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Griddle Smash Burgers with Crispy Onions and Pickle Sauce

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Quick answer

Heat a camp griddle over a stove burner to medium-high, then smash 3-ounce balls of beef into thin patties with a pinch of salt and a layer of shaved onion. Cook about 2 minutes, flip, add cheese, and cook 1 minute more until the beef reaches 160°F. Stack two patties on a butter-toasted bun with pickle sauce. Prep is 15 minutes and cooking is about 20.

Griddle Smash Burgers with Crispy Onions and Pickle Sauce
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A smash burger is all about the crust. A hot griddle, a firm press and a thin patty give you lacy, browned edges that a thick grilled burger can't match. The onions cook right into the beef and turn sweet and crispy.

This is a one-surface lunch that feeds four hungry people fast. The sauce takes two minutes and the buns toast in the beef fat. Keep the beef cold until it hits the steel, and you'll get the best sear.

Recipe card

Griddle Smash Burgers with Crispy Onions and Pickle Sauce

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Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Heat
Medium-high flame (griddle surface around 400°F)
Pack weight
4 lb
TrailFit
  • Campfire
  • Camp stove
  • Backpacking
  • Cooler required
  • Two burners
  • Low water
  • A few dishes
  • Prep ahead

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