We often have smash burgers at the lake cabin cooked on our big Blackstone griddle. Much easier than forming 10 or more patties if cooking for a crowd.

One of the latest 'rages' in the KC BBQ scene is the Burnt End burger. The burger is 50% ground chuck and 50% ground brisket and then they top the burger with brisket burnt ends. Also not for the weak gall bladder crowd.

Smashed burgers are like smashed ice cream. Neither makes much sense. I've had a burnt ends burger where the brisket was mixed in with the ground beef. Putting chunks on top wouldn't add much to my burger. I've made burgers with half ground beef and half smoked pulled pork. Adding in a bit of my dry rub turns them into perfect barbecue burgers. Also, and this one wasn't my idea but it works, add some finely diced pickles to the ground beef.

Smash burgers are just old school diner burgers to me. I grew up with smushed and browned at all sorts of good greasy spoons. Even better were Kewpie burgers- those are so good. Kewpie is still around, but I don't get back home very often to get one. A couple diners around here still do it with ground beef and smash it.

I've had a lot of burger things. Ground beef, pork, chicken, turkey, veal, venison, duck. Ground veggies, bean burgers, tofu, fish. Stuffed burgers can be fun. I remember making them as kids, mom had one of those tupperware burger press kits. And then again a few years back when stuffed burger makers were the hot thing of the summer.

I don't care for the smashburger from the chain by the same name, but their fries are good. Yes, I would try the one you mentioned. We like ground meat mixed with various shredded cheeses and grilled.

I don't do anything particularly interesting, just switch up the cheese and produce here and there. But to add to the list of complaints, for me it's the ubiquitous brioche roll. Ugh!!! Too dense, too filling, too BIG to eat respectably!

I don't think you need to do anything special with the meat, but bacon jam is heaven on a burger when you want something special. You need a crusty bun with bacon jam.

This last Fall I was making dinner. My daughter had gotten out frozen ground meat to use in something. I didn't pay attention to what it was and made bergers on the grill. They were really good and everyone thought so... except.... it was ground pork. I had only sweated some chopped onion to get it mostly done and added that and salt and pepper to the raw mix, so nothing fancy.

Smashed burgers don't interest in me in the slightest. I like a good rare burger dressed with garden fresh tomatoes and arugula. No cheese, please.

We like to add chopped lovage to a burger, per Alice Waters' chez panisse cafe cookbook. I agree with her description, 'a delicious twist, ... adds a crisp, bright flavor'.

I love hamburgers, but not so much the innovations and twists. The current trend for a really thin burger in a really big bun, smashed or not, does not please me! I don't like an inch thick patty, either, but want a nice burger that keeps your teeth from clanking. I also like it dressed California style--which has nothing to do with avocados! That's just something that people outside of California say, like "Florentine" for spinach, because we have so many avocado ranches. A proper California style sandwich of any kind, including burgers, has salad and dressing. That is, a good chunk of iceberg (though green leaf is a fair substitute if there's no iceberg), thick slice of tomato, onion, dill pickle chips, and whatever other vegetables you like. The dressing is a schmeer on the bun, and can be mayonnaise or a mayonnaise based dressing like "burger sauce" (variation on 1000 island). This should NOT be piled too high to eat comfortably, but should take a good bite to get through it.

John the last innovation I really liked was INO animal style. Burger cooked in grilled onion and mustard, rather than dressing. That's good, though it also makes the burgers a bit steamed tasting.

I think a duck burger could be really good if prepared carefully.

I know some find the fat content too high, but we've been enjoying ground brisket for burgers. It's seasonal with the butcher shop that offers it, not avail in winter (even though we grill all year around). Somewhere in between medium and very slightly rare. No cheese or bacon, but I do like a little red onion, very good tomato, lettuce but not shredded lettuce. DH is a pickles and mayo guy.

Its funny, but the only other ground meat we've greatly enjoyed as burgers is ground elk at the other end of the fat content scale (so lean), completely and meticulously handled by DH from start to finish. For years I preferred it to ground beef. He hasn't hunted in a long time now, was finding the woods a little crowded to enjoy himself and he never quite knew if the person holding the gun on the next ridge top was experienced, cautious, practicing safety.....

I'm not tempted by peanut butter, an egg, double or triple patties with slabs of cheese, teriyaki, grilled pineapple....Just give me a plain old fashioned style tavern burger with a bun not so thick as to make me overly full. I'm just vain enough if eating out, I don't want to be wearing my sandwich from ear to ear every time I try to take a bite.

The closest thing I make to a hamburger is a taco or burrito. If I am going to have ground beef (and I rarely do), I want to have it with corn tortillas or wrapped in a flour tortilla, and I generally also have it with my own spicy bean dip.

If I were going to have a hamburger, it would have to be on a sourdough roll - I cannot stand the soft squishy buns that are often used. I don't know why anyone ever thought that those were a good idea.

I like bacon, mushrooms, and bleu cheese on hamburgers, but not any other kind of cheese. I'm also okay with pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce, but onions would have to be sautéed first. I typically will eat a hamburger with a knife and fork and can only finish half of one. I only have them in restaurants, and so I have to take leftovers with me.

The last one I had was at the restaurant at the top of the Mt San Jacinto Tram last August when my niece was visiting. I took half of it with me in a box and ended up giving it to a homeless man in downtown Palm Springs who was panhandling. He seemed happy to receive it but also wanted me to give him money for a beverage.

AS for pork ones, there's a great Slimming world recipe where you mince up fairly lean pork, along with an apple. It keeps it all moist and pork and apple are delicious together.

Another thing they do here which is good is really fine, small slices of tender beef which are sort of mashed together to make a burger as opposed to minced beef. It gives a nice texture. https://www.convivial.fr/l%E2%80%99effeuill%C3%A9-de-b%C5%93uf#:~:text=L'effeuill%C3%A9%20de%20b%C5%93uf%20VBF,et%20la%20chair%20est%20fondante.

I make pork burgers from locally raised pigs on pasture. Makes a great burger.

" Peanut butter burgers, peanut butter whisky, arrgh, its like living in a nightmare world of hipster bearded alcoholic pre-schoolers. " That had me giggling :-D

I make my patties with heaps of add ins: finely diced smoky bacon , sometimes finely diced mushrooms, dried mixed herbs, finely chopped spring onions and grated cheddar. We really like them. At burger restaurants we often order them with bacon because in our opinion, bacon makes everything better :-) As does cheese. Usually there's lettuce and thinly sliced tomato, I like fried onions but DH can't eat them any more :-/ A traditional Aussie burger has sliced pickled beet on it- it's not bad.

It's funny, Lars, that you don't like the squishy buns, DH doesn't either.

I also make lamb burgers with ground lamb with a little garlic and rosemary through it, on a Turkish bun with hommous, thinly sliced tomato and spinach leaves. So good!

Chicken burgers made with a slab of grilled chicken breast with variations of salad are a thing here too and we order them for time to time.

I like to cook shredded onions, carrots carrots, and broccoli, a healthy amount, and add to the raw ground beef. i also add and egg and a little ground oatmeal. The family likes it, its moist and not meatloaf like.

Egg and oatmeal mean meatloaf to me.

I was thinking more about the appeal of smashburgers. It is, I think, the very crusty exterior and perhaps the easier-to-bite dimensions of the cooked patty - more like a cookie than a muffin. The downside is dryness and no rare, moist interior. It would be hard to get similar crust and thinness and a rare interior on the grill. But as we know, deep frying solves every cooking problem :-) Suppose we form, season, and deep fry a 1/2" thick patty?

Smash burgers are my favourite kind. I don't care for a hint of pink in a burger and in Canada, you are never asked how you want your burger done, they are always cooked through. For me, a thin, crispy patty with just cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickle is the ultimate burger. I don't care for huge hamburger patty - the thinner the better as far as I'm concerned.

A chain joint called 'Smashburger' has been in most states for maybe ten years, maybe more. A couple dozen locations in the NY area. I don't care for fast food meat quality except ShakeShack.

Most smashburgers are just so darm huge so more bun is needed. But htis does look good...

Harriet's. Simple and not a mile high. A sturdy brioch bun---not too soft.

NYC has buger wars just like pizza the wars. What is the best, yada yada. The best burgers are often a secret custom grind by Pat Lefrieda. A well known NY butcher.

We rarely have a burger out anymore. Just too big or too big a bun and $$$. A couple small French bistros have a good 4 ounce lunch burger on a english muffin or brioche. Choice of cheeses like blue, gruyere, swiss. (don't care for American cheese at all)--or ketchup.

I don't see many odd toppings but have not paid attention in 'hipsterville'. Usually a list of 'add-ons' at the bottom for an extra buck or two like a runny or fried egg, etc.

Ten or so years ago we started grinding our own when our favorite butcher retired and his son took over. The father would weigh our cuts---70% chuck, 15% each short rib and brisket. Ground fresh. His son would point to the pre-made burgers in the case without even a pleasant smile or 'hello'.

Over salted the overly fatty, chunky fatty, sausage that his father made so tender and perfect.

About the pork addition. When i was grinding my own, i would take a few ounces of bacon ends from our local butcher. Chopped and added to a softball sized mince after grinding. Then re-grind that mix for a 'fattier' mix and press a bit on the top surface of each burger. Cooking top side down 80% of the cast iron cooking time, then flip and off the heat. Good sear and med-rare on the rare side.

My new method the past 5-6 years, i learned from the Italians, is a dry brine of ground mixed dried mushrooms and spices. Top side only uncovered in the fridge for 4-6 hours. NO salt.

Since covid, Pat Lefreida 3 ounce burgers from local FreshDirect, dry brine, Dry brine side down in a medium high heat cast iron cold from the fridge. Cold keeps it from over-cooking. Nice sear crust. 80%. Flip and off the heat. Medium rare on the rare side every time. Screaming high heat not necessary.

Simplified using TraderJoes umami blend---just no salt.

I guess this may be an interesting variation to somebody, somewhere - my fave way to eat a hamburger for quite some time now, is sans bun, just plain organic ground beef coated with chopped green onions, salt and pepper, cooked in a cast iron skillet, well browned and slightly rare, and topped with ketchup and mustard mixed together, and sometimes I melt some cheese on top too.

I make a lamb burger, no bun. After removing the lamb, sill a bit pink in the middle, I pour off the fat and melt down a big spoonful of my garlic jam, stirring up any bits of lamb that have stuck to the pan. Pour over the burger. It is a favorite here.

Both of your bunless burgers sound delicious. I’ll mhave to give each a try.

Garlic jam sounds interesting!

I quit buying grocery store beef some time ago and started buying small amounts of grass fed beef. Soon, I stopped buying beef, altogether.

Recently I bought some from the halal store and it was so good! It is even better than the grass fed beef. It is not cheap, but we dont eat much of it and not very often.

When you have really good beef there is no reason to add anything to it. If you have to put all manner of stuff in it to make it taste like anything, you might rethink the beef. Adding nice things like mushrooms, bacon and cheese and onions to the burger on the bun is one thing, but putting soup mix and all manner of powdered, sprinkled , splashed and drizzled things into the ground meat is not needed if your meat is good .And most of what is sold in a grocery store is not. Those premade patties are just awful beyound measure.

Also, not much else cooks a piece of meat like a piece of hot iron, a skillet. I think that most burgers that you encounter at the average cook out on the grill are somewhere between mundane and just awful.. Most times the meat is but a place holder and the foremost taste is what ever you dressed it with and had as a side.

Personally, I would rather a small bit of something wonderful, rather that a heaping helping of mundane.

They also sell nice chicken. Expensive, yes. But we eat small amounts.

To feed a family, you need some beans as the main and some meat as a second.

Just thinking of these we like that came from Fine Cooking.

Argentine-Style Burgers With Chimichurri

Serves 4

1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 T. finely chopped garlic
1 T. finely chopped jalapeno (or to taste)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground round (85% lean)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

For serving: Four 5- 6-inch pita pockets, red onion slices, lettuce, Chimichurri Sauce (recipe below)

In medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, let cool for 10 minutes, and add the ground beef, cumin, oregano, cilantro, 1 tsp. salt and several grinds of pepper. Mix gently with your hands until just combined. Shape meat into 4 burgers, 3/4 inch thick and 4 inches across, working the meat as little as possible. Make a 1/4-inch dent in the center of each burger with the tips of your middle three fingers. Sprinkle both sides with salt. Grill to desired doneness. Serve in pita pockets with red onion, lettuce and Chimichurri Sauce.

Chimichurri Sauce

Yields about 1 cup. Can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store well covered in fridge. Bring to room temp for serving.

1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley
1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 T. coarsely chopped garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. kosher salt

Put parsley, mint, olive oil, lime juice, garlic, jalapeno, cumin and salt in food processor. Process, stopping to scrape bowl as often as needed, until pureed into thick sauce. Taste for seasoning and chill until ready to use.

I have collected several books over the years that feature single ingredients. "Mushroom Cookery" by Rosetta Reitz, published in 1955, includes several recipes for mushroom burgers.

Mushroom Burgers Simple makes 4 patties from a total of 1/2 pound shredded mushrooms and 1/2 pound chopped beef; you can broil or fry the patties.

Mushroom Burgers Fancy adds 2 Tablespoons dry red wine, one egg, and salt and pepper to the 1/2 pound chopped beef, then adds 1/2 pound of mushroom shredded ("on the large blade of a vegetable grater") to the meat mixture. Shape into 4 patties and broil or fry. In 1974 we noted these were very good, very juicy, and that they shrank considerably.

Other recipes put thinly-sliced mushrooms between two very thin burgers and press the edges together to enclose the mushrooms then broil or fry, and yet another adds crumbled blue cheese to the center with the sliced mushrooms.