What puts the "smash" in Smashburger?
I found out last week at the restaurant chain's grand opening for its Sugar House location.
Some of the corporate folks took me into the kitchen to see the "smash" concept at work.
A ball of ground beef (either 1?3 or 1/2 pound) goes on the hot, buttered, flat-top grill and is then "smashed" down for 10 seconds with a special hamburger press, referred to as a "proprietary smashing tool."
The idea is to force the meat to quickly sear and caramelize, so none of the beefy juices will leak out.
Some burger experts tell you that too much pressing on meat will force the juices to run out. I imagine this is why there's a 10-second limit.
The burgers seemed pretty juicy. And whether or not you agree with the cooking concept, it certainly makes for a great restaurant name.
I found a couple of innovative sides: the "smashfries" are tossed with rosemary, olive oil, garlic and other herbs, and "veggie frites" are flash-fried asparagus spears, carrot sticks and green beans that are still crisp-tender.
So you can at least say you're getting your veggies along with the beef.
You'd think that a recession isn't a good time to expand a restaurant chain, but this month's Smashburger openings in West Valley City, Sugar House, Boise and Minneapolis bring the Denver-based company's total number of outlets to 27. Another 30 to 60 openings are scheduled for this year nationwide.
But maybe it's partly BECAUSE of the poor economy that so many burger joints are springing up in Utah lately — Smashburger, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, The Counter, In-N-Out Burger and Salt City Burger Co.
Smashburger officials, such as Janice Branham, refer to it as a "burgering down economy."
"In a recession period, burger places do really well because they're a comfort food," she said.
It follows that people who used to dine out on steak or seafood are "shopping down" to burgers.
But I'd advise doing the math first. They may not be saving as much as they think.
At The Counter, the smallest "Build Your Own Burger" option is a 1?3-pound patty, for $8.50. Granted, this includes choices of cheese, sauce and up to four "gourmet" toppings. But by the time you've added in fries, drink, tax and tip, you'll be paying at least $13-$14 per person.
You could get a steak at Sizzler or Texas Roadhouse for less than that.
Smashburger prices aren't as expensive — they range from $4.99 for a 1?3-pound classic to $6.99 for a 1/2-pound burger with specialty toppings, such as the Beehive, with honey barbecue sauce, apple- wood-smoked bacon, cheddar cheese and haystack onions.
So it's possible to get a hefty burger, fries and drink for around $10.
One of my friends tells me that some of these mega-burgers are big enough that she's able to get two meals out of one.
And maybe some people don't want a steak, they just want a really good burger.
Just the same, people should be aware that "burger" doesn't always equate to "bargain."
e-mail: vphillips@desnews.com