There’s nothing like a good smash burger hot off the griddle, and these Jalapeño Smash Burgers turn up the heat with caramelized jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, mustard, and our all-new Heath Riles BBQ Burger Seasoning. They’re spicy, juicy, packed with flavor, and easy enough to throw together for game day, a backyard cookout, or a quick weeknight meal.
The key to this recipe is smashing the beef directly over thinly shaved jalapeños. As the patties cook, those peppers caramelize right into the crust, putting jalapeño flavor in every bite instead of simply piling peppers on top at the end.
Jalapeño Smash Burgers on the Griddle | Heath Riles BBQ
For this cook, I fired up the Traeger Flatrock and started with a little bacon grease on the griddle. As Heath says in the video, one of the keys to a good burger is getting a little bacon on your griddle.
Once the cooking surface was ready, I added a few thinly shaved jalapeño slices. Instead of cooking those separately and adding them to the finished burger, I placed two 3-ounce ground beef balls directly over the peppers and smashed everything together. The jalapeños caramelize right into the patties while the beef develops that crispy crust you want from a smash burger.
From there, we’re keeping things simple with Heath Riles BBQ Burger Seasoning, mustard, pepper jack cheese, and a little mustard and mayo on the buns. You don’t need a long list of toppings here. Between the spicy peppers, melted cheese, crispy beef, and seasoning, there’s plenty of flavor packed into this burger.
Why This Recipe Works
A great smash burger starts with getting as much contact as possible between the beef and the hot griddle. Smashing the beef thin gives you more surface area for browning, creating those crispy edges and that deep crust that make smash burgers so good.
For this recipe, we’re adding another element underneath the beef: fresh jalapeños. The thin slices cook against the hot griddle while the beef is smashed directly over them. By the time you flip the patties, the jalapeños have caramelized right into the burger crust.
Then there’s the seasoning. Heath Riles BBQ Burger Seasoning goes onto the patties after they’re smashed, and we add another light dusting after the flip for even more flavor. Mustard goes directly onto the beef before flipping, adding acidity that cuts through the richness of the meat and melted pepper jack. Heath specifically calls out that acidity when tasting the finished burger.
The Ingredients
- Ground Beef. For each double smash burger, you’ll need two 3-ounce balls of ground beef. Use whatever burger blend you prefer.
- Fresh Jalapeños. Shave the jalapeños into thin slices so they cook quickly and caramelize into the patties.
- Heath Riles BBQ Burger Seasoning. This is the featured seasoning in the recipe. It goes onto the patties after they’re smashed and again after they’re flipped.
- Mustard. A little mustard goes directly onto the patties before flipping, and more goes onto the bottom bun when it’s time to assemble the burger.
- Pepper Jack Cheese. Pepper jack melts over the patties and adds another layer of heat and creaminess that works perfectly with the jalapeños.
- Mayonnaise. A little mayo goes onto the top bun to add some creaminess without covering up the flavor of the burger.
- Burger Buns. Keep the buns simple. With two patties, pepper jack, jalapeños, and plenty of seasoning, you don’t need much else.
- Bacon Grease. A little bacon grease on the flat top helps get the cooking surface ready for the jalapeños and burgers.
Griddle Setup
Preheat your Traeger Flatrock so you have a hot cooking surface ready for smashing. Add a little bacon grease to the griddle, then get your thinly shaved jalapeño slices ready to go.
Smash burgers cook fast, so have the beef portioned, cheese ready, and all your tools nearby before you start. The video notes that you can cook a smash burger in about four minutes, so once the beef hits the griddle, things move quickly.
The Process
Start With the Jalapeños
Add a few thinly shaved jalapeño slices to the hot griddle and let them start cooking in the bacon grease. These peppers aren’t going on top of the finished burger; we’re using them as the base for the patties so they can caramelize directly into the beef as it cooks.
Smash the Burgers
Place two 3-ounce ground beef balls directly over the jalapeño slices. Lay a sheet of Parchment Paper over the beef and use a Burger Press to smash each patty thin against the hot griddle. You want plenty of contact with the cooking surface so the beef develops that signature crispy smash burger crust while the jalapeños cook directly into the patties.
Season and Add Mustard
Once the patties are smashed, season them with Heath Riles BBQ Burger Seasoning. Then squeeze a little mustard directly over the top of the burger meat. This is one of Heath’s tricks when cooking burgers on a flat top, and that mustard will add a little acidity to the finished burger without overpowering the beef.
Flip and Season Again
Use your Spatula to get underneath the patties and flip them over. This is where you’ll see those caramelized jalapeños cooked right into the burger crust. Once they’re flipped, hit the patties with another light dusting of Burger Seasoning to build another layer of flavor.
Add the Pepper Jack
Top the patties with pepper jack cheese and let it melt over the hot beef. This is meant to be a spicy burger, and the pepper jack works perfectly with the thin smashed patties and caramelized jalapeños. Once the cheese is melted, stack the two patties together to create one double Jalapeño Smash Burger.
Build the Burger
Add a little mustard to the bottom bun and mayo to the top, then place the stacked patties in between. Heath keeps this burger simple and doesn’t add any other toppings because the pepper jack, caramelized jalapeños, crispy beef crust, mustard, and Burger Seasoning bring enough flavor on their own.
The Results
These Jalapeño Smash Burgers have everything you want from a good griddle burger: crispy edges, juicy beef, melted cheese, and plenty of heat.
Smashing the thin jalapeño slices directly into the patties makes a big difference. Instead of getting a raw pepper flavor from jalapeños piled on top, the peppers caramelize against the hot griddle and become part of that crispy burger crust. Add the pepper jack cheese, and you’ve got a spicy combination that works without needing a long list of toppings.
The mustard is another small addition that makes a noticeable difference. It brings some acidity that balances the richness of the beef and cheese, while Heath Riles BBQ Burger Seasoning adds the final layer of savory flavor. Cut into the finished burger and you’ve still got plenty of juice inside despite those thin, crispy-edged patties.
In fact, Heath calls this one of his top three smash burgers he’s ever made, which says plenty about how well this simple combination comes together.
Perfect Pairings
- Crispy Weber Kettle Potato Wedges – Burgers and crispy potatoes are hard to beat. These seasoned wedges give you an easy side that complements the spicy burger without competing with all that jalapeño and pepper jack flavor.
- Loaded Jalapeño Popper Potato Salad – If you want to keep the jalapeño theme going, serve these burgers with a scoop of loaded jalapeño popper potato salad. The creamy potato salad makes a great contrast to the crispy, spicy smash burgers.
- Jalapeño Popper Cheese Dip – Making these burgers for game day? Put this cheese dip out as an appetizer while the griddle heats up. It’s an easy way to carry the jalapeño theme through the entire spread.
- Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese – For a rich, cheesy side, pair your Jalapeño Smash Burgers with this mac and cheese. If you’re feeding a crowd that loves a little heat, this combination goes all in on spicy, cheesy flavor.
Storing Leftovers
Smash burgers are best eaten hot and fresh off the griddle, but you can still save any leftovers. Store the cooked patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. If possible, keep the patties separate from the buns and condiments so everything reheats better.
When you’re ready to eat, warm the patties on a hot griddle or skillet just until heated through. You don’t want to leave them on too long since smash burger patties are thin and can dry out quickly.
If you know you won’t need every burger, another option is to keep some of the ground beef portioned into 3-ounce balls and cook those fresh later.
Tips for the Best Jalapeño Smash Burgers
- Get the griddle hot. You need a hot cooking surface to develop the crispy crust that makes a smash burger a smash burger.
- Slice the jalapeños thin. Thin slices cook quickly and caramelize into the beef instead of remaining thick and crunchy.
- Smash once and leave them alone. Get those patties thin when they first hit the griddle so you have plenty of surface area for browning.
- Have everything ready before you start. These burgers cook quickly. Heath notes that it only takes about four minutes to cook a smash burger, so portion your beef, slice your jalapeños, and have the cheese and seasoning nearby before you start.
- Keep the toppings simple. There’s already a lot of flavor coming from the caramelized jalapeños, pepper jack, mustard, crispy beef, and Burger Seasoning. You can dress yours up however you like, but the burger in the video keeps things simple.
Final Thoughts
If you like smash burgers with a little heat, these Jalapeño Smash Burgers need to be on your list.
Cooking the shaved jalapeños underneath the beef is what makes this recipe stand out. As you smash the patties, those peppers get pressed directly into the meat and caramelize into the crust. Then we layer on Heath Riles BBQ Burger Seasoning, mustard, and pepper jack cheese for a burger that’s spicy, savory, juicy, and loaded with flavor.
Better yet, you don’t need a complicated burger build or a long cook. Once your griddle is hot and your ingredients are ready, these come together fast, making them perfect for an easy dinner, backyard cookout, or game-day spread.
Sometimes building a better burger is as simple as good beef, a hot flat top, the right seasoning, and a few jalapeños.
