The Secret is in the Smash
The Secret is in the Smash: A brief history of the smash burger
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Fifteen years ago, no one in Toronto had ever uttered the words 'smash burger'. At this time, the introduction of Mark McEwan's $35 burger was making serious waves in the Toronto burger scene. This lead to a sea of inch-high brisket patties topped with extravagant toppings between buttery brioche buns. And if you weren't a sky-high gourmet burger, you were a 20+ year-old charbroiled player: a ‘steak-and-shake’ type of place. These are the Webers, Golden Stars and Burger Shacks of the world. Fast forward to 2004: Shake Shack in New York goes from hot dog stand to burgers; In-N-Out opens its 200th store and, just a few short years later Toronto follows suit with the first Burgers Priest on Queen East. Suddenly, everyone is swapping the thickest patties for the thinnest, the brie for American, the truffle aioli for mac sauce and the brioche for potato rolls.
As a general concept, the smashed beef burger patty has been around since the early 20th century, often referred to as ‘sliders’ by members of the U.S. Navy. Some say the name indicated the way they would “slide around” the greasy grill, others from of the way they would “slide down” in just a few bites. No matter which way you look at it, this was essentially the beginning of what we currently know as a ‘smash burger’. From Detroit’s legendary 1940s burger joint The Telway to the birth of the Oklahoma onion burger at Sid’s Diner in 1989 to the more recent rise of In-N-Out and Shake Shack, this style of hamburger was always smashed, always greasy and always comforting. But it wasn’t until the entrance of Smashburger in 2007 that the name really got its footing and the category of burgers started to take North America by storm.
The key to the perfect smash is straightforward: a circular ball of freshly ground, simply seasoned beef which is aggressively 'smashed' on a screeching hot flat-top. Never flattened in your hands or with a spatula beforehand. The smashing is done on the grill, searing every possible inch of the meat's surface that is lucky enough to make contact with the intense heat, forming an impeccable crust.
The toppings are typically simple, with some variation of American cheese, pickles, onions, lettuce and tomatoes that are most often housed on a squishy (usually Martin's) potato roll. The contrast of the meat's crisp edges to its juicy interior between a cloud-like bun is unmatched by any BBQ or charbroiled burger and is what makes these greasy, nostalgic-tasting bundles of joy so seriously addicting.
With dozens of smash burgers now on the Toronto market, the only way to narrow it down was to go on a burger crawl.
Keep reading for the Five Toronto Smash Burgers You Need to Try Right Now.