Madison's Grass-Fed Beef Tallow Smash Burgers with Raw Parmesan
The Canada Day burger our family makes every single year, and the secret ingredient that makes it impossible to go back to anything else.
If you've never cooked a smash burger in beef tallow, you are missing out on one of the most deeply satisfying meals you will ever make. This is Madison's go-to recipe, the one that comes out every Canada Day without fail, the one that gets requested by everyone who tries it, and the one that finally made us understand why our grandmothers never cooked with anything else.
The secret is raw parmesan. Not the stuff in the green can. Real, aged, raw parmesan, grated fresh and melted into the crust of the patty so it fuses into the beef in a way that will completely ruin you for regular cheeseburgers. And when you cook it in grass-fed beef tallow in a screaming hot cast iron? It is a different category of food entirely.
If Meghan has sourdough buns around, we use those. Homemade sourdough buns with a good crust and a soft crumb are the perfect vessel for a smash burger. If not, a good quality brioche bun will do the job.
This is real food. Ancestral food. The kind of food your body actually recognizes and knows how to use. Grass-fed beef, raw dairy, and beef tallow; the holy trinity of carnivore cooking, right here on your Canada Day table.
Why Grass-Fed Beef and Beef Tallow?
Grass-fed beef is richer in omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K2 than grain-fed beef. When you cook it in grass-fed beef tallow, you are adding another layer of nutrient density that seed oils simply cannot compete with. Tallow has a high smoke point, which means it can handle the screaming-hot cast iron heat required for a proper smash burger crust without oxidizing and creating harmful compounds the way vegetable oils do.
This is the kind of cooking that nourishes you at a cellular level. And it tastes absolutely incredible.
Ingredients
Serves 4
For the burgers:
- 700g grass-fed ground beef (80/20 fat ratio is ideal)
- 2 tablespoons grass-fed beef tallow (plus more for the pan)
- 1 cup freshly grated raw aged parmesan
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 4 sourdough buns (Meghan's homemade if you have them, or a good quality brioche bun)
For the toppings (keep it simple):
- Butter lettuce
- Sliced heirloom tomato
- Fermented pickles
- Dijon mustard or raw milk aioli
- Caramelized onions (cooked in tallow, of course)
Directions
1. Prep your beef balls Divide your ground beef into 8 equal portions, roughly 85g each. Roll loosely into balls, do not pack them tightly. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes before cooking.
2. Heat your cast iron Place a cast iron skillet over high heat for at least 3 to 4 minutes until it is screaming hot. Add a generous tablespoon of beef tallow and let it melt and begin to smoke slightly. This is the heat you need for a proper crust.
3. Smash Place two beef balls into the pan and immediately smash them flat with a heavy spatula or burger press. Press hard; you want thin, wide patties with ragged edges. Those edges are where the magic happens. Season the top side with a little extra salt.
4. The raw parmesan moment Cook undisturbed for 90 seconds until the edges are deeply browned and crispy. Flip once. Immediately pile a generous mound of freshly grated raw parmesan onto each patty. It will melt into the beef and fuse with the crust. This is the secret. Do not skip it.
5. Cook and rest Cook for another 60 seconds until the cheese is melted and slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the pan and rest for 2 minutes while you cook the remaining patties.
6. Toast your buns Add a small knob of tallow to the pan and toast your sourdough buns cut-side down until golden. This step is non-negotiable.
7. Build and serve Stack two patties per bun with your toppings of choice. Serve immediately.
The Tallow Difference
The same ingredient that makes this burger extraordinary is the one we've built our entire skincare line around. Grass-fed beef tallow isn't just the best fat you can cook with — it's the most bioidentical ingredient you can put on your skin. Same source. Same standards. Nothing added, nothing taken away.