Smashed burgers share the same thin, verging-on-well-done profile and all-American array of condiments as typical fast-food burgers, but their big selling point is an ultra-brown, crispy crust. We used commercial ground beef instead of grinding our own, because the former is ground finer and thus exposes more myosin, a sticky meat protein that helps the patties hold together when they are smashed.
Using a small saucepan to press straight down on the meat ensured that it spread and stuck uniformly to the skillet (instead of shrinking as it cooked), which helped guarantee deep browning. We made two smaller patties at a time instead of one larger one, because they fit nicely inside a burger bun.
