Cowboy Campfire Bunkhouse Smash Burger

Directions

1. Make the sauce: Stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, relish, and ½ tsp Cowboy Campfire. Refrigerate while you cook so the flavors meld.
2. Set up first — the cooking goes fast. Shave the onion, set out the pickles and lettuce, and split the buns. Loosely form the beef into 8 gently packed 3-oz balls; don’t overwork the meat.
3. Toast the buns: Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the cut sides and toast in a dry skillet over medium heat, 1–2 minutes, until golden. Set aside.
4. Heat a flat-top or cast iron griddle over high until ripping hot (about 450–500°F). Lightly oil. Working in batches so the patties aren’t crowded, place the beef balls down and smash hard and flat with a sturdy metal spatula — press through a sheet of parchment so the spatula doesn’t stick — for about 10 seconds each, into thin 4-inch discs.
5. Immediately season the tops with the 1 Tbsp Cowboy Campfire (season after the smash, not before). Cook undisturbed about 2 minutes, until the edges are lacy, brown, and crisp and juices pool on top.
6. Scrape under each patty with the spatula to keep the crust intact, flip, and lay a slice of American cheese on each. Cook 45–60 seconds more, until the cheese melts.
7. Stack two patties per burger so the melted cheese welds them together.
8. Build each burger: bottom bun, a schmear of cowboy sauce, lettuce if using, the double-patty stack, shaved onion, pickles, more sauce, top bun. Press gently and serve hot.