hugopal if it’s good then why waste it in a smashed form?

Minced beef should be cooked through, as it’s otherwise a breeding ground for bacteria. Steak can be eaten rare (or medium of whatever) because the interior of the steak has always been protected. Minced beef, not so much.

Smash burgers are popular because they allow for the beef to be cooked through safely, while maximising the maillard reaction - the caramelisation that occurs when the meat is cooked to a high enough heat. If decent quality beef is being used in them, I think they taste better than the equivalent weight in a single patty, but that’s my tastes…

Far more important (IMO etc etc) is using a top quality mince, made with enough fat. There’s an amazing butcher about 400m up the road from me in Brighton. When I started shopping there, I asked the owner what was in his mince mix. He uses a combination of chuck, brisket and short-rib, and about 80% to 20% fat. His burgers are fucking fantastic - so much so, that I’ve stopped making my own at home. 2 × 4oz balls of mince, smashed on the flat plate on my BBQ makes a sensational burger.

      vinnyt77 Far more important (IMO etc etc) is using a top quality mince, made with enough fat. There’s an amazing butcher about 400m up the road from me in Brighton. When I started shopping there, I asked the owner what was in his mince mix. He uses a combination of chuck, brisket and short-rib, and about 80% to 20% fat. His burgers are fucking fantastic - so much so, that I’ve stopped making my own at home. 2 × 4oz balls of mince, smashed on the flat plate on my BBQ makes a sensational burger.

      Are you trying to come out here Vin 😂

          vinnyt77 while maximising the maillard reaction - the caramelisation that occurs when the meat is cooked to a high enough heat

          They never really taste “caramelised” though - whatever the fuck that is when applied to beef…. they typically just taste burnt.

          “Yeah your beef isn’t overdone and turned to a puck of charcoal - you’ve just maximised the maillard reaction”. FFS.

          vinnyt77 Steak can be eaten rare (or medium of whatever) because the interior of the steak has always been protected. Minced beef, not so much.

          Again, that surely depends on how fresh and good quality the meat is. Though I’ve also never had a burger very rare!

                hugopal sounds like you’ve not eaten a smash burger at somewhere decent then. There is a huge difference between burning a burger and frying it well.

                    hugopal Again, that surely depends on how fresh and good quality the meat is.

                    If minced to order, then should be ok. V much doubt many / any places make their burger mix more than once or twice per day though.

                        RichM sounds like you’ve not eaten a smash burger at somewhere decent then. There is a huge difference between burning a burger and frying it well.

                        I don’t think it’s just me. I’ve been to similar overhyped smash burger places where the owners seemingly have some pedigree, and what they were serving up seemed pretty par for the course.

                        This is a pic from the Supernova place in Soho. It’s just ugly, miserable looking crispy slivers of meat:

                          vinnyt77 If minced to order, then should be ok. V much doubt many / any places make their burger mix more than once or twice per day though.

                          I don’t recall from myself or people I knew any incidents of people getting ill from the many burger restaurants visited before the fad of smashburgers appeared in only the last few years.

                              hugopal Smash burgers aren’t a new thing. They’re how diner cooks in the US have cooked burgers for decades.

                              The risk with mince is only if it’s not cooked through. Served rare / medium etc etc, there’s a risk (not a guarantee) of illness.

                                  vinnyt77 Smash burgers aren’t a new thing.

                                  I said “the fad of smashburgers” not smashburgers.

                                  Diners in the US might lean to them because they’re serving shite.

                                  vinnyt77 The risk with mince is only if it’s not cooked through. Served rare / medium etc etc, there’s a risk (not a guarantee) of illness.

                                  I don’t recall many places that used to serve burgers “rare”… Medium, maybe very occasionally leaning medium-rare, was the standard in good burger restaurants.

                                  And again, your statement here did not address my point - which is that despite your claim as to risk I’ve never been ill from eating a medium, thick burger from a decent burger restaurant. Nor do I know anyone who has. Nor have I ever read any news stories in the UK of illness outbreaks.

                                  Have you ever been ill from eating a good quality medium burger?!…

                                  Also, on the subject of “risk”, the more blackened meat is, the more carcinogenic it gets.

                                        Smallman1 Hugo getting taken to school by Vinny!

                                        Ed I know you have a cheese allergy, but were you regularly projectile spewing at both ends from medium cooked burgers at restaurants before you discovered the joys of charcoal slivers?…

                                          Smallman1 Que?!

                                          Yeah clearly you’re not following the conversation properly you turd-brained muppet.

                                              hugopal Yeah clearly you’re not following the conversation properly

                                              You’re absolutely right about that!

                                                  Smallman1 You’re absolutely right about that!

                                                  Exactly, so why make a stupid interjection claiming vinny was somehow schooling me?!

                                                  He was trying to claim a significant benefit of smashburgers is to lessen the risk of illness compared to say medium cooked meat. But as I was pointing out, that hardly seemed a widespread problem at decent burger restaurants which necessitated solving by switching to this style.