The Not-So-Secret Seasoning Your Smashburger Needs According To George Motz

Thin, a little bit crispy, and the perfect platform for fantastic toppings, it's tough to beat a great smashburger. Thinner than a standard burger, smashburgers offer a slightly caramelized, slightly crunchy exterior that's packed with flavor. To get great smashburgers, however, you'll need to do more than start with a super-thin patty — it's also important to make sure your seasoning is on point. George Motz of Hamburger America is preparing to share his go-to Smashburger tips at the Food Network NYC Wine & Food Fest at the Seaport in October 2025, and he spoke exclusively with Chowhound about how he seasons smashburgers perfectly — and all it takes is the Lowry's seasoned salt you likely already have in your pantry.

"For the classic smash, we use Lowry's seasoned salt," says Motz. His plan to keep his seasoning a secret was quickly foiled when Hamburger America first went into business. On the first day of the restaurant's opening, he was determined to keep his seasoning under wraps, but a customer said, "Oh, that?" as they pointed at the tub of Lowry's seasoned salt behind the counter. "Like, alright, it's not a secret anymore," he recalls. The pros at Hamburger America don't always use Lowry's, however. "We actually, on our burgers in the restaurant, we do salt only on the fried onion burger," Motz says. 

In addition to using the Lowry's you already have in your spice cabinet to amp up the flavor, there are some more steps you can take to create great smashburgers in your kitchen. First, it's key to know when to season your burgers. Seasoning your smashburgers while you're mixing the meat can create a denser patty — not exactly what you're looking for in a crispy, slightly caramelized smashburger. "If you try to salt meat before, it draws a lot of the moisture out, it can make it tough, make it weird and hard," says George Motz. To combat this, he doesn't season at all before the burgers start cooking, only once the cooking process has begun.

Seasoning at the right time a key to nailing a delicious smashburger recipe, but it's not the only tool in your arsenal to create uber-thin, delicious patties. The key to getting a slightly-crispy finish is all in the first minute of cooking — you'll want to leave the burger undisturbed on the heat surface for at least a minute or so. This gives the Maillard reaction the time it needs to get started — resulting in a dark brown, caramelized finish that'll pair perfectly with a toasty bun and your favorite toppings.