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The perfect smashburger—crispy, juicy, and packed with flavor. Recipe as follows:

Ingredients:

For the Burger:
2 pounds (roughly 1 kg) ground beef, 80/20 or 85/15 fat by content
Kosher salt, to taste
2 teaspoons neutral oil
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced

For Assembly:
1 tablespoon neutral oil
2 potato buns
6 slices thin American cheese
6 slices thin sharp white cheddar
Pickle chips
Bottled ketchup / mustard / special sauce

For the Special Sauce:
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped pickles
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon pickle juice or vinegar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Divide the beef into 6 equal portions. Gently roll each portion into a ball and then pass the beef in between your hands, slapping it from one hand to the other to compress the ball and remove any excess air. Place the balls on a plate and place in the refrigerator, uncovered, to let the fat re-solidify.
2. While the burgers are in the refrigerator, make the special sauce. In a small mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients and whisk well to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Once the burgers are ready to cook, preheat a large cast iron griddle or skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil to the griddle and once the oil is shimmering, add the bun top side down to the griddle. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the top bun is a deeper golden brown. Remove from the griddle and set aside.
4. Season the top of three ground beef balls with salt. Add them to the still-hot griddle, then place a heavy burger press onto each patty, compressing it down to ¼ inch (.6 cm) thick. Cook each patty for 1 minute, or until deeply golden brown and lacy. Season the other side of the burger with salt, then flip the patty and cook for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and add 3 pieces of American cheese to three of the patties (one on each), and 3 pieces of the sharp cheddar to three burgers. Turn the heat off and cover the patties to let the cheese melt. Once the cheese is melted, stack 3 patties on top of each other, alternating cheese types.
5. Transfer the patty stack to the prepared buns. Top with a few pickle slices, a drizzle of ketchup, mustard and special sauce. Serve immediately.
6. For the Onion Burger, repeat the same process with the bun and set aside.
7. Season the top of three ground beef balls with salt. Add them to the still-hot griddle, then cover each ball with a generous heap of onions. Place a heavy burger press onto each patty, compressing it down to ¼ inch (.6 cm) thick. Cook each patty for 1 minute, or until deeply golden brown and lacy. Season the other side of the burger with salt, then flip the patty and cook for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and add 3 pieces of American cheese to three of the patties (one on each), and 3 pieces of the sharp cheddar to three burgers. Turn the heat off and cover the patties to let the cheese melt. Once the cheese is melted, stack 3 patties on top of each other, alternating cheese types.
8. Transfer the patty stack to the prepared buns. Top with a few pickle slices, a drizzle of ketchup, mustard and special sauce. Serve immediately.

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