Whisk the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, chopped pickles, pickle brine, Worcestershire, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper together in a small bowl until completely smooth and evenly pale orange. Cover and refrigerate while you cook - it tastes noticeably better after twenty minutes in the cold.

Shred the lettuce, dice the onion and set the pickles out now. Once the skillet is hot these tacos come off the pan one after another and you will not have a spare thirty seconds to chop anything.

Mix the salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl. Divide the cold ground beef into 8 equal portions, about 3 ounces each, and roll each one into a loose ball. Handle the meat as little as possible - packed, over-worked balls turn out tough.

Season the balls all over with the seasoning mix and put them back in the refrigerator until the skillet is properly hot. Cold beef against a screaming hot pan is what gives you that lacy brown crust.

Set a large cast iron skillet or griddle over high heat and leave it there for a full 5 minutes, until a drop of water skitters across the surface and vanishes. Leave it dry unless your pan is new or poorly seasoned - the beef renders plenty of fat on its own.

Place one beef ball in the skillet, lay a flour tortilla directly on top of it, and press down hard with a sturdy metal spatula or burger press until the meat spreads all the way to the edges of the tortilla. Hold the pressure for about ten seconds. Work in batches of two so the pan never loses its heat.

Cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes. The edges of the beef will turn dark brown and lacy and the rendered fat will soak up into the tortilla. Slide a stiff metal spatula underneath and scrape rather than lift - the whole crust should come away with the taco, not stay stuck to the pan.

Flip the taco so the tortilla side is down, then immediately turn the heat to low. Lay a slice of American cheese on the beef and let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes, until the cheese slumps and the tortilla puffs and crisps. Turn the burner off entirely if the tortilla is browning faster than the cheese is melting.

Move the taco to a plate and spoon a generous stripe of burger sauce over the melted cheese while everything is still hot.

Pile on shredded lettuce, diced onion, pickle chips and tomato if you are using it. Fold and eat immediately - smash burger tacos are at their best about thirty seconds out of the pan, while the tortilla still crackles.