While your burgers don’t necessarily have to be made of beef (plenty of delicious fish, veggie and white meat alternatives!), there are important steps you can take to ensure that your patties are the juiciest, tastiest, most mouth-watering burgers out there.
First, it is important to consider the meat. Buying the prepackaged hamburger meat usually can include scraps of questionable quality so you don’t truly know what you’re getting. Buying meat that has been compressed in the tray will help to keep your patties compact and you’ll know exactly what you’re eating. For the absolute best results, buying fresh chuck from a butcher is the way to go.
Often underestimated is the seasoning. Making sure that the seasoning is throughout the meat and not just on top will make for a better tasting burger. It’s important to mix in the seasoning gently so the mixture isn’t compacted too much. While salt and pepper are go-tos, it is often suggested to use those ingredients sparingly and to season more with wet ingredients like minced onion, ketchup or Worcestershire sauce to make the burger juicy.
Keeping portion control in mind is important so that cooking time is equal for all your patties. The best way to get similar sizes is to pull each portion into a loose, round ball and then flatten it until it’s approximately ¾ -1 inch thick. Once the patties are formed, use your thumb or the back of a spoon to press lightly into the top of the patty. This indentation will help to make your burgers level instead of puffing up.
Once your patty hits the grate, your work is not yet done. Make sure that the surface is hot and clean. Close the lid as soon as the patties are on and give them about 8-10 minutes total, flipping only once. This will make for the perfect medium doneness with a delicious crust.
With this, there are no excuses for tasteless, dry burgers when the perfect one is as easy as one, two, three! Your burgers will make you worthy of the title Grill Master.
