Let’s face it, while we would all like to think grilling a hamburger is far from rocket science, we’d bet our last penny that some of you have eaten some tasteless, dry burgers in your time! Well, we’re not dishing out some elaborate recipe, or rocket science. Instead, we’ve put together a helpful guide to grilling a better burger – it’s all about meat selection and technique!
Choose Choice Ingredients
To keep a burger flavourful and moist we recommend choosing prime ground beef that has about a 80/20 ratio of lean meat to fat.
Making the Patties
You have to use your hands for this, so make sure they are clean and dry. In your hands, form the patties into roughly 6 oz portions making sure not to compress the meat. Keep it as loose as possible and don’t fuss with it too much – overworking the meat leads to tough burgers. Size matters: make your patties a little bit larger than your bun as they will shrink a bit while cooking.
To keep the burgers from plumping excessively and to ensure even doneness throughout, make an impression in the center of each pattie with your thumb.
Season both sides of the patties with salt and pepper and other seasonings to taste.
Getting Down to Grilling Business
Make sure your grill is preheated and ready to go. Grill your burgers over high heat. High heat quickly sears the outside of the pattie making a nice ‘crusty’ exterior while sealing in the flavourful juices.
DO NOT. REPEAT. DO NOT USE A SPATULA or anything else TO FLATTEN DOWN THE PATTIE! After all, the whole point here is to eat flavorful, moist burgers and flattening the patties squishes out all the juices!
FLIP ONLY ONCE! Grill the patties for about 3 minutes on each side for medium rare burgers, or longer for desired doneness. NOTE: To minimize any health risks, the US Department of Agriculture recommends cooking hamburger to an internal temperature of at least 160°F (71°C). Or, in other words, well done. However, that may lead to a dry burger. We’ll leave that decision up you.
AVOID THE FLAMES! No one likes eating charred carbon. If you get a flare up, cover the grill – covering keeps the fuel source, oxygen, out.
Like most cooked meats, allowing your burgers to rest for a few minutes before serving allows the juices to redistribute back into the meat.
GRILL THAT BUN! Grilled buns always taste better – they have a nice smokey flavour and they’re toasty and warm. Just butter each side of the bun and pop on the grill for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes or until lightly brown and toasted.
TOP ‘EM OFF! Toppings are entirely up to you. Favourites include: cheese, lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced onion, pickles, ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayo, relish, mustard, bacon, mushrooms, etc.
YOU’LL NEED A FEW NAPKINS. If you followed these steps, your burgers will be dripping juiciness! Wipe it up!
