Grilled Hamburgers

Typically people think of a hamburger patty as beef. When using ground beef to make hamburger patties you want to select the right meat. Getting expensive and lean cuts for grinding won’t make a better burger. The real secret to the burger flavor is in the fat, ground chuck, round or sirloin work best or a combination also works. The other factor that improves the patty is a coarse grind. finely ground meat can become soft and mushy, making the patties hard to work with and more likely to fall apart on the grill.

Lean ground beef like ground sirloin or the 7 – 10% fat meat will tend to make dry burgers. Remember, when you grill a burger a lot of the fat will drain off so starting out too lean can make for a dry burger. But too much fat and the burger will shrink while cooking. I use 80/20% which seems to work very well.

When it comes to forming the patties, make the burger slightly larger than the bun and about an inch in thickness. A thicker patty will not allow you to get the middle cooked safely before the surface becomes too dry, also don’t pack the meat too firmly. Finely chop any vegetables you may put in the patty to avoid making the patty unstable while cooking.

Start with a very hot grill, lift the lid and place the patties on the grill. When the raw meat hits the hot cooking grate it will stick, if you try to turn it too early the burger will fall apart. The process is that as the bottom of the patty cooks the grease will create a non-stick surface on the patty and the heat from the grate will char the meat, separating it from the grate. At this point you want to flip the patties, the process will repeat. When the burgers have released again, flip them again and turn down the heat continue grilling for about 2-3 minutes, flip a third time and continue for about 2-3 more minutes, during the last minute would also be the best time to add any cheese or your favorite sauce before removing the burger.  Remove the hamburger patty when done and let sit for 1 -2 minutes before you serve.

Try using fresh ground beef in your next hamburger. Most any butcher will grind meat on demand, so pick up some fresh ground round or chuck, not too lean, take it home and grill it right away. You will definitely notice a difference, use freshly baked rolls to finish off the perfect sandwich.

Try adding a toppings bar for people to choose their own toppings to create their own perfect hamburger.

Tip – I personally prefer to add Worcestershire’s sauce  and Ted’s all purpose seasoning before cooking, and also on the first flip.