon.

https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-8-75-Inch-Bacon-Press-Handle/dp/B0000DDVV9/ref=pb_allspark_session_sims_desktop_6?pd_rd_w=B2u3P&pf_rd_p=bfefd6e2-acb1-463d-94d0-38a6e00f41d3&pf_rd_r=NC7VQB5A8NRMTN9RE5R8&pd_rd_r=d60b3242-785d-48d1-8849-684e3da2bdf1&pd_rd_wg=m46uP&pd_rd_i=B0000DDVV9&th=1

we have a little bar not far away that makes a half pound burger, it is chargrilled, I had one one night it was awesome, one of the top 5 I have ever had. They mix their own meat apparently.

FMT, have you ever been to Kuma's Korner in Chicago?

No. I have heard of it though. Their stuff looks good. I have been to DMK burger bar. I think it was kind of one of the early smash burger joints. It was good for sure, but the place I mentioned put it to shame.

I have a bacon press that is cast and heavy. Should do nicely.   I note a tomato in the last pic that is almost green. My pet peeve is ordering a burger with tomato and then getting an unripe slice and especially with the core in the center.  I have gotten to the point that I ask the waiter to specify, that if the tomato is not fully ripe, leave it off. And I always send it back if there is the hard core in the middle. Picky, Picky, Picky,  but it really matters!. Also, you can leave leaf lettuce off as well.  Mustard, onion, pickle (old fashioned) or add ripe tomato if you have it. Substitute mayo for mustard on occasion.

Well I just bought the Baby LEM Mighty Bite #8  & The Smasher.  So will wait till next week to show my Squeeze Burgers.

I'm looking forward to seeing some burger cooks on here

Why just not use a thin patty instead of smashing one? Wendy's burgers start out thin.

That is kind of that way I feel.  But as I have said before...I am trying to get away from that contempt before investigation!  My KitchenAid mixer had a small part break off, so the grinder will no longer work.  Was gonna replace it, but it still works great as a mixer.  Decided it was time I got a real grinder.  The smash thing was only $20, so what the heck!

Why just not use a thin patty instead of smashing one? Wendy's burgers start out thin.

I think the smash way, if done correctly is to give you a thin crisp around the edges very well browned burger that is still moist inside.

I like them, I use to really like Steak n Shake burgers. A lot of the time i want a thicker medium cooked burger. Pretty much cooked enough to just set the insides. I have had some that were cooked for me that were still cool in the middle, I don't care about that but it just makes the burger to soft and not hold up well when you eat it.  I am one of those people that will take a small handful of ground beef when I am packaging it put some salt and pepper on it and eat it raw. Well I guess I am hoping there are  more of us out there, and that I am not the odd one.

 As for Wendy's probably my favorite out of the big 3 chains, but I can't lie if I am close Burger King when they are doing burgers and that smell is in he air, if I have not eaten yet I am there for one. I do love the flavors of a chargrilled burger. The GF was off yesterday and she wanted to go to Red Lobster for lunch, she goes to a seafood place to get chicken alfredo. We went to Aldis afterwards and when we came out BK was doing burgers, she said that smells so good. a few stops and a few hours later we were going through a BK drive thru. I didn't put up pictures of my Bacon double cheeseburger as it could not compare to Lew"s in the beginning of the thread.

Can't wait to see and hear about some of Bentleys creations with the new grinder.

Steak and Shake did not last here. I eagerly went to try, and the first thing noted on entering was the odor of stale oil or fat. Thought they just had kept the fry oil too long without changing. Went back again and the same was noted. And I thought it affected the potato flavor.  They lasted a few years but finally closed this past Covid season. Cheapskate operations do not change deep fat fryers soon enough. I guess cooking oil is a major expense.  There are a couple of exceptional burger joints in Tulsa:  They grind their meat daily, and always use sweet onions, and ripe tomatoes. One offers choice of griddle or open flame frying.

So for those of you that make Smash burgers.  What is your technique?  Amount of meat?  You start with a ball?  How long is it on the heat source before smashing?  How thin should it be after smashing?  Is the flip simply based on feel or is it a time thing?

Steak and Shake did not last here. I eagerly went to try, and the first thing noted on entering was the odor of stale oil or fat. Thought they just had kept the fry oil too long without changing. Went back again and the same was noted. And I thought it affected the potato flavor.  They lasted a few years but finally closed this past Covid season. Cheapskate operations do not change deep fat fryers soon enough. I guess cooking oil is a major expense.  There are a couple of exceptional burger joints in Tulsa:  They grind their meat daily, and always use sweet onions, and ripe tomatoes. One offers choice of griddle or open flame frying.

The only one I went to was about a 45 minute drive, many other places to eat also. So I didn't go but maybe 3 or 4 times a year. I never noticed any smells, this one was always very clean when i was there. Food had a good taste nothing off. I guess maybe management has some to do with it.

No real burger places here, just a few bars that make decent ones.

So for those of you that make Smash burgers.  What is your technique?  Amount of meat?  You start with a ball?  How long is it on the heat source before smashing?  How thin should it be after smashing?  Is the flip simply based on feel or is it a time thing?

I will start with saying I never made one.  I did however watch a few videos on them the other night.

They used between 3oz and 5oz ball of hamburger.  Smashed as soon as it was on heat source or let sit a few seconds while they were talking.  Not sure it matters.  As thin as you want to make it.  One even had the burger breakup a little bit as I could see small holes in the meat patty.  They flipped as soon as you could see the top portion outer edges turn brown.  They gently scraped under the patty all around it to ensure that it didn't stick or break before they flipped.  I think the timing was probably 3-5 minutes.

So for those of you that make Smash burgers.  What is your technique?  Amount of meat?  You start with a ball?  How long is it on the heat source before smashing?  How thin should it be after smashing?  Is the flip simply based on feel or is it a time thing?

For me I weigh 3-4 oz each. I don't really ball it just kind of a mound. Griddle good and hot, I have tried with and with out oil, I like a bit of oil down, place meat allow it to sit for 30 seconds or so I imagine. Then I put a piece of parchment paper on top and push down with the press and hold it for 15 seconds or so. Take the paper off and salt and pepper it and wait until the the blood (you know) starts coming to the top like bubbles in pancakes, the outside edges should be starting to get crispy looking. I then flip to a different hot spot on the grill. Season and add cheese. only takes maybe another minute to finish. If you have a lid close it to help melt the cheese or dome them.