**The Art of Smashing Burgers: A Guide to Creating the Perfect Smash Burger**

When it comes to burgers, there's nothing quite like the classic smash burger. The combination of a juicy patty, crispy exterior, and soft bun is a match made in heaven. But what sets a great smash burger apart from a mediocre one? In this article, we'll dive into the world of smash burgers and explore the key elements that make them truly special.

**Eye Round: A Burger to Avoid**

Let's start with an example of a bad burger: the eye round. This cut of beef is already questionable due to its low marbling content, but when it's not handled properly, it can become even more unappealing. The texture and flavor are often described as weird and unpleasant, making it a prime candidate for avoiding in burgers. In contrast, dry-aged ribeye is the epitome of burger perfection.

**Dry-Aged Ribeye: The Holy Grail of Burgers**

So what makes dry-aged ribeye so special? For starters, the aging process concentrates the natural beef flavors, resulting in a more intense, complex taste experience. The increased marbling content also adds tenderness and richness to the meat, making it perfect for juicy burgers. And let's not forget about the presentation – a dry-aged ribeye is sure to impress with its tender, velvety texture and deep red color.

**Creating the Perfect Burger Blend**

While store-bought burger blends can be convenient, they often lack the complexity and depth of flavor that comes from creating your own blend. To take your burgers to the next level, try mixing together a combination of chuck, brisket, and short rib. The ratio will depend on personal preference, but a general rule of thumb is two parts chuck to one part short rib and brisket. This blend offers a perfect balance of familiar burger acumen, complex grassy goodness, and hearty hit of flavor and fat.

**Cooking the Perfect Smash Burger**

Now that we have our burger blend, it's time to cook it! Preheat your grill or griddle over high heat, then carefully form your patties. Use your spatula to smash each patty down onto the surface, applying gentle pressure to ensure even cooking. This technique is key to achieving that crispy exterior and juicy interior. After a minute of cooking, scrape off any excess fat with your spatula and flip the patty over for another minute.

**Seasoning and Toppings**

Once you've cooked your burger to perfection, it's time to add some flavor. Use kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to season the patty, making sure not to mix them into the meat. And of course, no smash burger would be complete without a slice or two of yellow American cheese. But don't stop there – consider adding some fresh veggies like lettuce, tomato, and onion for added crunch and flavor.

**Grilling Smashing Burgers**

While grilling smashing burgers is easy, it does require some special equipment. If you have a grill or griddle with high heat capabilities, you can achieve those perfect sear marks on your burger. But if not, don't worry! There's still hope. Try using your cast iron skillet over high heat to cook your burgers, and then finish them off on the grill for a crispy exterior.

**The Perfect Smash Burger: A Complete Experience**

So what makes a smash burger truly special? For starters, it needs to be served atop a dense, squishy potato roll that's been generously smeared with butter. Toasting this bun before stacking it with your burger is also essential for adding crunch and texture. And of course, no smash burger would be complete without some fresh veggies and your favorite sauce. Take it to the next level by pairing it with a refreshing summer cocktail like our Gin Mojito recipe.

**The Botanist's Gin Mojito: A Refreshing Summer Drink**

When it comes to summer cocktails, there's nothing quite like a classic mojito. But The Botanist's unique blend of 22 wild foraged botanicals adds a fresh and exciting twist to this timeless drink. By using gin instead of rum, we're able to avoid the sweetness that often plagues traditional mojitos. Instead, we get a lovely herbal profile that really highlights all the fresh mint.

To make our Gin Mojito recipe, start by mixing together lime juice, sugar, and a handful of muddled mint in a glass. Add two ounces of The Botanist's Islay Dry Gin and top with club soda. Give it a good stir with your longest bar spoon to distribute those minty bits evenly throughout the drink. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and a wheel of lime, and you've got yourself a refreshing summer cocktail that pairs perfectly with our smash burgers.

In conclusion, creating the perfect smash burger is all about balance and attention to detail. By using a combination of chuck, brisket, and short rib, cooking your patties to perfection, and adding just the right amount of seasoning and toppings, you can create a truly special burger experience. And don't forget to pair it with our refreshing Gin Mojito recipe for the ultimate summer treat.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- This episode is brought to youby my friends at TheBotanist Islay Dry Gin.Hmm, this bottle seems alittle smaller than usual.(fingers snap)Ope. Too big.Let's try again.(fingers snap)There we go. That's right.We're gonna make good use ofthese later in the episodewith a twist on a classicsummertime backyard staple:a gin mojito.But for now, let's get down tothe basics of smash burgers.(cheerful theme music)(jazzy music begins)All right, so the BOC, or bun of choice,for a smash burger is adense, chewy potato roll.These are inexpensiveand widely available,but if for some reason youwanna make it yourself,here's how you do it.415 grams of bread flour,45 grams dried potato flakes,a tablespoon each kosher salt and yeast,and two tablespoons of sugarhead into the bowl of a stand mixer,where they are tinywhisked until combined.Then, we are combining170 grams of hot waterwith 110 grams of cold milk,creating a tepid mixtureperfect for yeast activation.Dump that in, along with one large egg.Swap out your stand mixer's bowlso you guys can see what's going on.Allow that to knead togetheruntil fully combined,and then we're gonna startadding four tablespoonsof room-temperature butterone tablespoon at a time.At this point, you might get frustratedwith your stand mixer's performanceand break out the new hotness.Dump the dough in thereand continue the process,adding one tablespoon of butter at a time,making sure it's fully incorporatedbefore adding the next.Once all the butter's been added,we're gonna let thisknead for five minutesor until our dough passesthe windowpane test,indicating that itsgluten network is strongand that it's ready to bulk ferment.Lube up a large bowl, retrieve our dough,optionally stretch it into a taut ball,plop it inside, cover it up,and let it rise at roomtemperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.This is gonna depend onthe temperature, humidity,how recently you've saged your kitchen.But once it's puffed up to twiceits size, it's ready to go.We're gonna turn it outonto a well-oiled countertopfor weighing, division, and shaping.First, we're gonna weighthe entire mass of dough,divide that number by five,and divide the doughinto five equal pieces.Makes sense, right?Then, by pinching the edgesand rolling against the countertop,we're gonna stretch theminto five taut balls,which we're gonna spread outon a parchment-lined baking sheetand start patting down so that they riseinto more bun-like shapes.Cover and let rise foranother 45 minutes to an houror until the balls do not spring backimmediately when poked.Looks like these guys coulduse a little bit more time.Once they've passed poking proficiency,it's time to gently andevenly brush them downwith a beaten egg.Then, these guys are headedinto a preheated 350degree Fahrenheit ovenfor anywhere from 15 to 20 minutesuntil they are golden brownand register 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheitat their thickest point.While these guys cool completely,we can start to talk about meat.I have a selection of beefs here,all that can potentiallybring their own flavorsand properties to the party.First up, we have hanger steak:great on the grill, notso great in a burger.Its tough muscle fibers andrelatively low fat contentend up giving the burgera dry, mealy texture.Next up, we got some boneless short ribs.This cut is high in fat and flavor,making it ideal for burgers,if a little expensive.Sirloin is a good deal cheaper,and it's got decentflavor, but not much fat.It's got slightly grassier,more mineral notes,so it's good for addingroundness to your burger.Chuck is the golden groundbeef standard for a reason.It is rich, buttery, laden with fat,and relatively inexpensive,but it does have some connective tissuethat you gotta get rid of.Brisket is like sirloin, only better.It brings all those grassy mineral notesand a whole lot more fat,which you're gonna have to pay extra for.Eye round is pretty horrible.It's low on fat, it's low on flavor,and this one in particularillustrates how much quality can varyfrom butcher to butcher.This one looks like pork, practically.And last up is ribeye.Maybe the most deliciousof all the known steaks,it's practically a crimeto turn this into a burger,but if you watched my recentsteakhouse burger episode,it's the only way toget that dry-aged flavorbetween your buns.So now, to see how all these guys performin a burgarian context, I'mgonna grind all of 'em upand turn them into littlepatties for sampling.First up is the hangersteak, and like I mentioned,it's pretty dry, prettychewy, pretty mealy.And, given its growingpopularity as a steak,there's no reason that you'dturn this into a burger, ever.Unless you do a cooking showand you're trying to prove a point.Next up is short rib, whichis the polar opposite,full of favor, buttery texture,and rich, beefy beef notes.This is worth its weight in gold.Sirloin definitely has flavor,but it's pretty boring.Definitely good for cuttingsomething more rich,like short rib or brisket.Chuck tastes exactly likeevery burger I've ever had.There's a reasonthat ground chuck is partof our culinary lexicon.Brisket, like I mentionedearlier, is sirloin, but better.It's got the sharper,more metallic flavorswith more intramuscular fat to carry them.Eye round is already bad enough,but this one is particularly bad.I mean, look at it.It's weird.It's a good reason to treatbeef tasting like wine tastingand keep a spit bucket handy.Last but not least, dry-aged ribeye,and of course, this was the best.If you got $35 a pound to blow on burgers,this is the answer for you.Otherwise, save a few bucksand make your own beefy burger blend.I like starting with a base of chuckfor its familiar burger acumen.Then, I cut it with some brisketfor its complex, grassy goodness,then finish it off witha helping of short ribfor a hefty hit of flavor and fat.The ratio is up to you.I go two parts chuck to onepart short rib and brisket.Now, time to actually cook the damn thing.I've got a lightly oiled,positively sweltering pieceof cast iron over high heat,onto which I'm going todrop two 1/4-pound ballsof our ground beef blend,which I'm then going to smashusing my very stiffest spatula,sort of smearing the beefas I go to prevent stickage.You wanna try to get the pattiesabout half an inch widerthan your intended bun,as they will shrink.But if they're a little bit biggerthan your bun, who cares?Would you rather have a burgerwith patties that aretoo big or too small?Once the patties are smashed,we're to leave them thereover high heat for about a minute,until you see browning formingaround the edges of their beefy skirt.Now you wanna scrape as hard as you canto get underneath thepatty, give it a flip,and then same thinggoes for the other side.Now's the time to seasonwith kosher salt andfreshly ground black pepper.Do not let me catch youmixing the seasonings into your beef.And of course, the requisiteyellow American cheese.And just like that, yourkitchen is full of smoke,and you're ready to eat a burger.But if you don't feel likesetting off your fire alarms,there is hope, and it'ssitting right outside,next to your lawn mowerand disused trampoline.Get your grill of choice upto 500 degrees Fahrenheitwith your cast iron griddle inside,and you got yourself the perfect placeto smash some patties.No setting off fire alarms,no lingering beef stench in the air,no angry spouse wondering whyyou're making smash burgersat 3:00 in the morning.No matter how you make 'em,they need to sit atop adense, squishy potato roll,preferably one generouslysmeared with butterand toasted on a flat top or grillbefore getting stackedproudly with patties,your choice of vegetal toppings.I like the classic LTO.A special sauce arranged in a Satanic starto summon the beast,and there you have it:a juicy, beefy, crunchy, cheesy,entirely-from-scratch smash burger.Now alls it needs is a light,crisp, refreshing summer cocktail.While a mojito is traditionallymade with white rum,The Botanist's different wildbotanicals make it versatilein many drinks and plays especially nicelywith the foraged mint Ipicked in my herbs garden.Or you can just get yours at the store.Drop it into my intended serving glass,cover it with 3/4 of an ounceof freshly squeezed lime juice,and two teaspoons of extra-fine sugarthat I'm going to muddletogether using a muddler.Once the sugar is mostly dissolvedand the mint is good and smashed up,we're gonna top that with ice.Two ounces of The Botanist Islay Dry Gin.Make sure you include all22 wild foraged botanicals.Dump that on in and top itthe rest of the way with club soda.Give it a little mix withyour very longest bar spoon.Get all those minty bitsas evenly as distributedas possible throughout the cocktail.Garnish with a little bit more mint.Garnish with a wheel of lime.And there you have it: a gin mojito,which I actually preferto a traditional mojito,which can sometimes be madea tad too sweet by the rum.Instead, the Botanist gin givesit a lovely herbal profilethat really highlights all the fresh mint.A perfect summer cocktailfor firing up the grillthis Labor Day weekend.Kick back and relax this Labor Dayand have Drizly deliver a bottleof The Botanist directly to you.And if you're a new customer,use the link in the video descriptionto get $5 off your first order.Cheers.(jazzy music continues)(jazzy music fades)\n"