Ground meat inexpensive in 2026?! Babish got that mortgage money.

A+ engagement bait with the 'gyro'

"adding mushrooms to our burger meat" 2026 recession indicator you heard it here folks

"Are you being antagonistic intentionally?"
"Yes."
At least he's being honest

Parchment paper in between the smash Patty and the smasher works really well to keep the meat from sticking to your smasher.

A "I just want to talk about Rampart" reference in 2026... I was teleported to a simpler time 14 years ago.

Alton Brown has a turkey burger recipe in one of his cookbooks, iirc about 1/4 of the volume of the meat replaced with ground mushrooms (no par cooking, just ground then added) and topped with a tangy pseudo tzatziki. It’s a crowd pleasing recipe I’ve made many times. The mushrooms add the umami and moisture that turkey burgers lack, and the tangy sauce disguises the mushroom flavor well. I’ve cooked these for mushroom haters and they loved them.

Ah yes, ground beef. The cheapest of the meats. It currently costs more for a pound of ground beef (~$8.00) than the federal minimum wage pays per hour ($7.25).

23:30 You sold me on mayo burger for moisture. You sold me on the baking soda for the crispiness. CAN both be combined for a super moist AND crispy burger? Or does it spin into a pile of sadness? We need to know.

I put parchment over the smashburger before smashing, then just peel off the parchment.

Loving the classic Reddit AMA callout

It'd be interesting to see if baking soda could be used as a wash on the outside of the patty for browning as opposed to incorporating it throughout the ground beef.  Maybe could be used in conjunction with fully incorporated mayo.

Now we need sky beef hack and ocean beef hack to complete the trilogy

I want to see a standalone video using all the burger hacks and making a burger that somehow gains moisture in the pan

I  see a chicken parm meatball sub in my future

Honestly the smashburger taco could be revolutionary for food trucks and other fast serve venues

Didn't have lamb but turkey was on sale, did 50/50 beef and turkey gyro, oh my Lord, this is the winner of the decade!

what happens if you only brush the baking soda solution on the outside of the patty rather than mixing it in? since you mostly just need it for the crust?

Hawawshi aka Arayes: mix 80/20 beef, lamb or mutton mince with 1 grated, drained onion; minced green chilli; middle eastern seasonings; egg and or breadcrumbs/bulgar wheat to bind and bulk. Think a spicy meatloaf rather than burger (or more properly, kofta kebab). Allow to chill, then stuff inside a split pitta or other flatbread. Heat a pan, with just a spot of oil or dry. Add the stuffed pittas and drop heat to medium; leave for ten minutes or so to brown; flip, allow five minutes. Then flip again, pressing lightly, couple of minutes, then flip for a final toasting and serve with salata baladi.

I always just mix in bread crumbs. No one even notices it, but it holds in moisture.