Cover to melt
Motz covers the patty with a metal bowl or pot lid for the last minutes so the cheese melts all the way through.
From: Classic Smashburger “All the Way”, Thick Pub Classic Burger, Green Chile Cheeseburger
“Letting it ride”
For the Oklahoma onion burger, Motz flips the patty, adds cheese, then stacks both halves of the bun on top. The steam from the onions softens the bread.
From: Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger
A splash of liquid
Weissman’s slider gets a splash of beef broth on the griddle and is covered so the patty and bun steam together for under a minute.
From: Slider Burger
Cheese in, and cheese out
The Juicy Lucy seals cheese inside two thin patties. If it puffs up, a toothpick lets the steam out.
From: Juicy LucyThe cheese skirt goes the other way: shredded cheese melts around the patty and crisps into a lacy frill.
From: Cheese Skirt Burger
Fully steamed
Connecticut’s steamed cheeseburger is cooked entirely in steam, with the cheese melted separately and poured over. Motz shows how in his video.
From: Connecticut Steamed Cheeseburger
Every tip above is taken from the recipe it links to. Where the experts disagree, we say so rather than picking one.