Making burgers is not quite as simple as it seems. From low temperature on the grill and
smashing your burger to overworking the patties, there are a lot of pitfalls out there when
you fire up the grill. These are the biggest mistakes that everyone makes when grilling
burgers.
Smash burgers have been all the rage lately, and many people now think the best way to
make a burger is to press down on it, in order to make it cook fast and get a deeper sear.
That's not the best course of action though. Pushing down on burgers, steak, chicken, or
any other meat actually has some drawbacks and downright risky possibilities, such as
causing grill flare-ups, and it could even potentially lead to a rather tasteless piece
of meat.
When you press down on a piece of meat, you're forcing out the fats and juices that should
be fueling the cooking process. If you press on your burger, you will undoubtedly end up
with a dried out, overdone piece of meat, and that's something no one wants for dinner,
no matter how they like their burger. If you want to properly make smash burgers, you're
going to need some sort of flat grill top at the very least.
There's nothing like the sound of sizzle when a burger goes on to a superhot grill. But
it's about more than just sound — a hotter grill also leads to a better burger.
"Mmm. This is a tasty burger."
For a great grilling experience, you'll want to light the grill correctly and give that
grill adequate time to heat up. Let your grill heat up for a while and make sure the temperature
is getting extremely high. A good rule of thumb is that you shouldn't be able to hold
your hand a few inches above the grill for more than a few seconds. If you're using charcoal,
you want them to all be grey before you start cooking.
Cooking on a grill that hasn't reached a good temperature can cause great damage, especially
if you're using ground beef burger patties. Burger patties tend to stick to the grates
of a low heat grill, causing them to fall apart and dry out. The Maillard Reaction - the
chemical change that browns meat and creates the all-important crust - only happens at
very high temperatures.
Basically, unless your grill is hot enough, your beef patties won't sear — they'll just
stick to your grill instead. This is probably one of the easier burger grilling mistakes
to fix, so turn the heat up and wait just a little bit longer before grilling your next
burger.
Stop messing with the burgers when they are on the grill, or you're not going to like
how the finished product looks or tastes in the end. Experts advise that you just place
the burger on the grill and don't touch it.
Chef and Sommelier Laura Pauli says:
"Let it cook for about 3-5 minutes, depending on size and [desired] level of doneness, then
flip only once to finish cooking, never pressing down on the burger."
Your burger will come out much juicier this way, and this also goes for any other meat,
including steak, pork chop or chicken. It's difficult: we tend to want to check on things
that are cooking to make sure nothing is going wrong. With burgers, however, patience is
the best thing you can have when they're cooking. Just lay back a bit, and you'll be the hero
of the barbecue!
"Not bad, matter of fact this is the best burger I've had in years."
It makes sense that seasoning a burger would be good, to add to flavor – but you don't
want to go too far too much in advance.
The trick to creating that perfect balance of flavor in your burger is to buy high quality
meat and keep things simple with the seasoning. A burger is all about showcasing that big,
meaty flavor, so don't skimp on the star!
This doesn't mean you can get crazy with the cheese or sauces and favorite toppings, but
just keep the burger seasoning simple. Salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder should
be more than enough to do the trick.
There's a lot of reasons to try to stay healthy and eat lean, but while trying to buy a leaner,
lower fat burger, you might also be sacrificing flavor. It's all about balance, and a great
grilled burger is not the time to worry about your calorie intake.
Hormel Contributor and New York-based caterer Chef Vanessa Cantave says that 80/20 chuck
is best, but any ground meat with a high fat count should more than do the trick for all
your burger grilling needs.
With that being said, there are definitely healthier burger options out there, including
turkey burgers or even veggie burgers. But if you're going to go for a beef burger, go
for a real burger — or be prepared for it to just not taste the same. Perhaps instead
of going too lean with the burger, consider adding a side of veggies to the meal for balance.
Then you don't have to sacrifice flavor!
Everyone has seen a burger that is big when raw and looks like it's half the size when
cooked. There's a reason for this. Depending on several factors, burgers can often lose
about 30% of their volume as the fat melts during cooking!
The amount of burger shrinkage depends on several factors, but those factors can include
fat content, amount of moisture, and the temperature at which the meat is cooked. Try to keep this
in mind when shaping your patty; you're going to want to build them a little bigger so they
fit your buns after being cooked.
Shaping burgers wide and flat is one of the easiest ways to avoid the hockey puck that
we've all seen.
Try to remember that you're making burgers, not meatloaf or meatballs. A great burger
is going to taste the same from the first bite to the last bite, and that means that
you need to keep the fat evenly distributed within the patty. If you're standing there
constantly mixing and working the ground meat, you will melt and mash a lot of the fat, and
there goes that even distribution. The result could be a pretty dry, drab, tasteless burger
– and that's just a sad waste of chewing!
Keeping that fat distributed also helps the burger to cook more evenly. Overworking can
make your patties completely uneven, leaving you with a burger that's thick in some areas,
thin in others, and too rare in spots but too well done in other spots – leading to
a rather disappointing taste experience overall.
People often take the burger straight from fridge to grill, but that's not the best way
to go when making burgers. The sudden shift from cold to hot can cause the meat to seize
up, leaving a lot to desire from your burger's texture.
Cooking straight from the fridge to the grill also produces uneven cooking: this could mean
a burger that is charred outside and raw inside. It can be tough to plan ahead, but many chefs
recommend letting your meat sit to come to room temperature before grilling. This will
allow you to get an evenly cooked final product with the perfect texture you're craving.
You don't want to overcook those burgers and turn them into hockey pucks, but you also
don't want a bloody mess if someone was hoping for a medium-to-medium-well burger. It's important
to use the proper cooking time, but first you have to know what that proper cooking
time is.
Grilling burgers should be considered to be much like grilling a ribeye steak. None of
this smash burger stuff for the grill just to get the sear as quick as possible — it's
about putting in the time and patience. James Zamory, a chef at Carnal in Bellingham, Washington,
says that cooking your patty slowly and allowing it to rest on the cool side of the grill is
your best bet.
People assume burgers are normally hot and fast, but the properly grilled burger should
take about 30 minutes from start to finish. So, save the smashed patties for the flat
top.
"Yeah, just another beautiful day in paradise."
Another common mistake people make with burgers is taking the burger directly from the grill
onto the bun. We get it, you're hungry and it looks delicious, but that burger is not
yet ready to be enjoyed!
Like any grilled meat, burgers need to rest before they are served. This allows the juices
to redistribute and helps make for a more balanced flavor that won't make as much of
a mess when you bite into it.
When you go directly from grill to bun and eat right away, you're allowing those juices
to escape before they've redistributed throughout the meat. So, let that burger rest. The taste
will be well worth those extra few minutes of waiting.
A recent survey found that nearly 75 percent of burger lovers top their burgers with cheese,
and other toppings were also in the mix, ranging from pickles and lettuce to ketchup, tomatoes,
onions, and mustard. Burgers are fun to build and everyone has a personal mix of their favorite
blend of toppings and fixings — but you don't want to go so far with toppings that
you can't taste the burger!
"One burger with four slice…"
"I'm sorry, we can't do that."
"Just put four slices of cheese on a burger."
Mike Puma, founder of Gotham Burger Social Club, says that two toppings and a sauce should
be the limit. You want to have a burger that is pretty, of course, but it's not like it'll
even be easy to eat if you can't bite into it! Aim for a burger that will fit in your
mouth and one that doesn't have so many toppings that you forget there's a burger inside there.
All the extra toppings can overwhelm the meat… and isn't the meat the point of enjoying a
burger?
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite
foods are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss
a single one.