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Smash Burger Tacos

Smash burgers in taco form—ultra-thin crispy beef patties cooked on a smoking-hot griddle and folded into taco shells. Filled with melty cheddar, lettuce, pico de gallo, jalapeños, sour cream, and hot sauce for a taco fusion bite with a cheese pull moment.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican-American Fusion
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ground beef
  • 1.5 lb ground beef 80/20 for best browning and juicy flavor.
Taco shells
  • 8 tortillas Use small flour or corn tortillas.
Cheese
  • 8 cheese slices Cheddar or American slices.
Toppings
  • 1 shredded lettuce
  • 0.75 pico de gallo
  • 0.25 sliced jalapeños
  • 0.25 sour cream
  • 0.25 hot sauce
Seasoning
  • 0.25 tsp salt To taste.
  • 0.125 tsp black pepper To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Portion and season the beef
  1. Divide the ground beef into 8 portions and roll into balls, then season with salt and pepper.
  2. Keep the portions ready so each one can hit the griddle right away for maximum crisping.
Smash on a smoking-hot griddle
  1. Heat a griddle or cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking hot, then place tortillas on the surface.
  2. Add a beef ball to each tortilla and smash as thin as possible with a heavy spatula.
  3. Cook for 2-3 minutes until edges are crispy and lacey, with the tortilla browning and the beef forming a thin crust.
  4. Flip tortilla and beef together in one motion so both sides finish cooking.
Melt cheese and fold
  1. Immediately add cheese on top and cook for another 1 minute until melted and starting to ooze.
  2. Fold the crispy beef-topped tortilla like a taco, then fill with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, sliced jalapeños, sour cream, and hot sauce.

Notes

Pro tip: Use 80/20 beef and smash as thin as you can—thinner patties = more lacey, crispy edges and a better cheese melt. Store assembled tacos in the fridge up to 1 day; rewarm the taco bases only (not the toppings). Freezing: freeze cooked beef patties (no tortillas/toppings) up to 2 months and re-crisp in a hot skillet. For a lighter option, use 90/10 ground beef, but expect slightly less crisping and less rendered fat.