Kitchen Helper
Free sample · Pass the Plate

Thin Cheddar Beef Stacks on the Griddle

Cold beef is smashed thin on a buttered griddle, capped with cheddar, and set on gluten-free buns with a mustard-mayonnaise spread, pickles, and shredded lettuce. Pull the patties when the center hits 160 F.

Thin Cheddar Beef Stacks on the Griddle, as cooked from this recipe
Serves4
Hands-on20 min
Cook12 min
Total24 min
Settinggriddle, medium-high, about 400 F (200 C)

You season and smash while the griddle is hot, so the cook minutes sit inside the hands-on time and the meal takes about 24 minutes.

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) ground beef (80/20)
  • 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1.5 g) garlic powder labeled gluten-free
  • 4 slices (113 g) cheddar cheese labeled gluten-free
  • 4 gluten-free hamburger buns (200 g) labeled gluten-free
  • 1/3 cup (75 g) mayonnaise labeled gluten-free
  • 1 teaspoon (5 g) yellow mustard labeled gluten-free
  • 2 cups (90 g) shredded iceberg lettuce
  • 1 large tomato (180 g), sliced
  • 1/2 red onion (80 g), thinly sliced
  • 2 dill pickles (80 g) labeled gluten-free, sliced

Gluten-free: Written so a reader with celiac disease can cook it when every packaged ingredient is one whose label says gluten-free. Read the package you actually buy. This page does not promise a meal with zero gluten.

Method

  1. Split the beef into 8 even pieces, about 3 ounces (85 g) each, roll them loosely into balls, and keep them cold. Stir the mayonnaise and mustard together, shred the lettuce, and slice the tomato, onion, and pickles.
  2. Heat a griddle to medium-high, about 400 F (200 C), and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter on the surface. Toast the cut faces of the buns until they color, about 2 minutes, then set the buns aside.
  3. Add the rest of the butter, set four beef balls on the griddle, and lay a square of parchment on each. Press straight down until the meat is thin, then peel the paper off and throw it out.
  4. Sprinkle half of the salt, the pepper, and the garlic powder over those patties, and cook until juices bead on top, about 2 minutes. Slide a thin spatula under the crust, flip, and leave them alone after that.
  5. Cook about 1 minute more, until the center reads 160 F (71 C). Lay cheese on two patties, cap each with a bare patty, move the stacks off, and repeat with the last four balls, the rest of the seasoning, and the rest of the cheese.
  6. Spoon the mustard mayonnaise onto the bottom buns, then pile on pickles, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Set a beef stack on each and close with the top bun.

Notes

  • Form the balls up to a day ahead, cover them, and keep them cold until they hit the griddle. Warm beef will not smash into a lacy edge.
  • Gluten-free buns color fast and dry out if they sit. Toast them just before you eat, and do not leave them on the hot surface.
  • The spread is mayonnaise and yellow mustard. Leave the pickles off if you want less crunch; everything else still stacks the same way.
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