You can choose leaner meat if you prefer. Leaner meat isn’t ideal for burgers as they are often cooked at very high temperatures. Meat with a low fat content can become dry when grilled. If you can’t get freshly ground beef, choose beef with a bright pink color. Ground meat that is starting to turn gray has likely been sitting on the shelf longer. Try ground chicken or turkey if you are looking to avoid beef. You can also use pre-formed frozen burger patties.
Handle the meat as little as possible. The heat from your hands can actually melt the fat of the burger resulting in a denser patty. Vary the amount of seasoning based on your preference. Try adding some ground sage or chili powder. If you have started with frozen patties, you can season them as they cook. If you salt at the end only, it will just sit on the surface and not taste seasoned.
Use your thumb or a spoon to make a shallow indentation (about 1 and 1/2 inches wide) in the center of your patty. This can help your patty cook more evenly and prevent it from puffing up in the center. Your patty will shrink a little when cooking. Use your hamburger buns as a reference and form the patties to extend just a little bit past the diameter of the buns. This will create even patties that better fit your buns when cooked. You can get as technical as you want, weighing and using molds, but you can also eyeball the patties and press them with your bare hands if you prefer. If you have particularly hot hands, this method can melt some of the much needed fat that will make your burger juicy. An overworked patty will be dry and chewy.
You can use any coals for grilling. Self-lighting coals are generally easier to work with.
It doesn’t take a lot of lighter fluid to get your fire going. You will only need about 1. 6 ounces of lighter fluid per pound of charcoal.
Avoid charring the meat and pressing it down with a spatula. This will squeeze all the delicious juices out. During the cooking process, you will see flare-ups. Don’t be alarmed. Flare-ups result from fat dripping into the flame. Move the burgers to the cooler side of the grill if the flames get too high. Move them back when the flames go down.
You can lightly butter the inside of your buns before toasting if you’d like. Watch the buns closely as they can burn easily.
Remove one burger and cut into it. For medium-rare, the inside should be pinkish, but not bloody. Use an instant-read meat thermometer. The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 160 °F (71 °C).
You may see flare-ups during cooking. Flare-ups are caused by the burger fat dripping into the flames below. Carefully move your patties to a higher rack or cooler side of the grill until the flames subside. On a gas grill, you will find the cooler areas on higher racks, or along the edges of your grill, away from the flame.
Cook for about 3 1/2 minutes for medium-rare. Your burger is done when you reach an internal temperature of 130 to 135° F (55 to 57° C). Cook for 4 minutes for medium. Your burger is done when you reach an internal temperature of 135 to 150° F (57 to 65° C). Cook for 4 minutes or longer for medium well. Your burger is done when you reach an internal temperature of 150 to 165° F (65 to 74° C). Your burger is well done when it’s internal temperature reaches 165° F (74° C) or greater. [5] X Research source Serve immediately. Add cheese to your burgers in the last minute or so of the cooking process so the cheese has sufficient time to melt. Toast your buns on a cooler side of the grill or a higher rack during the last minute of grilling. Lightly butter the inside of the buns if desired.
If you are using a cast-iron pan, you can speed up the heating process by placing it into a preheated 350° F (176° C) oven for about 20 minutes and removing it with an oven mitt. Starting with a piping hot cast-iron pan is key.
Resist the urge to poke and prod at your patty. Don’t push it down into the pan. Leaving your patty alone will allow for it to form a delicious thick crust that will seal in the flavor.
The last few minutes of cooking is the perfect time to add a slice of cheese. Place a slice of cheese onto your patty and let it get perfectly melted in the last minute or so of cooking. Your burger is medium-rare at an internal temperature of 130 to 135° F (55 to 57° C). Your burger is medium at an internal temperature of 135 to 150° F (57 to 65° C). Your burger is medium well at an internal temperature of 150 to 165° F (65 to 74° C). Your burger is well done at an internal temperature of 165° F (74° C) or greater.
If you are using chicken, turkey, or extra lean meat, mix a few bread crumbs into the patties to help them hold together better on the grill. You can even mix diced onion, garlic, or bell pepper into your patties. Get as creative as you want!
Salt and pepper Finely chopped onion Soy sauce Worcestershire sauce Barbecue sauce Steak sauce
Many people prefer the flavor or meat grilled over hardwood charcoal to traditional briquettes.
