There's something about a succulent, grilled burger that's incomparable, whether it's the middle of summer or, for the grill enthusiasts, even the dead of winter. But getting that perfect burger off the grill involves a lot more than just throwing it on the grill.
If not done
just right, the hamburger can balloon up or completely fall apart. Or, it could end up being dried out, not the juicy, get-all-over-your-fingers burger you want it to be. But follow these tips and in no time at all, you'll be flipping better burgers than any you'd find at your favorite burger joint.
1. Use the right meat
If you use beef that's too lean, there won't be enough fat in it to get the tasty, juicy burger you're looking for. As the meat cooks, it needs a bit of fat to render out into the leaner meat so that you end up with a flawlessly cooked burger nstead of meat that's dry and crumbly -- and disappointing.
So, what's the perfect meat-to-fat ratio? You typically want 80 percent meat and 20 percent fat. If using ground beef, you'll want to choose a package labeled "regular" or "medium." These will have the desired fat content. If only lean ground beef is available, add in a little ground pork or even finely chopped bacon to produce the fat you need.
2. Season and mix the burger correctly
If you want to load up your burger with all kinds of seasonings, like garlic powder, onion powder, chives and more, your burger likely won't suffer all that much. But remember that a good hamburger is like a good steak -- the meat's flavor should really shine through. To make the meat the star of the show, generously season it with salt and pepper. And if you're unsure as to whether or not you've added enough, take a pinch of the meat and fry it up in a skillet. Once it's cooked through, you can taste it and adjust the seasoning if you need to.
After you've added the seasonings, you'll need to mix them with the meat. To do this, gently work it all together with your hands -- but just until everything is mixed. Too much mixing will make the meat tough and dry.
3. Use eggs, not bread crumbs
Burger recipes will call for one of two things to hold the meat together as they cook: eggs or bread crumbs. I've tested both a lot and even soaked the bread crumbs with milk to infuse more moisture into the meat. The end result? Time after time, using eggs alone and not including bread crumbs into the mix makes the best burger. The eggs will bind the meat together so the patties hold their shape on the grill. If you use bread crumbs, you'll end up with meatloaf patties instead of burger patties. And that's something no one wants.
4. Freeze the burgers before placing them on the grillEggs will work hard to keep the shape of your patties on your grill, but they may not be enough. To make sure the burgers don't fall apart while cooking, freeze them for about 30 minutes after they've been seasoned, mixed and shaped. That will let them firm up and set, so they're better able to hold their shape on the grill. But they won't be so frozen that they take longer to cook once they hit the heat.
When freezing the patties, lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or plastic wrap. If you won't be cooking them soon, stack the patties with pieces of parchment paper between them. Either way, cover them with plastic wrap at the end so the cold air of the freezer doesn't dry them out.
5. Preheat and oil the grillIf you place cold burgers on the grill, there's a very good chance that they'll stick. And when you try to flip them, it will be difficult to get under that bottom meat for a nice flip. This is how all too many people end up with bits and pieces of burgers instead of a few handsomely shaped patties that sit nicely on a bun.
To avoid this, get that grill nice and hot -- about 400 degrees Fahrenheit -- before you even think about placing the patties on it. But before heating the grill, give the grates a good scrape so you don't end up with some of last night's dinner on your burgers. Then, put a little vegetable oil on a cloth and use it to give those racks a good greasing-up. The heat and oil will work together to make sure the meat doesn't don't stick.
6. Cook them to perfection
Overcooking your burgers will dry them out just as quickly as over-mixing them or using bread crumbs. To avoid this, you need to cook them just until they're done to your liking and not a minute more. Again, as with steak, burgers are their juiciest if not cooked to well-done; medium or even medium-rare is typically better. But keep in mind that if you've placed any pork in there, you may have to cook them for a few minutes longer to get the pork to the safe 145 degrees Fahrenheit it needs to be. If you haven't included pork, cook the burgers for only about five minutes per side on the hot grill to get a medium cook. And only turn the burgers once while they're cooking. Messing with them too much during cook time can also make them fall apart.
