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Smashburger tacos on crispy flour tortillas topped with melted American cheese, sautéed onions, shredded lettuce, and burger sauce

Smash Burger Tacos

Quarter pound balls of 80/20 ground beef smashed directly onto street taco size flour tortillas and cooked meat side down on a screaming hot griddle. Topped with American cheese, sautéed onions, shredded lettuce and a homemade burger sauce.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 tacos
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican-American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Smash Burger Tacos
  • 1 lb 80/20 ground beef Divided into 1/4 lb portions.
  • 4 street taco size flour tortillas Flour, not corn. Flour puffs.
  • American cheese slices One per taco.
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Salt, pepper, garlic, or your favorite burger seasoning
  • Neutral oil As needed on the griddle.
Sautéed Onions
  • 2 large yellow onions diced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Burger Sauce
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp pickle juice optional
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp sautéed onions Reserved from the onions above.
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder

Equipment

  • Griddle or Large Skillet It needs to get properly hot.
  • Sturdy spatula For pressing and flipping.
  • Skillet For the onions.
  • Mixing Bowl For the burger sauce.

Method
 

Press the Beef
  1. Divide the ground beef into 1/4 pound portions and roll each into a loose ball.
  2. 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.
Onions and Sauce
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
Cook and Finish
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Flip and immediately drop the heat to low. Let the tortilla crisp, then top each taco with a slice of American cheese.
  4. Turn the heat off completely. The residual heat will melt the cheese and keep crisping the tortilla without burning it.
  5. Top with shredded lettuce, sautéed onions and as much burger sauce as you like. Fold and serve immediately.

Notes

Raw beef on a raw tortilla: Meat side down means the beef takes the heat and the tortilla rides on top of it. The beef sears and fuses to the tortilla, and the rendering fat soaks into it, which is what makes it crisp and puff instead of drying out.
80/20, not leaner: Lean beef will not render enough fat to crisp the tortilla, and it dries out at this heat.
Heat off for the cheese: American cheese melts at a low temperature and the griddle holds plenty of residual heat. The tortilla is what is at risk of burning, not the cheese.
Flour tortillas: Corn will work but it does not puff, and that texture is most of the point.
Doneness note: Neither Miguel’s notes nor the source recipe gave a temperature. The USDA recommends 160°F for ground beef, which a patty this thin passes well within the 3 minute cook.
Timing and yield: Times are estimates. A pound at 1/4 lb portions makes 4 tacos. Pressed thinner on smaller tortillas you can stretch it to 6.

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