Smash burgers have taken the grilling scene by a storm in recent years. From traditional and simple to tortilla-wrapped smash tacos, you’ve certainly seen these thin patties piled on as burgers and you know them to be delicious. For this awesome recipe, we take the humble smash burger and elevate it to new spicy heights with fresh charred hatch green chiles and a scoop of spicy pub cheese. Give these green chile smash burgers on the Flatrock a try tonight!
A VARIATION ON THE HUMBLE BURGER
Burgers are a great and adaptable meal that can come together quickly on the grill. From thick and juicy pub burgers to California-style (think In N Out) multi-layer burgers, you can adapt the base concept to meet nearly any idea or setting you wish. The humble burger screams simplicity– bun, meat, cheese (optional), sauce, bun. But with some creativity and ingredients you might have on hand, you can take the humble burger to new heights.
SMASHED FOR EXTRA FLAVOR
When you smash a burger patty on a hot Flatrock griddle like you do for this recipe, you add a significant amount of surface area to the ground beef you’re cooking, which makes for more flavor and variety. Where a thick patty can have consistency and medium-rare tenderness throughout, a smash burger is often cooked more fully but also packed with juicy flavor.
The other benefit of smashing a burger is that you can stack your smash burger multiple patties high which gives you the chance to add lots of great toppings to your burger. The sky is the limit for creativity, and our green chile smash burgers on the Flatrock are just one way to take humble to heroic.
HOW TO SMASH
I recommend investing in a $10 tool to make your smash burgers a bigger success. While the Traeger Ultimate Smashed Burger Set is more than $10 (and well worth it with all the tools you’ll need) a simple off-brand burger press will also work well too. Give this one a try if you’re just starting out.
In addition to a burger press, you’ll need at least one decent-quality spatula to maneuver your burgers on the griddle. Ideally a thin, somewhat flexible spatula is what you need, but there are lots of ways to flip a burger and as long as you have a tool, you’re in good shape.
The last thing I recommend using is parchment paper. A small square of parchment can be reused for each of the patties during your cook and make the smashing process clean, tidy and mess-free. The parchment acts like a nonstick surface and makes sure the meat pulls away from the smasher without any effort.
ADD FLAVOR IN YOUR SMASHING
To take your smash burger up a notch or two, we recommend using flavorful ingredients (like hatch chiles and onions, as used here) to add dynamic flavor to you patties. For green chile smash burgers on the Flatrock, we cooked up some green chiles (noted below) on the griddle until starting to turn golden brown and then put the ball of hamburger meat right on top.
Press the burger meat into the peppers 
Smash the chiles into the patty
By using the smasher on this pile, you end up with pieces of green chile throughout the burger and cooked into the crust, adding dynamic flavor, texture and moisture to this end result.
GREEN CHILES ARE THE SECRET TO SUPER FLAVOR
Green chiles– particularly hatch or pueblo varieties– are an amazing addition to your meals. They’re tender, slightly sweet and can pack a flavor punch of heat if you desire. They also come in more mild varieties which makes them more family friendly if needed. Regardless of where you get them, they’re worth the time and effort!
FRESH OR CANNED?
We visited our local farmers market before the season was over and picked up a big bag of fresh green hatch chiles from our favorite farmer. Peppers from the farmers market are always spicier than grocery store peppers, so we erred on the side of caution when using these peppers– they pack a punch!
Coat the peppers and onions in oil before charring 
Char the onions and peppers on the Flatrock 
Once peeled, finely dice the chiles.
If you don’t have access to fresh green chiles, canned ones will do just fine. Drain off the excess liquid from the can and give them a little extra flavor and caramelization by putting them on the Flatrock griddle before adding to the burgers.
EVERY SMASH BURGER NEEDS CHEESE
Top your green chile smash burgers with a dollop of pub cheese and you have the perfect weeknight smash burger meal. We chose pub cheese from Trader Joes that has that iconic bright yellow color but is also studded with jalapeños for an extra kick.
Scoop a blob of the cheese atop each burger and cover with the dome briefly to allow it to warm up and melt into the burger. It’s the perfect creamy, salty and slightly spicy addition to these green chile smash burgers.
THE PERFECT BUN FOR SMASH BURGERS
You can use whatever buns you have on hand for these burgers, but we’ve found that brioche buns are the best for smash burgers. Their light, airy texture and deep golden brown exterior hold up perfectly to the richness and complexity of green chile smash burgers and they don’t get gummy or fall apart.
We’re particularly big fans of St. Pierre brioche burger buns, but you can find very similar ones in the bakery section of your local grocery or super-store.
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Ground beef
- Fresh hatch green chiles
- Brioche burger buns
- Onion
- Cheese (we used a spicy pub cheese)
- Seasoning (we used Spiceology’s Salt Pepper Garlic blend)
- Garlic mayo (mix mayo, a clove of crushed garlic and lots of pepper until smooth)
WHY COOKING SMASH BURGERS ON THE TRAEGER WORKS
The addition of the Traeger Flatrock griddle last fall to the grilling arsenal that is Traeger really takes backyard cooking up a notch. Not only do you now have a great and huge cast iron grilling surface for all your smash burger needs, but you have something that heats up quickly and cleanly and provides myriad opportunities for creative family meals.
Smash burgers on the Flatrock are no different– it’s like being a short-order chef in your back yard. For our kids, we omitted the green chiles to cut down on the spiciness and still got our kids delicious homemade burgers with each resulting dish meeting the diner’s needs and palates.
STEP-BY-STEP
- Preheat your Traeger Flatrock to medium high in one zone.
- Wash the peppers and rub all over in oil.
- Slice the onion into thick rounds and rub with oil.
- Place the oiled peppers and onions on the hot griddle and cook until the pepper skins are blackened, about 15 minutes.
- Use a burger press to hold the peppers flat on the griddle if needed.
- Remove the charred peppers and onions from the griddle and place them in a plastic bag.
- Seal and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Once the peppers and onions have steamed, carefully remove the charred skin.
- Chop the peppers and onions (removing the seeds) until diced finely, then set aside.
- Preheat the Traeger Flatrock to medium heat.
- Portion the beef into 1/4 pound balls.
- On the griddle, place a heaping spoonful of the pepper/onion mix and a little bit of oil in four spots.
- Saute the peppers until beginning to turn golden brown.
- Place a ball of ground beef on each pile of peppers.
- Put a square of parchment paper on top of a hamburger ball.
- Using the burger press, push down firmly until the meat is very thin and incorporated with the peppers.
- Repeat with remaining balls.
- Season the meat with the Salt Pepper Garlic blend and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the garlic, mayo and pepper and stir until well combined.
- Flip the burger patties on the griddle.
- Top each patty with a scoop of pub cheese.
- Cover the burgers with a steam dome.
- Briefly toast the buns.
- Assemble the burgers by spreading some garlic mayo on the toasted bun, topped with two burger patties.
- Add any remaining peppers from the griddle and then add the top bun.
- Slice in half and serve your green chile smash burgers immediately.
Topped with spicy pub cheese
ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS
Here are some burger recipes to give a try, too:
Products used in this cook:
- Traeger Ultimate Smash Burger Kit
- Traeger Flatrock Griddle
- St. Pierre Brioche Buns
- Snake River Farms ground beef
- Spiceology Salt Pepper Garlic
Did you make this recipe?
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Green Chile Smashburgers on the Flatrock
Equipment
- Traeger Flatrock griddle
- Burger press
- Thin burger spatula
- Ziplock bag
- Knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound fresh hatch green chiles
- 2 Brioche burger buns
- 1 Onion
- 1/2 cup cheese we used a spicy pub cheese
- 2 tbsp seasoning we used Spiceology’s Salt Pepper Garlic blend
- 1/2 cup garlic mayo mix mayo, a clove of crushed garlic and lots of pepper until smooth
Instructions
- Preheat your Traeger Flatrock to medium high in one zone.
- Wash the peppers and rub all over in oil.
- Slice the onion into thick rounds and rub with oil.
- Place the oiled peppers and onions on the hot griddle and cook until the pepper skins are blackened, about 15 minutes.
- Use a burger press to hold the peppers flat on the griddle if needed.
- Remove the charred peppers and onions from the griddle and place them in a plastic bag.
- Seal and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Once the peppers and onions have steamed, carefully remove the charred skin.
- Chop the peppers and onions (removing the seeds) until diced finely, then set aside.
- Preheat the Traeger Flatrock to medium heat.
- Portion the beef into 1/4 pound balls.
- On the griddle, place a heaping spoonful of the pepper/onion mix and a little bit of oil in four spots.
- Saute the peppers until beginning to turn golden brown.
- Place a ball of ground beef on each pile of peppers.
- Put a square of parchment paper on top of a hamburger ball.
- Using the burger press, push down firmly until the meat is very thin and incorporated with the peppers.
- Repeat with remaining balls.
- Season the meat with the Salt Pepper Garlic blend and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the garlic, mayo and pepper and stir until well combined.
- Flip the burger patties on the griddle.
- Top each patty with a scoop of pub cheese.
- Cover the burgers with a steam dome.
- Briefly toast the buns.
- Assemble the burgers by spreading some garlic mayo on the toasted bun, topped with two burger patties.
- Add any remaining peppers from the griddle and then add the top bun.
- Slice in half and serve your green chile smash burgers immediately.
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