Smash Burger TAcos
These smash burger tacos start with quarter pound balls of 80/20 smashed beef that are pressed onto a flour tortilla. Then the whole thing cooks meat side down on an insanely hot griddle. American cheese, onions, lettuce and homemade burger sauce.
The tortilla puffs up and crisps while the beef fries onto it and develops a crust. All together it takes about half an hour.
What Goes Into Smash Burger Tacos
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| 80/20 ground beef | You’ll need a pound of it. More on why the fat matters in a second. |
| Flour tortillas for street tacos | Flour only, they need to puff. |
| American cheese slices | Melts at a low temperature, which matters at the end. |
| Shredded lettuce | Added at the end. |
| Yellow onions | Two of them, diced and cooked until golden and caramelized. |
| Butter, olive oil, Worcestershire | For the onions. |
| Mayo, ketchup, Dijon mustard, pickle juice, Worcestershire | The base of the burger sauce. |
| Paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder | Added to the sauce. |
Exact measurements and helpful tips are in the recipe card below.
First Press
After cutting the meat into quarter pound portions, I rolled each portion into a loose ball.
I placed my ball onto a tortilla and smashed it down with my hand. Once it was smashed down, I spread it out making sure the beef covered the entire tortilla.
After seasoning it with salt, pepper and garlic powder I set them aside and started working on my onions.
Why Raw Tortilla First
The order looks weird. The tortilla isn’t cooked yet and you’re pressing raw beef into it.
That’s the trick. Once you put it meat side down on the griddle, the tortilla isn’t touching the heat, it’s sitting right on top of the beef. The beef touches the griddle directly and sears, which forms a crust and fuses the beef to the tortilla as it cooks. When you flip it, it’s one item, not falling apart.
Because this is partially about the fat content. When you smash an 80/20 burger, you’re rendering all that fat right onto the tortilla. By the time you flip it after 3 minutes, that tortilla has soaked in all that grease. That’s what makes it crisp and puff up instead of drying out and burning.
Press it as thin as possible and make it reach all the edges. Anywhere the beef doesn’t go is tortilla that never contacts any fat.
Onions and Sauce
Chop your onions and cook them in butter and olive oil with salt until they’re golden brown.
Add Worcestershire sauce and cook until onions have good color and caramelization.
Pull them off the heat, set aside, but reserve about 2 tablespoons for your sauce.
Mix your onions into mayo, ketchup, mustard, pickle juice, Worcestershire and seasonings.
Cooking
Heat griddle on high.
Lay your tacos down meat side down. Press for a few seconds to conform.
Cook for about 3 minutes or until the beef has cooked through and has a deep crust.
Flip, drop heat down to low, and crisp the tortilla. Add cheese to each taco.
Kill the heat completely and let it melt off the residual heat.
Recipe card has exact times and temps.
Finishing Touches While Off The Heat
Most instructions will tell you to keep the heat on until the cheese melts. Don’t. Turn it off.
American cheese melts at a low temp, and there’s still plenty of heat in that griddle (you just cranked it to high) to melt the cheese. The tortilla is at risk of burning, not the cheese. It already cooked for several minutes and got crispy. Every additional minute gets you closer to burnt.
So, cheese on tacos, turn heat off, and let it melt from there. You don’t lose heat by turning it off, it’s still there cooking both the cheese and tortilla gently instead of harshly. Allow for residual heat to finish cooking.
Top Them Off and Serve
Put lettuce on first, then sautéed onions. As much sauce as you like on top.
Fold into a taco and eat immediately.
Author’s Notes
A Fun Way To Enjoy A Burger
This is a fun way to enjoy a burger. It is very rewarding, especially that the tortilla’s nice and crispy.
If you’re using flour tortillas they get kind of puffed up so they’re really really good.
This is perfect for dinner or even a lunch, and these are super fast to make. You can have a whole meal within 30 minutes. You can always serve it with your favorite side, french fries, tater tots, or even a salad.
Miguel
Miguel’s Tips
- Use 80/20 ground beef, not leaner. The fat will make it juicy and helps crisp the tortilla.
- Cook the first side on high heat. You want that crust to develop before the tortilla starts to soften.
- Don’t rush the onions. You want them golden and caramelized. Plus they get added to the sauce.
- Kill the heat when you add the cheese. Let the residual heat do its thing.
- Use flour tortillas, they’ll puff. Don’t use corn tortillas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use corn tortillas?
They’ll work, they just don’t expand like flour does, and that fluffy texture is half the appeal of this entire recipe. I would use flour.
Why 80/20?
Leaner beef won’t render enough fat to crisp up the tortilla. It’ll also dry out being cooked at such high heat.
How many tacos will a pound make?
Four, quarter pound each. If you press them super thin you could probably stretch it to six with smaller tortillas.
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Smash Burger Tacos
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Divide the ground beef into 1/4 pound portions and roll each into a loose ball.
- Place one ball directly onto each flour tortilla and press it down, spreading the beef into an even layer all the way to the edges. Season with salt, pepper and garlic. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium. Add the butter and olive oil, then the diced onions and salt. Cook until golden, then add the Worcestershire and continue until deeply caramelized. Reserve about 2 tablespoons for the sauce.
- Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, Dijon, pickle juice, Worcestershire, the reserved onions, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix until smooth and set aside.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over high heat with a little neutral oil. Place the tortillas meat side down and press firmly for a few seconds so the beef makes full contact.
- Cook about 3 minutes, until the beef is cooked through with a deep crust. Ground beef should reach 160°F, which happens quickly at this thickness.
- Flip and immediately drop the heat to low. Let the tortilla crisp, then top each taco with a slice of American cheese.
- Turn the heat off completely. The residual heat will melt the cheese and keep crisping the tortilla without burning it.
- Top with shredded lettuce, sautéed onions and as much burger sauce as you like. Fold and serve immediately.
