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Recipe · Direct · Easy

Smash burger on the kamado with American cheese

The viral burger done right: 90 g ball, cast-iron plancha at 250°C and a 30-second smash that builds the definitive crust. No tricks, no marketing.

Season:All yearCuisine:American

Quick answer

Smash burgers on the kamado use loose 90 g balls of 80/20 beef, unsalted beforehand. On a cast-iron griddle at 250 °C, smash them for 30 seconds once only, salt as you smash, and crown with American cheese 30 seconds before pulling. Serve on brioche toasted in butter.

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One big step at a time, screen kept on and built-in timers.

Prep
20 min
Cook
8 min
Servings
4 servings
Temperature
250 °C

What time do you want to eat?

Pick a time and we'll tell you when to start.

  1. 13:02

    Start the prep

  2. 13:22

    Light the kamado

  3. 13:42

    Onto the kamado

  4. 14:00

    Serve

Estimate: it includes lighting and settling the kamado plus a margin for large cuts. If the recipe asks you to marinate or salt ahead, add that time.

Fire setupDirect heat

Dome
250 °C
Grate
Standard height
Setup
Cast-iron griddle and wide spatula

Temperature curve

0:29 h from lighting

Kamado dome

Dome and internal temperature over the cook0°50°100°150°200°250°10:0020:2030:254560:29250 °Chours from lighting
#FromPhaseDome
10:00Light the charcoalCast iron griddle on the grate, lid open at the end20 → 250 °C
20:20StabiliseWater-drop test: it must dance and vanish in 2 s250 °C
30:25Put the food inBall on the griddle, smash 30 s under baking paper250 → 215 °C
40:26CookAt 2 min, crisp edges: flip scraping up the crust215 → 250 °C
50:28SearCheese 30 s with the lid closed, bun toasted alongside245 → 250 °C
60:29Serveoff

0:00 is the moment you light the charcoal. Internal temperatures are the ones the recipe gives; without a probe, go by the times. Turn these times into clock times with the planner

For this recipe

Ingredients

Servings4
  • 80/20 ground beef (chuck + fat)700 g
  • American melting cheese (Kraft singles style)8 slices
  • brioche burger buns8
  • large white onion2
  • unsalted butter30 g
  • mayonnaise4 tbsp
  • ketchup2 tbsp
  • Dijon mustard1 tbsp
  • finely chopped pickles1 tbsp
  • flaky salt and black pepperas needed

Allergens

  • Gluten
  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Mustard

Brioche usually contains egg and milk; store-bought pickles and ketchup may contain sulphites or mustard; check the label.

Based on the recipe's ingredients. Always check the label of every product you buy.

The gear for this recipe

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Method

  1. 01

    Burger sauce (24h ahead)

    Combine mayo, ketchup, Dijon mustard and chopped pickles at 4-2-1-1. Refrigerate 24 hours — flavours marry and the sauce transforms.

  2. 02

    Caramelised onion

    Slice the onion thinly. Sweat in a pan over medium-low heat with a knob of butter for 20 minutes until golden and sweet. Hold warm.

  3. 03

    Form balls

    Without working the meat any more than necessary, divide into 8 loose 90 g balls. Do not pack them — the trapped air builds the texture. Zero salt at this stage.

  4. 04

    Heat the plancha

    Set the cast-iron plancha on the kamado grate and bring it to 250°C with the lid open. Water-drop test: a drop should dance and vanish in 2 seconds.

  5. 05

    Smash 30 seconds

    Place the ball on the plancha. Cover with parchment paper and smash with a wide flat spatula (or a second plancha on top) for 30 seconds. Do not lift. Peel the paper, salt with flakes and pepper.

  6. 06

    Flip and cheese

    After 2 minutes, when the edges are golden and crispy, flip with the spatula scraping the crust off the plancha. Lay two slices of American cheese on top and close the kamado lid for 30 seconds to melt.

  7. 07

    Toast the bun

    On the free part of the plancha, melt a knob of butter and toast the brioche cut-side down for 30 seconds until golden.

  8. 08

    Assemble

    Bottom bun, burger sauce, two stacked patties with melted cheese, caramelised onion on top, top bun. Serve immediately — a smash burger loses its crust within a minute.

About this recipe

For a smash burger on the kamado: form loose 90 g balls from 80/20 beef without working it, heat a cast-iron plancha to 250°C, smash each ball for 30 seconds with a flat spatula, salt only after smashing and add American cheese 30 seconds before pulling. Toast brioche buns on the same plancha with butter.

The crust is the whole recipe

The smash burger is not a fad — it is basic chemistry. When you press a cold ball against metal at 250°C in the first 30 seconds, every point of contact becomes a violent Maillard reaction. That golden, crackling crust is 90% of the burger flavour. What kills the crust: salting the meat before forming balls (salt firms up protein and turns it into meatball), working the meat (it builds meat-gluten, rubbery), or going too lean. The 80/20 ratio is not optional: at 90/10 it dries out, at 70/30 it falls apart.

Plancha yes, grate no

On a kamado the grate drips juices into the coals and breaks the crust. The cast-iron plancha (Lodge, Smithey, or your kamado-brand pan) needs to be genuinely hot: water-drop test — droplets should dance and vanish in 2 seconds, not crackle and linger. Lid open, you hit 250°C in 10-12 minutes. Smash the ball directly on the plancha, once and only once — a second smash bursts the air pockets and takes the crust with them.

Burger sauce and a bun that does not compete

The sauce: mayo, ketchup, Dijon mustard and chopped pickles at 4-2-1-1, mixed 24 hours ahead. Brioche bun is toasted cut-side on the same plancha with a knob of butter — 30 seconds — to seal the crumb and stop it soaking up juice. Double American cheese (yes, the Kraft-singles kind — it melts plastic-perfect, no artisan cheddar flows the same way). One burger per person is an appetiser. Two is dinner. Three and you need a bigger kamado.

In 30 seconds

80/20 beef, loose 90 g balls, no salt up front. Cast-iron plancha on kamado at 250°C (water-drop test). Smash 30 s, once only, salt after smashing. American cheese 30 s before pulling. Brioche bun toasted in butter 30 s. Two per person.

Will it fit your kamado?

  • Small

    33-40 cm · Joe Jr, MiniMax

    Tight

    A small griddle holds 2 smash patties per batch; all 8 in four batches.

  • Medium

    46-51 cm · Classic, Large

    Fits

    The half-moon griddle takes 3-4 patties per batch: two or three batches.

  • Large

    56-61 cm · Big Joe, XL

    Fits

    A larger griddle probably holds 5-6 per batch with the buns alongside.

What to serve with it

Sides

Wine
Young Garnacha red from Campo de Borja
Beer
IPA or golden lager
Alcohol-free
Vanilla milkshake or lemonade

Leftovers and storage

In the fridge
Patties and buns apart, airtight within 2 h: 3-4 days in the fridge.
Freezing
Cooked patties freeze 2-3 months; the assembled burger doesn't. Never refreeze.
Reheating
Hot griddle or pan 1-2 min a side to 74 °C at the centre; cheese last, covered.
Using them up
Crumbled into a quesadilla or over nachos.

Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours. When in doubt, throw it out.

Leftover embers

You still have embers: what to do with the leftover heat

For 8 min at 250 °C in a classic kamado you load about 800 g of charcoal and burn 300 g: when you serve, about 520 g of live embers remain. Before you shut the vents, that is still enough for:

Before opening the lid, crack it open for a few seconds first; if you raise the heat, stir the ash so the coals can breathe. And if you are not going to use them: once the food is out, close the bottom and top vents. The charcoal that does not burn (about 520 g) can be used next time. Different size of kamado? Work out your load for 30 min of fire, lighting included.

Editor's tips

  • Never form the balls with salt already in the meat. If you do, what comes out is not a smash burger — it is a flattened meatball.
  • The plancha must pass the water-drop test. If a drop sizzles but does not dance, more heat is needed — wait 2-3 more minutes.
  • After the first smash, do not press again. Each extra press squeezes juice out — onto the plancha, not into your burger.
  • Always toast the brioche in butter, never dry. Butter shields the crumb from juice and adds lactose to the bread Maillard.

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FAQ

  • Beef 80/20 or leaner?

    Strictly 80/20: 80% beef, 20% fat. It is the ratio that lets the smash hold together and keeps the crust juicy. At 90/10 it comes out dry and tough. At 70/30 the excess fat melts away and the burger collapses. If your butcher cannot manage that, ask for chuck or flank with 20% added pork fat.

  • Why plancha and not the grate directly?

    Because the grate drops fat into the coals (flare-ups, burnt flavour, lost juice) and the crust breaks on flip. The cast-iron plancha holds that fat, keeps constant 250°C metal contact and lets the crust go full Maillard. The grate is for ribeyes, not for smash burgers.

  • How many burgers per person?

    In smash style, two double patties per person is standard dinner (180 g of meat total). One is an appetiser and leaves people hungry. Three double patties is competitive eating — and you need twice the plancha. For four people: 16 balls of 90 g.

  • Can you smash a vegan patty?

    Yes, with Beyond Burger or Heura. Form loose 80 g balls (vegan blends are denser), plancha at 230°C (not 250°C — they scorch sooner), smash 25 seconds. Vegan American cheese (Violife) melts correctly. The crust will not be as deep — plant fat does not Maillard the same way — but the result is decent and nobody goes hungry.

  • What do I do with the embers left after making Smash burger on the kamado with American cheese?

    After 8 min at 250 °C in a classic kamado about 520 g of live embers remain: 55 min more at 250 °C without touching the vents, 1 h 35 min at 140-200 °C closing the vents or 20 min at over 270 °C opening the vents. If you are not going to use them, close both vents and keep the charcoal for next time.

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