Jonathan is our occasional weekend chef and has gradually been collecting a smattering of cookbooks including ones with Hispanic, Arabian, and Irish dishes.
Recently he volunteered to try out his Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades cookbook on the family by making "Smash Burgers" and concocting Memphis-Style Barbecue Sauce from this cookbook to go along with the burgers.
The recipe is copyrighted so I can't post it here, but some of the ingredients include Coca-Cola, Tabasco, liquid smoke, cider vinegar, molasses, and chili powder. It was quite the concoction and quite tasty!
Jonathan says the Smash Burger recipe calls for using a cast iron skillet for best results...and here he is doing some "smashing!" We only have a very small cast iron pan, so a bigger one might be on his wish-list!
As you can see from the above photo, the burgers aren't formed as normal round patties but rather as meatballs...and then are smashed in a very hot skillet.
It's the action of the smashing that helps carmelize the burgers around the edges as they cook which gives them the amazing flavor.
Here's a You Tube link for a 6-minute video that shows a how-to of the Smash Burger (disclaimer of bad language at 2:26 that you can skip over and then proceed).
Jonathan also made the "Special Sauce" described in the video for us to try....very tasty also!
Hannah and I wanted to make Smashed Potatoes to go along with the Smashed Burgers...but when a man is cooking in the kitchen, that's more than enough action going on. We opted for chips.
Okay...I think I'm going to call on Chef Jonathan to perform his magic for us again on another weekend when he's in a cooking mood!
That was definitely delicious!
~Deb
Deb, it's wonderful that you have so many willing cooks in the family. Lee enjoys cooking also and has done quite a bit this summer while I've recovered from my shoulder surgery. In fact, he's cooking stuffed peppers tonight with the peppers he has grown on our deck. No big garden for us anymore :).
Posted by: Barbara J. | Monday, August 19, 2019 at 03:54 PM
Looks good.I actually found the recipe online from his first edition of the book.
Chris has 3 different sizes of iron skillets.They are his to use and I won't even clean them so nothing can be blamed on me if not done correctly.Such a science to seasoning and keeping up the maintenance.
Posted by: Tammy C | Tuesday, August 20, 2019 at 11:28 AM
Great job Chef Jonathan! He will have to make those burgers for his little nephews someday. I know they will love them!
Posted by: victoria | Tuesday, August 20, 2019 at 01:07 PM
Deb, I loved this post! Very fun to read and Jonathan looks like a pro. The Smash Burgers really do sound delicious. Get him in the kitchen often. :)!!
Posted by: Chris Odorisio | Friday, August 23, 2019 at 10:21 AM