Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®
Tips for Cooking the Best Hamburgers 8 Tips for Making Juicy Burgers Every Time
INGREDIENTS
•
By Laura Dolson
•
Updated April 03, 2016
•
A good burger seems like the essence of simplicity. But if you've ever turned out burgers that were more like dry, flavorless hockey pucks than juicy, beefy patties, you know that things can go wrong. With these eight easy tips for grilling the perfe
•
1) Select the Best Meat
•
Burger authorities agree: the best, juiciest burgers are made from ground beef chuck, which is about 20 percent fat.
•
Less fat makes a drier burger (although there are still ways to turn leaner meat into a good burger...read on for tips). Meat labeled "ground beef" or "hamburger" can be up to 30 percent fat, and can be a combination of different cuts of meat.
•
2) Coarse Grind
•
Select a piece of chuck and have your butcher grind it (even if you're buying meat at a supermarket, the butcher department should be able to help you). Ask for a "coarse" grind. Or, for the freshest burger, grind your own with a meat grinder or puls
•
3) Don't Handle the Meat Too Much
•
The heat from your hands begins to melt the fat and makes the patty too dense. Move it lightly from hand to hand and loosely make a patty 3/4- to 1-inch thick (no thicker, or you'll have to cook it too long).
•
4) Don't Press Down on the Burgers When Cooking
•
Pressing down on the burgers during cooking makes for a denser burger, and also squeezes the juices out of the meat. Don't do it.
•
5) Make an Indentation in the Top
•
Have you noticed that your burgers tend to form rounded tops when cooking, causing the condiments to slide off?
•
So did the folks at America's Test Kitchen. They found that by pushing down slightly in the center, creating a round area about 1/4 inch lower than the surrounding meat, made the burger come out flat. Use the back of a spoon or bend your first two fi
•
6) Try Different Types of Meats, or a Combination
•
Almost any kind of ground meat can be used to make burgers -- you can even mix together different ones. Some interesting combos: pork with beef, chicken with lamb, or even buffalo with beef. For flavor, try mixing some fresh sausage into the meat.
•
7) Adding Flavors to the Meat
•
Many people just want great beef, straight up, with salt and pepper. But it's also fun to add flavors, and if you are using leaner ground beef, you can add things that also lend moisture. Note: When adding other ingredients to ground meat, use a spoo
•
Finely minced vegetables such as onion, mushrooms, or mild chiles are especially good for adding moisture to lean meat. You can also take a lean cut of meat and add some olive oil for good fat, although this will cook faster than meats that are natur
•
More Tips on Cooking Low Fat Burgers from Fiona Haynes
•
Liquids: Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce are perhaps the two most common liquids to add to burgers. Most recipes call for about a tablespoon of liquid per pound of meat, but recipes vary: some use just a teaspoon, others two tablespoons. Wine is a
•
Spices: Other than salt and pepper, almost any spice in the cabinet is a good addition. Garlic or onion powder is probably the most common, but you can try anything from chili powder to Asian spices to Middle Eastern to packets of salad dressing mix
•
8) Use a Hot Grill or Pan
•
Get the grill or pan really hot. If using lean meat, oil the grill or put a little oil in the pan. Put the burger in and don't move it until it naturally releases. Some people turn it at this point (and then flip again later). Others cook for 2 to 4
•
If you have a thermometer, cook until the meat is 160° F., unless you have fresh meat ground at home. In that case, you can take them off around 140 degrees if you like a more flavorful burger.
►
ADVERTISEMENT