You Need To Master The 'Pinch And Pull' Trick For Faster Smash Burgers At Your Next Party

Remember the "bend and snap" bit from the movie "Legally Blonde"? It was an attention-grabbing trick meant to turn heads. The "pinch and pull" is a burger-grabbing technique that might get you a few compliments as well. It's a faster way to plate smash burgers, and a method that eliminates the awkward parts of placing a burger patty in a bun. It'll also make you look cool as you hand out hamburgers, but it does even more than that.

The pinch and pull trick starts with a cheese-topped smash burger that is almost ready to serve. As it sits on the cooking surface, you'll add what hamburger experts call "the setup." Stack the bun on the burger starting with the top part of the bun placed right on the cheese, and let the bread cook there in the steam for a bit. When it's ready, slide a spatula under the burger and lift it. Take the bottom part of the bun (it'll be on top of the stack) and place it under the spatula. Now pinch each end of the hamburger together and pull the spatula out, leaving a perfectly built hamburger in your hand.

Most people plate smash burgers in the same way. Burger chefs will sear the smash burgers on a griddle and add toppings before removing everything from the heat, then they'll pick it all up with a spatula and lay it on the hamburger bun waiting on a plate. The problem is this can get messy quickly, as you'll likely trail grease and melted cheese all over the place in the process. The pinch and pull method gives you a cleaner, sleeker transfer from the griddle to the plate, and stacking the hamburger bun on top of the burgers to steam as everything else cooks will cause it to soak up a little bit of that flavorful grease as well.

Smash burgers were invented to be cooked fast and served straight off the griddle, and the pinch and pull is just one way to improve the dish. Another way is to choose ground beef with a higher fat content for a good char and caramelization on the burger (twice-ground 80/20 beef and 75/25 beef work great for smash burgers). You can also use mix-ins like canned French onion soup for ultra juicy smash burgers. Make sure you have the perfect burger topping station for your next party to add a finishing touch to the presentation, but correct any of the usual smash burger mistakes you might be making before then and you'll be on your way to a perfectly professional plate of burgers.