The Viral Taco Burger Mashup That TikTok Can't Get Over
Grilled burgers are a bona fide crowd-pleaser, whether you're making dinner for yourself, your family, or your friends. However, a recipe that's going viral on TikTok elevates the humble grilled burger to a whole new level. Smash burger tacos incorporate ground beef and burger toppings with tortillas for an explosion of compelling flavors and textures.
The recipe's appeal is pretty obvious, especially for fans of traditional smash burgers. For example, squeezing the juice out of the patty creates a crispy, perfectly textured burger. The burger grease infuses the tortilla with an unbelievably beefy flavor while also imbuing it with a crunchy texture. As for toppings, you can go the traditional burger route and dress your tacos up with ketchup, mustard, and pickles. You can also opt for standard taco toppings, such as salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo. Before getting started on your recipe, be sure to check out TikTok for inspiration, as the social media site's resident foodies seem to have smash burger tacos down to a science.
What is TikTok saying about smash burger tacos?
With a single clip of the viral recipe racking up 3.6 million views and 108.6 thousand likes, smash burger tacos are a force to be reckoned with on TikTok. The recipe starts with a seasoned beef patty, which gets the smash treatment on a hot griddle. The tortilla goes on next, which gets smashed into the ground beef with a burger press (though you can use just about anything, really). After cooking for a few minutes, slide a spatula under the ground beef and flip it so it's tortilla-side down. Add cheese while the smash burger taco is still on the griddle to get it all melty, then move to a plate and add your toppings.
@chilesandsmoke Smashburger Tacos are hitting the streets. Grab some tortillas and let's GO! I've been working on this process for a bit and realized that smashing the meat with the flour tortilla directly on the griddle is very effective, and saves a few steps of preparation. The full walkthrough is in my bio. These cook quickly, and with a tortilla instead of the buns you can crush more meat + toppings. #smashburgertacos #smashburgers #streettacos
The finished product looks decidedly tasty, but some commenters voiced concerns about the doneness of the ground beef on the tortilla side. As one commenter put it, "Dude cooked one side of the burger." However, these fears are unfounded, as the tortilla is thin enough to allow the heat from the griddle to push through to the meat. Then there's the thinness of the smash burger, which makes it easier to cook the entire patty evenly. According to one smash burger taco recipe, cooking for five minutes is enough to ensure the proper doneness. Now that you have the basics down, you can get more creative with the recipe.
How to make your smash burger taco mimic a fast food icon
You're free to adorn your smash burger tacos with the toppings you see fit. However, some people on TikTok are tweaking the recipe to replicate a classic fast food offering, the Big Mac. One clip shows a content creator spreading the raw ground beef over the flour tortilla, grilling it face down, flipping it, then adding toppings like pickles, lettuce, diced onions, and American cheese. The recipe is finished with a copycat version of Big Mac sauce. According to the McDonald's website, Big Mac sauce consists of ingredients like sweet relish, distilled vinegar, egg yolks, soybean oil, and assorted spices.
@naughtyfork Yes, theyre amazing #fyp #smashtacos #foryou #tacos #bigmac #burgers
♬ Cupid – Twin Ver. (FIFTY FIFTY) – Sped Up Version – sped up 8282
Another Big Mac-inspired recipe even provides instructions on how to make the sauce on your own. In this case, you'll need light mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, white pepper, diced onions, and diced pickles (note, though, that there's no ketchup in the official Big Mac sauce recipe). After combining the ingredients together in a bowl, you can give the special sauce a little boost by pouring a splash of pickle juice into the mix. With these fun recipes, you'll have even more ways to indulge in the smash burger taco trend.