How To Grill Burgers: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Quick Steps Overview:
- Step 1: Use cold ground beef
- Step 2: Mix in butter
- Step 3: Don’t overwork the meat
- Step 4: Season the burgers liberally
- Step 5: Use a clean grill
- Step 6: Heat your grill
- Step 7: Wait to flip
- Step 8: Avoid flare-ups
- Step 9: Let the burgers be
- Step 10: Add cheese at the end
- Step 11: Serve with your favorite side!
‘Tis the season to fire up the grill and put together juicy burgers in your backyards. While there are tons of great dishes like a turkey burger, or chicken burgers, to cook on a grill the classic beef burgers have to be my all-time favorite! This year, I decided to perfect the art of grilling burgers.
I aimed to craft a meal that is easy to throw together, flavorful enough to stand up to the person who adds any condiments to his or her burger, and yet balanced enough to please and satisfy even the minimalist burger eaters, like those who like ketchup only.
Read on for some basic yet very crucial information that will help you grill burgers like a pro!
1. Best Ground Beef to Buy
A burger can be seasoned a hundred ways to Sunday, but seasonings aren’t the star of the burger, the beef is. For a juicy, hearty, flavorful burger, avoid the extra-lean ground beef patty blends and use ground beef with higher fat content.
Ground beef with an 80/20 mix is the most suited for grilled burgers. This simply means that the beef has a mix of 80% lean beef and 20% fat. When you go to the supermarket to shop for beer, you will usually get ground chuck which is perfect for burger patties.
Remember, ground beef with 20 to 25% fat is just about perfect. More fat will cause the burger to fall apart and less fat will result in a dry burger. 80/20 ground chuck is also easily available in the market. However, you can also ask your butcher to grind your blend or grind a higher fat-to-beef ratio.
2. Shaping Burger Patties
There are 2 very important rules to keep in mind when making burger patties:
- Keep the meat cold
- Avoid overcooking the meat
These rules might not seem like anything but in the burger patty-making process, they are very important. You want to keep the beef in the refrigerator until you are ready to form patties. It is important to keep the fat in the beef cold because it will rapidly expand when it hits the heat of the grill, creating tiny flavor pockets inside the patty.
Here are a few simple steps to follow while forming and shaping your burger patty:
- Start by wetting your hand with cold water. This will keep the meat from sticking to your warm hands.
- Cup the portioned beef in your hands to form a lightly-packed ball. Be careful not to overpack it. This can lead to a very dense burger.
- Press the ball down into a disk that is about 1-inch thick and just over 3-inches wide. Use your thumb to smooth out the edges.
- If you want perfectly round patties, you can also use a tool.
- You can also press the beef down using the lip of a large sour cream container or a peanut butter jar lid that is lined with plastic wrap.
- Once shaped, pop the patties back into the refrigerator to ensure the meat remains cold. However, before you do that, press a small indentation into the center of the patty. Creating this dimple will ensure that the patty is cooked evenly when placed on the grill.
- If you plan on using a cast-iron skillet, make a doughnut hole in the center of the patty to ensure even cooking.
3. Tips & Tricks for Grilling the Perfect Burgers
While there are tons of grilling tactics around, there are only a few that result in a truly great, juicy burger. Here are some tips and tricks that might come in handy when you fire up some burger patties on the grill:
Let the Patties ChillMaking burger patties well in advance and refrigerating them allows the patty to hold better shape and stay intact while grilling. Make sure you don’t overhandle the patties as they can compress the meat and start to melt the fat.
Stick Your Thumb InPress your thumb into the center of the prepared burger to make a dimple. This will keep it from bulging as it grills. This will keep your burger patty nice and flat on the grill.
Oil the BurgersBrush the burgers with olive oil before you place them on the grill. This will ensure that the burgers don’t stick on the grill and will take on a nice sear, sealing the juices inside the patty.
Do Not Push on a BurgerFor some reason it is commonly seen that people push down on the burger with a grilling spatula. DO NOT DO THIS. This only squeezes out the juices that are supposed to keep the patty moist and tender.
Turn it OnceFor the best results, turn a burger patty the fewest times possible. I recommend you start with a hot grill, allowing a 2-3 minutes sear on one side and then flipping it to fully cook the opposite side. This will ensure that the burger is intact and remains juicy.
Check the TemperatureThe best way to check the internal temperature of the patty is by using an instant-read meat thermometer. You need to ensure that the internal temperature has reached 160 degrees. Remember, that the meat will continue to cook for some time even once it is removed from the gill. So you want to take it off when it has reached 3-5 degrees under the desired internal temperature.
Let the Burgers RestOnce the burgers are done, take them off the grill and place them on a platter to rest. Let the patties sit for about 5 minutes before serving. This will ensure that all the juices have been absorbed by the patty and remain juicy and tender.
4. How Long Does it Take to Grill Burgers?
The grilling time for burgers depends on the desired level of doneness you would like to achieve. In general, you can follow these grilling times:
|
Level of Doneness |
Time |
Internal Temperature |
|
Rare Burgers |
4 minutes total |
125 degrees F |
|
Medium-Rare Burgers |
5 minute total |
135 degrees F |
|
Medium Burgers |
6-7 minutes total |
145 degrees F |
|
Well-Done Burgers |
8-9 minutes total |
160 degrees F |
With all this being said, ultimately it all boils down to how hot your grill is and how thick the patty is. As per my experience, 1-inch thick, 4-inch diameter patties are medium done at 5 minutes and well done at 6 minutes total.
5. Detailed Method: How to Grill Burgers?
|
Easy Steps to Follow |
|
Step 1: Use cold ground beef |
|
|
Step 2: Mix in butter |
|
|
Step 3: Don’t overwork the meat |
|
|
Step 4: Season the burgers liberally |
|
|
Step 5: Use a clean grill |
|
|
Step 6: Heat your grill |
|
|
Step 7: Wait to flip |
|
|
Step 8: Avoid flare-ups |
|
|
Step 9: Let the burgers be |
|
|
Step 10: Add cheese at the end |
|
|
Step 11: Serve with your favorite side! |
|
6. Easy Recipe: Grilled Burgers
Now that your know how to grill fantastic burgers, here’s one my favorite easy-peasy Grilled Burger recipes that will elevate the meal and leave your guests wanting more!
|
Grilled Burgers |
|||
|
Prep Time 10 mins |
Cook Time 5 mins |
Total Time 15 mins |
Servings 6 burgers |
|
Ingredients |
|
|
Ground Beef |
|
|
Ingredients |
|
|
Cooking Instructions |
|
|
Step 1: Set up the cooking station |
|
|
Step 2: Make the burger mix |
|
|
Step 3: Shape the burger patties |
|
|
Step 4: Heat the grill |
|
|
Step 5: Grill the burgers |
|
|
Step 6: Add the cheese and toast the buns |
|
|
Step 7: Rest the burgers |
|
|
Step 8: Assemble and serve! |
|
7. Best Tools to Use When Grilling
1. BBQ Pitmaster and Meat Knife 8”
For all those who love to fire up a grill and host some delicious barbecues, this is the knife meant for you. The meticulously crafted blade is perfect for slicing, butchering, and serving all types of meats.
Pros:
- The blade features a unique forked front end that is ideal for flipping meat directly on the grill.
- If you enjoy a chilled beer while grilling the burger patties, this knife also has a bottle opener on the spine of the blade.
- The handle is designed to provide maximum comfort when working the grill and reduce wrist fatigue, making it possible for you to work longer with the blade.
Cons:
- This blade can get intimidating if you are new to grilling or cooking.
-
The blade comes with a high price tag which can get too steep especially if you are an occasional griller.
2. BBQ Pitmaster Knife 9”
The stunning knife with a screamingly sharp cutting edge is engineered for optimal maneuverability. Designed to look sleek, aggressive, and muscular, this knife is designed to work tirelessly by your side in your culinary journey.
- This knife provides excellent edge retention, ensuring clean and precise cuts of meat.
- The blade ensures the perfect balance between resilience and performance, creating minimal food drag. This means, lesser flesh damage when slicing the grilled meat.
- The knife is also corrosion-resistant, making sure it lasts you a lifetime.
- A 9” knife can get too big to handle, especially if you are a new cook.
- While not as exorbitant as the previous recommendation, the price of this knife is also on the higher side. If you are still practicing grilling, you would want to go for a less intimidating blade size.
3. Butcher and Breaking Cimiter Knife 8”
Pros:
- Expertly slice through flesh, break through cartilage, and trim fat from beef, pork, poultry, fish, and other meats with great ease.
- The pointed end of the blade also allows this knife to be used to flip burger patties when grilling.
- This knife is highly impervious to heat and moisture, making it a great tool to use around a fired-up grill.
Cons:
- If you are a frequent griller, I recommend you invest in one of the BBQ pitmaster knives as they are designed to flip beef patties and other meats on the grill.
- The blade of this knife is narrow, so if you are looking for a knife that will also help your transfer food to the pot from the board, you would like to go for a wider blade butcher and breaking knife.
4. Butcher and Breaking Knife 10”
This butcher and breaking knife is an essential tool in any butcher or seasoned chef’s kitchen arsenal. Not only does this effortlessly tear through large cuts of beef, pork, and other poultry but can also be used to slice swiftly, trim briskets, and break down larger chunks of meat.
Pros:
- The full tang of the knife provides incredible robustness and strength to the blade.
- Though big and ferocious, this knife is very simple to maintain as it cleans easily.
- The rock-hollow divots are designed to reduce surface contact, ensure minimal flesh damage while slicing or portioning.
Cons:
- This knife has a 10” blade that can require some getting used to. If you are new to the kitchen, you can also go for another shorter blade to get started.
-
This knife can be a bit pricey, especially if you don’t grill or BBQ that often.
5. Carving Knife & Fork Set 9”
If you want to ensure that every roast, every brisket, every turkey burger, and every ham is perfectly and evenly sliced with minimal effort, then this set is built for you.
Pros:- The set includes a full tang carving fork that is designed to secure meat for carving and transferring the beautiful slices to the dinner plate.
- The ultra-sharp blade of the knife ensures outstanding performance and slices through meat like butter.
- The honing rod is added to the set to ensure that you are forever ready to fire up the grill and excel in the kitchen.
- This set might seem a little excessive for someone who has no idea what they are doing.
- For a seasoned chef, this blade might not be long enough, and would want to use a 10” blade when grilling their burger patties.
8. Frequently Asked Questions
How long do you cook burgers on the grill?
For rare burgers, cook for 4 minutes total (125 degrees F)
For medium-rare burgers, cook for 5 minutes total (135 degrees F)
For medium burgers, cook for 6-7 minutes total (145 degrees F)
For well-done burgers, cook for 8-9 minutes total (160 degrees F)
How long should I grill burgers on each side?
For a rare burger, cook for 2 minutes per side (4 minutes in total).For medium-rare burgers, cook for 2 minutes and 30 seconds per side (5 minutes in total)
For medium burgers, cook for 3 to 3½ minutes per side (6-7 minutes in total)
For well-done burgers, cook for 4 to 4½ minutes per side (8-9 minutes in total)
How do you grill burgers on a propane grill?
- Turn the propane on. Then ignite the burners to high heat.
- Brush the grates with a grill brush if necessary.
- Close the lid and heat the grill until it reaches about 400 degrees F.
- Reduce the heat to medium-high or about 375 degrees and place the burgers on the grill.
- Close the lid
- and cook until the burgers reach the desired doneness.
Check Out Dalstrong's BBQ Favorites
