Smash Burgers with Quick Pickles

Method

1. 1

   Quick pickles 20 min

   Warm the vinegar with the sugar and half a teaspoon of the salt until the sugar dissolves, then pour it over the cucumber in a small bowl. Leave it 20 minutes while you do everything else. The slices turn crisp and sharp.

2. 2

   Sauce and buns

   Stir the mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard together. Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast them face down in a dry pan over medium heat until golden, then set them out open, ready to fill.

3. 3

   Portion the beef

   Divide the mince into 8 loose balls of about 60 g each. Handle it as little as you can and keep it cold, because warm, overworked beef smashes into a tough, dense patty instead of a lacy one.

4. 4

   Smash 2 min

   Heat a heavy pan over high heat with the oil until it smokes. Put in three balls, well spaced, and press each one as thin as it will go with a stiff spatula. Season with salt and the pepper and leave them 2 minutes, until the edges are brown and lacy.

5. 5

   Flip and melt 1 min

   Scrape under each patty so the crust comes with it, flip, and lay a slice of cheese on top. Scatter onion over half of them. Cook 1 minute more, until the cheese has slumped over the edges.

6. 6

   Stack

   Stack two patties on each bun, the onion ones at the bottom, with sauce, lettuce and plenty of drained pickles. Carry on in batches, wiping out the pan if it starts to smoke hard.