NEVER Cook Burgers in a Pan Again — The Old Diner Smash Trick

🍔 The old diner smash burger with the crispy lace edges, made at home in four minutes in one heavy pan, every step with the times is written out below 👇 I'm Lou. Fifty years behind a griddle. A couple of weeks ago I paid $16 for a double smash burger downtown, and I was making that same burger in 1969 for 45 cents. ⭐ THE 7 OLD DINER TRICKS 1. The meat: ground chuck, 80% meat / 20% fat. Keep it cold. 2. Never make a patty: loose balls of about 3 ounces, back in the fridge until the pan is ready. 3. The heat: heavy cast iron, high, dry, about 5 minutes, until drops of water dance. 4. The smash: within the first 30 seconds, once, hard, under parchment paper, about ¼ inch thin. Never press again. 5. The salt: on top, right after the smash. Never mixed into the meat. 6. The scrape: about 2 minutes, then scrape under it with a stiff, sharp steel spatula and flip. 7. Cheese and bun: American cheese right after the flip, about 30 seconds; bun face down in the beef fat. 🧅 Onion burger: paper-thin onions smashed into the ball. ⚠️ FOOD SAFETY Ground beef should reach 160°F. A smash burger is thin and gets there in about three minutes; check the thickest one with a thermometer if you want to be sure. 🧾 THE ARITHMETIC Burger place: $16 for a double. At home: a double cheeseburger with the bun is about $2.50. CHAPTERS 0:00 The gray hockey puck 1:44 7 old diner tricks 2:20 The lunch rush 2:48 What Gus taught me at 17 3:49 Trick 1: the meat (80/20) 4:41 Trick 2: never make a patty 5:35 Trick 3: the heat 6:28 Trick 4: the smash 7:32 Trick 5: when the salt goes on 8:13 Trick 6: the scrape 9:07 Trick 7: cheese and bun 9:59 The Oklahoma onion burger 10:49 The patty melt 11:28 No griddle? No problem 12:27 What goes wrong and why 13:26 $16 vs $2.50 14:20 Your homework 💬 Did your father press his burgers with the spatula too? Next video: The Blue Plate Specials — 15 diner dinners that cost 99 cents in 1970. Lou is a character. This video uses AI-generated visuals and voice. #smashburger #burger #castiron #dinerfood #cookingtips