Bacon Ranch Smash Burger
Ground beef smash burgers seasoned with ranch, layered with crispy pre-cooked bacon, pepper jack cheese, and a creamy ranch sauce. Ready in 15 minutes. The smash burger your original smash burger is jealous of.
Ingredients
Meat & Protein
- 1 lb ground beef 80/20, cold from the fridge — divided into 4 loose 4-oz balls, do not pack
- 8 strips pre-cooked bacon ready-to-eat
Produce
- 0.5 red onion very thinly sliced
- 4 leaves romaine lettuce
Dairy
- 4 slices pepper jack cheese freshly sliced or pre-sliced
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter for toasting buns
Pantry & Canned Goods
- 4 brioche burger buns split
- 4 tbsp ranch dressing store-bought
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise Hellmanns or Dukes recommended
- 0.25 cup dill pickles thinly sliced
Seasonings & Spices
- 1 tbsp ranch seasoning dry packet or from a jar — Hidden Valley recommended
- 0.5 tsp kosher salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Mix the ranch sauce: stir together the ranch dressing and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Set aside in the fridge. Warm the pre-cooked bacon in the microwave for 30 seconds — just enough to crisp it up. Set aside.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet or heavy stainless pan over high heat for 2 minutes until very hot. While it heats, toast the buns: melt butter in a separate skillet over medium heat and toast cut-side down until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Season each beef ball lightly with salt, black pepper, and a pinch of ranch seasoning on the outside. Do not mix seasoning into the meat — season the surface only.
- Place two beef balls in the hot skillet. Immediately smash each one flat with a heavy spatula or burger press — press hard and hold for 10 seconds. The patties should be about a quarter-inch thick. Season the top surface with another pinch of ranch seasoning.
- Cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes until the edges are deeply browned and crispy and juices begin to bubble through the top. Flip once with a firm scrape — the crust should release cleanly. Place a slice of pepper jack cheese on each patty immediately after flipping. Cook for 1 minute more until the cheese is fully melted. Repeat with remaining two patties.
- Spread ranch sauce generously on both cut sides of each toasted bun. Add lettuce to the bottom bun, then a patty, two strips of bacon, sliced red onion, and pickles. Cap with the top bun and serve immediately.
Notes
Keep the beef cold until it hits the pan. Warm ground beef doesn't smash — it springs back. Cold beef stays flat when pressed and develops a better crust.
Don't move the patty after smashing. The crust forms from extended contact with the hot pan. Lifting or adjusting it before flipping breaks the crust.
The double ranch approach — seasoning on the beef, ranch sauce on the bun — is what separates this from a standard smash burger. Each layer reinforces the flavor without any single component tasting like ranch dressing poured over a burger.
Want a double? Use two 2-oz balls per burger instead of one 4-oz ball and stack the patties after flipping. Cook time stays the same.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!