Dominican Chimi — The Original Caribbean Smash Burger

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Before the smash burger became America's most viral food trend, Dominicans had the chimi. The Dominican chimichurri sandwich — universally called "chimi" — is the legendary street food of Santo Domingo: a smashed beef patty on a soft pan de agua roll, piled high with shredded repollo (cabbage), fresh tomato, and a signature three-sauce blend of mayonnaise, ketchup, and soy sauce that you'll want to put on everything. It is, objectively, one of the greatest sandwiches ever assembled.

The chimi has been a staple of Dominican street food culture for decades, sold from carts and small stands (chimichurris) across Santo Domingo and every Dominican neighborhood in the diaspora. The technique — smashing the beef patty on a hot flat griddle to create crispy, lacy edges — is the same philosophy that made the smash burger go viral worldwide. But the Dominican version came first, and it's better: the special sauce is more complex, the shredded cabbage provides cooling crunch, and the option to add sweet maduros (caramelized plantains) to the sandwich is pure genius.

Making chimi at home requires a flat griddle or cast iron pan, good ground beef (80/20 is the standard), and the willingness to get your pan screaming hot. The special sauce takes 30 seconds to mix. The whole thing comes together in under 20 minutes and tastes like Santo Domingo on a Sunday night.

🧠 Did You Know?

• The word 'chimichurri' in the Dominican Republic does not refer to the Argentine herb sauce — it refers to the street food sandwich itself, believed to derive from an old street vendor cry. The Argentine chimichurri sauce and the Dominican sandwich share only a name and no culinary relationship.
• The Dominican chimi became the blueprint for what food media now calls the 'smash burger' — the technique of smashing a beef ball onto a hot griddle to maximize crust surface area has been a Dominican street food standard for generations before it became a TikTok sensation.
• The special sauce of a chimi (mayonnaise + ketchup + soy sauce) creates what food scientists call a Maillard reaction when it caramelizes on the hot griddle, developing complex umami notes that make it taste far more complex than three ingredients should.

🧾 Ingredients

Full measurements are in the recipe card below.

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👨‍🍳 How to Make Dominican Chimi

Full printable recipe card with exact measurements is below.

Dominican Chimi

Make authentic Dominican Chimi — the original Caribbean smash burger with special sauce, shredded cabbage, and ripe plantains. Dominican street food at its finest.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 620

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

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For the Patty

• 1.5 lbs 80/20 ground beef
• 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper

Special Sauce

• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Assembly

• 4 pan de agua rolls (or brioche buns)
• 2 cups green cabbage shredded fine
• 1 large tomato sliced
• 2 ripe plantains sliced and fried as maduros (optional but recommended)

Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet or Flat Griddle
• Heavy Spatula
• Kitchen Press or Heavy Pan (for smashing)

Method

 

1. Mix special sauce: Stir together mayonnaise, ketchup, soy sauce, and Worcestershire. Taste — it should be creamy, tangy, slightly sweet, and savory. Adjust ratios to preference. Refrigerate.
2. Season beef: Mix ground beef with adobo, Worcestershire, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Divide into 4 loose balls (do not overwork — loose packing = better smash).
3. Heat griddle: Get a cast iron skillet or flat griddle screaming hot over high heat. Add a thin coat of neutral oil.
4. Smash: Place a beef ball on the hot griddle. Immediately press down hard with a spatula (or the bottom of a heavy pan) to smash it as thin as possible — aim for under ½ inch. Season the top side with a pinch of salt.
5. Cook: Let cook undisturbed 2-3 minutes until the edges look crispy and lacy and the top is mostly gray. Flip once — 1 more minute. The crust is the goal; do not press down on the flipped side.
6. Toast buns: Toast cut sides of rolls on the griddle until golden.
7. Assemble: Bottom bun → special sauce → patty → tomato slice → shredded cabbage → special sauce on top bun → close. Add maduros inside or alongside. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 620kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 35gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 890mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10g

Notes

The smash needs to happen immediately when the beef hits the pan — wait more than 5 seconds and the patty starts to set and won't spread thin. | 80/20 beef is essential — leaner beef won't create the same crust and will taste dry. | Shred the cabbage very fine — thick shreds make the sandwich hard to eat.

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💡 Pro Tips for Dominican Chimi

• Get the pan hotter than you think you need — the sizzle when the beef hits should be aggressive and immediate. A medium-hot pan gives you gray, steamed meat instead of that gorgeous crust.
• Smash IMMEDIATELY and HARD — the window for a proper smash is about 3-5 seconds after the beef hits the pan. After that the proteins begin to set and you lose the lacy edge opportunity.
• The special sauce is a third condiment — use it on both bun halves liberally. This is not a burger where you use condiments sparingly.
• Maduros inside the chimi is the Dominican way — the sweet caramelized plantain against the savory salty patty is a combination that makes no logical sense and is absolutely perfect.

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🍽️ What to Serve With Dominican Chimi

• Concon Dominicano
• Tostones (instead of fries)
• La Bandera Dominicana
• Jugo de Chinola (Passion Fruit Juice)
• Arroz con Leche Dominicano

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

🥡 Storage & Reheating

Chimi is best eaten immediately. If you must store, keep patties and buns separate. Cooked patties keep refrigerated for 3 days; reheat in a hot skillet to restore the crust. Special sauce keeps refrigerated for 1 week. Do not assemble ahead — the cabbage and sauce will make the bread soggy.

🍴 More Dominican Recipes

• La Bandera Dominicana
• Puerco Asado Dominicano
• Tostones Rellenos