Beef AF: A Bacon Jalapeno Smash Burger with Cheese Whiz

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Smash burgers have evolved from early 20th-century diner efficiency into a modern culinary art. They are a delicious food. Mastering the cooking of smash burgers is not too difficult. Get all the ingredients ready before you start cooking the meat, and wait until the meat is cooking before toasting up the buns.

You might be familiar with these iconic smash burger variations, but we are going to go above and beyond, into something powerful and delicious: * The Classic Double Cheeseburger: Two thin, lacy-edged patties seared at high heat, topped with American cheese, pickles, and burger sauce on a soft bun. * The Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger: Paper-thin shaved onions smashed directly into raw beef, where they fry and caramelize in rendered beef tallow. * Spicy Jalapeño Smash Burgers: Incorporating sliced or diced jalapeños, either smashed into the patty or paired with spicy cheeses and sauces. * Bacon Cheese Smash Burgers: Utilizing thick-cut bacon and rendered bacon fat directly on the griddle to add smoky richness.

Remember These Points for Cooking

• Beef Fat Content: Use 80/20 ground chuck. Leaner blends (like 90/10) dry out and fail to brown properly, while 80/20 provides enough fat to fry the patty in its own rendered juices on the griddle. Loose, chilled 2.5 to 3 oz balls work best—never over-compact the meat before smashing.
• High, Direct Heat: Pre-heat a cast-iron skillet, carbon-steel pan, or flat-top griddle to 350°F–400°F+. High heat triggers the Maillard reaction, forming a deep, flavorful meat crust.
• Parchment & Stiff Spatulas: Smashing requires a heavy, non-flexible metal spatula or press. Using a small square of parchment paper between the press and the beef prevents sticking during the initial smash.
• Scraping for Crust: Flipping requires a sharp, stiff spatula angled low to scrape underneath the patty, ensuring the caramelized crust releases intact from the metal surface.

Incorporating Bacon, Thinly Sliced Onions, and Cheese Whiz

Combining these three distinct ingredients elevates the flavor profile and texture:

• Bacon & Rendered Bacon Fat: Cooking bacon on the griddle first produces rendered bacon fat. Instead of wiping the griddle clean, use this bacon grease as the primary cooking fat to fry the onions, sear the patties, and toast the buns.
• Thinly Sliced Onions: Using a Japanese mandolin to slice sweet or yellow onions paper-thin is essential. When pressed into raw beef, the onions cook in the rendered fat to create three distinct textures: caramelized onions under the patty, crispy/charred frizzled bits around the lacy edges, and soft, steamed onions inside.
• Cheese Whiz / Processed Cheese Sauce: Replacing standard sliced cheese with warm Cheese Whiz or a processed cheese sauce provides liquid velvety coverage. Standard hard cheeses melt slowly, whereas Cheese Whiz contains emulsifying salts that allow it to flow instantly into every crispy crevice of the smashed meat.

Tutorial: The Double Bacon-Onion-Jalapeño Cheese Whiz Smash Burger

This tutorial brings together two paper-thin patties, paper-thin onions, finely diced jalapeños, crispy bacon, and warm Cheese Whiz.

Equipment Needed:

• Heavy flat-top griddle or cast-iron skillet
• Japanese mandolin (for onions)
• Stiff metal spatula or burger press
• Squares of parchment paper

Ingredients (Per Burger):

• Ground Beef: 5 to 6 oz of 80/20 ground chuck, divided into two loose 2.5–3 oz balls.
• Bacon: 2–3 strips of thick-cut bacon.
• Onion: 1/2 sweet yellow or white onion, shaved paper-thin on a mandolin.
• Jalapeño: 1 fresh jalapeño, finely diced/chopped.
• Cheese: 3–4 tbsp warm Cheese Whiz (or processed cheese sauce).
• Buns: 1 soft potato roll or brioche bun.
• Seasoning: Kosher salt and coarse black pepper.

Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions

1. Prep the Ingredients

• Slice the Onions: Use a mandolin set to its thinnest setting to shave the onions until almost translucent.
• Dice the Jalapeños: Finely chop the jalapeño into small, uniform pieces.
• Form the Beef: Portions 2.5 to 3 oz beef balls. Keep handling minimal and keep the beef chilled in the fridge until right before cooking.
• Warm the Cheese Whiz: Gently warm the Cheese Whiz in a small saucepan over low heat so it is fluid and pourable.

2. Cook Bacon & Toast Buns

• Heat your cast-iron skillet or griddle to medium-high heat (350°F–400°F).
• Fry the bacon strips until golden and crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside on paper towels, leaving the rendered bacon fat pooling on the griddle.
• Press the cut sides of your potato or brioche buns directly into the hot bacon grease and toast for 30–45 seconds until golden brown. Set buns aside.

3. The Smash (Onions & Jalapeños)

• Turn the heat up to smoking hot.
• Place two loose beef balls onto the hot griddle, spaced at least 6 inches apart.
• Immediately pile a large haystack of paper-thin shaved onions and a tablespoon of finely chopped jalapeños directly on top of each beef ball.
• Cover each mound with a square of parchment paper. Using your heavy spatula or press, apply firm, two-handed pressure straight down for 10 full seconds. Extend the edges out as thin as possible to create lacy perimeter crusts.
• Peel off the parchment paper and season the top generously with salt and pepper.

4. Sear, Scrape, and Flip

• Let the patties sear undisturbed for 60 to 90 seconds. Look for juices bubbling through the top and the edges turning dark brown.
• Angle a stiff metal spatula low against the pan and scrape aggressively under each patty to lift the entire crust off the griddle.
• Flip both patties over so the onions and jalapeños are now underneath, pressing directly against the hot metal surface.
• Let cook for another 45–60 seconds as the onions and jalapeños fry and caramelize in the rendered beef and bacon fat.

5. Add Cheese Whiz & Stack

• Spoon or ladle 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of warm Cheese Whiz directly over each searing patty.
• Using your spatula, pick up one patty and stack it directly on top of the second patty.
• Place the top toasted bun directly over the stacked patties for 15–20 seconds to allow the rising onion and jalapeño steam to warm the bread.

6. Assembly

• Place the bottom toasted bun on your plate.
• Lay the crispy bacon strips across the bottom bun.
• Slide your spatula under the double-stacked patties and transfer them directly onto the bacon and bottom bun.
• Cap with the warmed top bun and press down gently.

© 2026 Beef AF, All Rights Reserved.
Written and curated by Chef William Jackson
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