Tallow Smash Burgers

Smash burgers are all about the crust, and beef tallow produces the best one. The tallow sears the beef at high heat, creating a Maillard reaction crust that seed oils simply cannot match. This is how burgers were made before the vegetable oil takeover, and once you try it, you will not go back.

What You Need

• 1 pound ground beef (80/20 blend)
• 2 tablespoons beef tallow
• 4 slices American cheese (or cheddar)
• 4 brioche or potato buns
• Salt and pepper
• Optional toppings: pickles, onion, lettuce, tomato

Clean Burger Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons avocado oil mayo (or homemade)
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon pickle relish
• Pinch of paprika

Instructions

1. Divide the beef into 4 equal balls (about 4 oz each). Do not season yet.

1. Heat tallow in a cast iron skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke.

1. Place a ball on the skillet and immediately press it flat with a heavy spatula or burger press. Season the top with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the edges are deeply browned and crispy.

1. Flip and immediately place cheese on top. Cook for 1 minute more. The thin patty cooks fast.

1. Toast the buns in the remaining tallow in the pan for 30 seconds.

1. Assemble with burger sauce and your preferred toppings.

Why Tallow for Smash Burgers

Tallow is rendered beef fat, so cooking beef in tallow amplifies the beefy flavor rather than masking it. It has a smoke point of about 400 degrees F and is composed primarily of saturated and monounsaturated fats, which are stable at the high heat smash burgers require. Seed oils oxidize rapidly at these temperatures.