Every fortnight, Jason Bathman from Barbeques Galore will share a mouth-watering recipe designed to help you make the most of your barbecue — from quick midweek meals to weekend showstoppers.
Easy Smash Burger Tacos
Ingredients
- 500g ground beef, 80/20 fat percentage
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 cracks fresh black pepper
- 6 (15cm) flour tortillas (flour works best they’re more absorbent and the meat sticks better)
- 6 slices burger cheese
- shredded lettuce, chopped white onion, and dill pickle chips for topping, tomato (optional)
- Secret burger sauce found at supermarkets.
Burger sauce
- ½ cup mayonaise
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp mustard
- 2 tbsp minced bread & butter pickles
- 1 tbsp pickle brine
- 10 cracks fresh black pepper
- ¼ tsp worcestershire sauce
Cook’s note
Replace the salt and pepper with your favourite rub, my choice of rub is Stampede by Butchers Axe.
If time poor, Secret Burger Sauce from supermarkets adds a nice flavour
Method
- Mix the salt and pepper into a bowl and coat the mince with it. Divide and roll your beef into 70g balls. Don’t be too rough with the meat or it will be tough. Place each ball on a plate and put them in the fridge until barbecue plate is preheated.
- Turn your flat top plate onto high heat, ungreased and allow it to get really hot, hotter than you think is needed. This is important to getting crispy and juicy beef.
- Place each ball on the hot flat top and set a tortilla on top.
- Use your smashing tool to press down very firmly on top of each tortilla, smashing the meat until it is as thin as it goes. Let them cook for 1 minute, then press down on top of each tortilla again, which will get some of the fat out for the edges to cook in. Then let cook for 2 to 3 minutes. (The patties are so thin, this is definitely enough time for them to cook through.)
- Use a stiff steel spatula to scrape underneath one of the burgers and see if it is browned and crispy. If it's not browned and crispy, increase the temperature of your grill (but it should be smoking hot.) Once browned and crisp, flip smash burger tacos onto their tortilla side and let cook for about another another 2 minutes so the tortilla can crisp up by cooking on the surface. Top with cheese, which will melt as the tortillas crisp.
- Remove and add burger sauce and toppings, then enjoy