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Jun 15, 2023

Animal Style Smashburger Tacos

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

BY: Kylie Mazon-Chambers

5 from 6 votes

Pressing down on an extremely hot skillet cooks the meat quickly and adds a delicious crust to the meat.

animal style smashburger taco with cheese lettuce tomato and pickles.

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I take the viral smashburger tacos one step further in this recipe by giving it the In-N-Out treatment, serving it “animal style” with Thousand Island dressing, grilled onions and pickles in addition to the standard lettuce and tomato toppings. Pressing a thin layer of beef onto small flour tortillas makes a great easy dinner. They’re quick to cook and full of flavor! For a more traditional burger recipe try these smash burgers or this loaded burger bowl.

What is “Animal style”?

At In-N-Out you can order your burger “animal style” where a mustard-grilled patty comes with grilled onions, extra pickles and spread in addition to the standard lettuce and tomato toppings.

What’s in the sauce?

In-N-Out doesn’t call their sauce “special sauce” like many other places – instead they just call it “spread” and it is very similar to Thousand Island dressing. While the exact ingredient list is unknown, the spread doesn’t have quite as complicated an ingredient list as does Thousand Island.

topping ingredients for smashburger tacos.

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

Beef – The ground beef is pressed in a thin layer onto the tortillas. You want to make sure the meat is pressed right to the edge because the meat shrinks as the patty cooks. The meat is seasoned simply with salt and pepper.
Yellow mustard – A thin spread of yellow mustard over the meat adds extra flavor to the smashed patty and helps to create a caramelized crust. If you aren’t a mustard fan, don’t worry – it doesn’t give it an overwhelming mustard flavor.
Tortillas – Small flour tortillas, sometimes referred to as “street taco size” tortillas make for the best vehicle.
Onions – Onions are sautéed in the rendered fat from smashing the patties for extra flavor.
Cheese – American cheese melts perfectly onto the hot smashed patties. Unwrap the slices ahead of time so they can easily be added to the patties immediately after they come off the pan.
Lettuce – Shredded romaine lettuce adds a crisp, fresh garnish to the tacos.
Tomato – Look for small Campari tomatoes or medium tomatoes on the vine for the perfect size slices to garnish these tacos. Any other tomato slice will do – I just prefer the size and flavor of Campari tomatoes.
Pickles – I use pre-sliced dill pickle chips, made using a vinegar-based brine with salt, sugar and fresh dill.

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Swaps and substitutions

Swap the grilled onions for caramelized onions for a deeper flavor topping.
Swap the American cheese for Cheddar or Monterey Jack.

How to Make Smashburger Tacos (Step-by-step)

in-n-out spread for the animal-style smashburger taco. — **Step 1: Make the spread.**
In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, red onion, white vinegar and garlic powder. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The spread can be made up to 1 week in advance.

patties spread with yellow mustard for smashburger taco. — **Step 2: Prep patties.**
Press 1.2 oz (32g) of the ground beef onto each flour tortilla. Make sure the meat is spread thinly and evenly across the tortilla right to the edges. Spread about ½ teaspoon (3g) of yellow mustard evenly over each pressed patty. Season with salt and pepper.

cooked hamburger patty on tortillas. — **Step 3: Cook patty.**
Heat a large cast iron pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, work in batches to cook the tacos depending on the size of the skillet. Add the tortilla patties, patty-side down onto the hot pan and use a metal spatula or heavy item to smash the tortilla flat onto the pan.

cooked tortilla for smashburger taco. — **Step 4: Flip tortilla.**
Cook for 1 minute then use the metal spatula to scrape the patty and flip the tortilla to warm it for just a few seconds.

tortilla with patty and cheese. — **Step 5: Add cheese.**
Remove to a platter and immediately top with a slice of cheese. Repeat with the remaining meat and tortillas.

grilled onions in pan. — **Step 6: Cook grilled onions.**
Return the pan to heat, add the diced onion to the pan and sauté in the rendered beef fat until the onions are soft and start to brown, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Troubleshooting Smashburger Tacos

If you’re having trouble getting the meat to stick to the tortilla after smashing it in the pan a few things may be happening:

The pan isn’t hot enough. The trick to getting a good crust on the smashburger is making sure the pan is smoking hot. You want it to cook quickly at a high heat!
The tortillas are cold. If the tortillas are cold the meat won’t stick well and they may separate from the meat when you go to remove them. I recommend warming the tortillas to room temperature if needed. To help fix this you can also switch the cooking process and cook the meatless side for a few seconds first then flip and smash them.

How to Make Big Mac Inspired Smashburger Tacos

To turn these animal style smash burger tacos into McDonald’s Big Mac inspired tacos, you just need to make a few small changes:

Omit the ketchup from the spread recipe.
Omit the onions and tomato.
Garnish with a sprinkle of white sesame seeds.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

What is “animal style”?

At In-N-Out you can order your burger “animal style” where a mustard-grilled patty comes with grilled onions, extra pickles and spread in addition to the standard lettuce and tomato toppings.

How is this spread different than Big Mac sauce?

The addition of ketchup. The sauce may seem like a long list of ingredients, but most are kitchen staples you will already have in your fridge.

How do I get that crispy smashburger crust?

Make sure your pan (ideally cast iron) is very hot and press the beef thin and wide – right to the edge of the tortilla. The heat caramelizes the mustard-laced meat, creating a flavorful crust.

Can I prep the sauce ahead of time?

Yes! The In-N-Out-inspired sauce (a mayo-ketchup-relish blend with red onion and vinegar) can be made up to one week in advance and chilled until ready to use.

What kind of tortillas should I use?

Use small flour tortillas (about street-taco size). If they’re cold, the meat won’t stick properly, so let them come to room temperature—or briefly toast them—before smashing the patty on top.

How do I ensure the meat doesn’t fall off the tortilla?

Make sure to press the beef right to the edges, and ensure your pan is preheated properly. If desired, flip the tortilla briefly before smashing the meat-side down to help it adhere.

Any suggestions for toppings or swaps?

You can customize with romaine lettuce, tomato, pickles, or even turn it into a Big Mac–style taco by omitting ketchup and onions and sprinkling on sesame seeds.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this smash burger taco recipe, give these a try and follow me on Instagram:

Thanks for cooking with me! If you made this recipe, leave a 🌟 rating and share your thoughts or tips below. I’d love to hear from you!

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