By These smash burger tacos take a standard burger and turn it upside down by smashing crispy beef inside a golden tortilla. The smashing part is important because more surface area means more flavor! Using the #1 trick this fast food chain uses for every burger, you can enjoy these burgers animal style in just 15 minutes, and topped with caramelized onions and In-N-Out special sauce.
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If you love smash tacos as much as I do, then I highly suggest also trying our buffalo chicken smash tacos!
yes, smash tacos are worth it
I know these have been viral for a while but I just hopped on the train. I missed my hometown In-N-Out burger and just needed a taste of home. First, I made the special sauce recipe; then I made burger tacos because what's more Cali than that??
I don't think Dan thinks smash tacos make sense, but here's why they do!
- Clean: When you smash the burger, you smash it with a street-style tortilla, so there's no messing with the meat with your hands.
- Make a lot: You can use a flat-top griddle or Blackstone-type grill to make a lot of smash tacos at once. No having seperate buns, it's all in one portable bite.
- Smashing cuts down on time: Obviously, smashing the meat creates more pockets for flavor, but it's also thinner, so the meat cooks faster.
you don't need much
- The pattie: And 80/20 beef is ideal because you want a little extra fat for frying in. This gets fried in yellow mustard - yes mustard (it's the secret).
- Special sauce: I use our high-protein special sauce recipe, but a store-bought burger sauce will work, too. Some people claim Thousand Island is In-N-Out's secret sauce, so I guess you can use that, but it's not quite the same (probably the closest option).
- Caramelized onions: To make these, you need a white or yellow onion, brown sugar (or coconut sugar), butter, and soy sauce.
- Toppings: To finish off the smash burger taco, I use shredded lettuce, pickles, tomato, and sliced sharp cheddar cheese. White cheddar or pepper jack is also delicious! In-N-Out uses American cheese, but I prefer cheddar here.
- Tortillas: We tested these with both corn and flour tortillas. I prefer corn, Dan prefers low-carb flour. So, whichever you like is fine, just make sure they are about 6" in diameter (street taco size).
let's smash a burger (and put it in a taco)
- Caramelize the onions in the butter low and slow (it'll take about 15 minutes). After about 5 minutes, add the brown sugar and soy sauce and continue to cook until translucent and fragrant.
- Portion out the ground beef into 6 balls (each about 2.5 oz). Heat a heavy-bottom skillet or flat top grill over high heat. Place a dollup (about 1 tsp) of yellow mustard on the griddle, then the ground beef ball on top.
- Smash the ground beef down by placing the tortilla on top and pressing down evenly until the ground beef has spread to the sides of the tortilla. Cook for a few minutes until browned and crispy, then flip to the tortilla side, top with cheese, and cook 2 more minutes.
- Remove from the griddle or grill and top with all the good stuff and special sauce!
helpful tips
- Smash twice: After the beef has cooked for 1 minute, smash again to push out any fat to the edges. This fat then continues to cook the smash burger tacos.
- Use a metal spatula: The beef can stick a bit to the grill or girddle so a metal spatula helps to scrape any of those little stuck bits up.
- Don't grease: We don't want to grease the pan or grill because it prevents that nice and crispy smashed burger from forming.
- Press it thin: The beef should be pressed as thin as possible. I've found it helpful to press the tortilla down using a heavy plate or pan so it presses down evenly.
watch how to make it
burger and fries (and more)
Obviously, these smash tacos are delicious with fries, but here are a few other ideas.
- Super crispy parboiled roasted potatoes are like having fries on the side, but a notch more elevated.
- Flamethrower copycat sauce is a tangy Greek yogurt chipotle sauce that you can use instead of burger sauce if ya want.
- Balsamic vinegar pickles are a fun take on pickles. With a quick pickling time, they are just tangy enough to take the place of bread and butter or dill pickles.
Recipe
Smash Burger Tacos (Animal Style)
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These smash burger tacos take a standard burger and turn it upside down by smashing crispy beef inside of a golden tortilla. The smashing part is important because more surface area means more flavor! Using the #1 trick this fast food chain uses for every burger, you can enjoy these burgers animal style in just 15 minutes and topped with caramelized onions and In-N-Out special sauce.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Protein: 33g
Serves:
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Ingredients
- 4 street style flour tortillas (6")
Beef Pattie
- 1 pound ground beef (divided into 6 balls)
- 4 teaspoon yellow mustard
Carmelized Onions
- ½ yellow onion (or white, diced)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper (each)
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce (low sodium if preffered)
Toppings
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 8 tablespoon high protein special sauce (or thousand island or your favorite burger sauce)
- shredded lettuce, diced pickles, diced tomato
Before you start!
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Instructions
- Caramelize the ½ yellow onion low and slow (it'll take about 15 minutes) in 1 tablespoon butter. After about 5 minutes, add the ½ teaspoon brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper, and ½ teaspoon soy sauce and continue to cook until translucent and fragrant.
- Portion out 1 pound ground beef into 6 balls (each about 2.5 oz). Heat a heavy bottom skillet or flat top grill over high heat. Place a dollop (about 1 teaspoon per burger ball) of yellow mustard on the griddle, then the ground beef ball on top.
- Smash the ground beef down by placing the tortilla on top and pressing down evenly until the ground beef has spread to the sides of the tortilla. I find it helpful to use a heavy plate or heavy pan to press them down evenly. You can also buy a "smasher" online specifically for this.Cook for 1 minute, then smash again to push any grease out to help the burger keep cooking. Cook another 2-3 minutes until browned and crispy, then flip to the tortilla side. Top each with a slice of cheese and cook for 2 more minutes. These are super thin patties, so this is plenty of time to cook them.
- Remove from the griddle or grill using a metal spatula. You might need to be forceful with scrapping it up if it sticks a bit (which is fine!). Then top with all the good stuff, including the high protein special sauce!
Video
Notes
Tips
- Smash twice: After the beef has cooked for 1 minute, smash again to push out any fat to the edges. This fat then continues to cook the smash burger tacos.
- Use a metal spatula: The beef can stick a bit to the grill or girddle so a metal spatula helps to scrape any of those little stuck bits up.
- Don't grease: We don't want to grease the pan or grill because it prevents that nice and crispy smashed burger from forming.
- Press it thin: The beef should be pressed as thin as possible. I've found it helpful to press the tortilla down using a heavy plate or pan so it presses down evenly.
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
Nutrition
Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 548mg | Potassium: 436mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 216IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 3mg
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Have you made the smash burger tacos with ground bison? l alays use ground bison in place of ground beef.
I have and it's tasty! My only reason for not recommending it for smash tacos is that using such a lean meat means less fat to cook the beef nice and crispy in. Part of the recipe is to smash the tacos twice, once initially and a second time to push out any more rendered fat to finish cooking the meat. But bison will be a great swap other than this!
I’ve had Big Mac/Smash Burger style salads but these tacos are next level! I love the crunch. Will make these again.
So happy to hear that!
Smash burgers are one of my favorite meals when I go out to eat. I love that these are so easy and quick to make because I get that restaurant flavor at home!
5
Super delicious and easy, the secret sauce definitely gave it that ‘In-N-Out’ flavor! This recipe will be on repeat in my house
So glad you enjoyed!