It’s summer! Time to fire up that grill!
You don’t have to be a burger connoisseur to truly appreciate a properly cooked, tantalizingly juicy burger. But most people seem to agree that homemade burgers are so different from fast food burgers that they are practically a different thing entirely. When I was a kid learning how to grill, I LOVED to press our burgers with the flat back of the spatula. But the sizzle you hear as you see juices running down the sides of the burger into the flames below isn’t worth it! Leave the juices inside the burger and enjoy them with your tastebuds. It’s much more satisfying. We love to cook on the grill during the summer months, and it’s not just burgers. Some of our other favorite things to grill are blackened salmon tacos, sides like grilled corn salad, and even dessert like grilled peaches with ice cream! In this post I’m sharing all my tips, tricks, and knowledge for making the best burgers ever on your backyard grill, whether you use charcoal or gas. If you are one of those people who don’t want to read a whole post full of tips and tricks, here are the three biggest takeaways, then you can just jump to the recipe and get to work.
Don’t overhandle the meat Flip the burgers just once Never press on the burgers with a spatula while they are grilling
For more detail and info on the WHY behind each of these tips, keep reading!
How to make burgers
I don’t recommend using preformed patties. Frozen or not, pre-made patties from the store are never as good as hand-formed patties made with fresh ground beef. For the best, juiciest burgers, you will want to buy fresh ground beef and shape the burger patties by hand. Here’s how!
Choose the right meat
When it comes to beef burgers, you want a meat that isn’t too lean so the burgers will have the best flavor and stay juicy. While I prefer lean ground beef for other recipes, when making burgers my preference is 80/20, or 85/15 at the most. Freshly ground beef is best. You can even ask the butcher at the store to grind the meat fresh for you, or do it at home using a meat grinder and using sirloin, chuck, and/or brisket, which all have good flavor and a good fat to meat ratio.
Gently press the burgers into patties
Divide your ground beef into the number of burgers you want to make so they will all be a uniform size. Our preference is to make burgers that are around 1/3-pound each. Use your hands to gently press the burgers into flat patties of an even thickness about 1/2-inch larger than the buns you plan to use. Try not to overwork the meat, but it’s okay to squeeze it together a bit around the edges so the burger doesn’t crumble when transferring it to the grill. Make a small indentation in the center of each burger with your thumb. This will help the burgers cook more evenly and not puff up on the grill.
Season the burgers well
This might be divisive, but I recommend only seasoning the OUTSIDE of the meat, rather than mixing the seasoning into the meat. It helps the meat develop a flavorful crust and you still get the flavor in every bite. This approach also helps avoid overworking the meat. A generous sprinkle of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides of the burger makes a world of difference. Those larger kosher salt crystals do a much better job of drawing the moisture out of a burger, resulting in a juicier burger with better flavor than one seasoned with regular table salt. Even if this is all you do to your burgers, you will be amazed at what a difference you see in the final result. You can also use your favorite burger seasonings or rubs from other recipes. Cajun seasoning, BBQ rubs, Montreal steak seasoning, and other blends can all make for excellent burgers. I tend to like spice blends with a little garlic in them, but be sure to watch out for rubs or spice blends with a lot of salt in them. You may need to adjust your base seasoning of salt and pepper for this by using a little bit less. Season the meat before putting it on the grill and try to sprinkle the salt and pepper from at least 10 inches above the burger patties for more even coverage.
Grill temp for burgers
When grilling burgers, you want the grill temperature to be around medium-high to high heat, which is around 375 to 400 degrees F. Many gas grills have built in thermometers, but often they tend to be not super reliable. You can get an inexpensive grilling thermometer to help you dial in your temperature for easier grilling and more consistent results.
How long to cook burgers on grill
If the grill is properly heated, most burgers are going to take around 6 to 10 minutes on the grill, especially if you are going for a nice medium cook with just a hint of pink inside. Keep in mind that you might need more or less time depending on how large your burgers are and the temperature of your meat and grill when you start cooking them. The USDA guidelines for ground beef call for cooking to 160 degrees F, although the temperature will rise about 5 degrees after removing from the grill, so you can pull them off sooner than that at 155 degrees F and rely on this “carryover cooking” residual heat to help them get the rest of the way there. Plan on 3-5 minutes for each side, flipping only once, for the burgers to char nicely and cook through but still have just a little bit of pink in the middle, which is how I like them. If you prefer burgers that are medium-well or well done, they will just need to grill a couple minutes longer. As a general guide, here is how long burgers take to cook to reach a desired level of doneness:
Rare: 5-6 minutes total Medium-rare: 6-7 minutes total Medium: 8-9 minutes total Medium-well to well-done: 9+ minutes total
Do you need a binder?
Sometimes people feel like they need to add an egg or breadcrumbs or something to make ground beef it stick together better on the grill, but it really is unnecessary. Stick with just the ground beef and seasonings for the best burger experience. I find that that burgers made that way come out much juicier than burgers made with a binder. Besides, hand-shaped patty made with beef with a 15-20% fat content will hold together just fine on the grill all on its own.
Can you make burgers ahead of time?
You can shape and season your burger patties up to 6 hours in advance and keep them in the fridge covered in plastic wrap until you are ready to grill. I recommend letting them sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes first though to take off the chill before they hit the hot grill for more even cooking.
My tips & tricks for the best burgers
Do you grill burgers with the lid open or closed?
I always close the lid when grilling my burgers, but truthfully, when cooking things like burgers over high heat, the lid doesn’t make much of a difference. Mostly I find it helpful to make sure the cheese is completely melted. And it also helps to put the lid back on when dealing with windy conditions, which we often have where we live.
What to do if the weather really won’t cooperate
We personally prefer burgers that are grilled outside, but sometimes that’s just not possible when the weather is bad. In that case, you can always make air fryer hamburgers, which are almost just as good, or make your burgers indoors in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. Just drizzle a little olive oil into a heavy duty pan set over high heat, then sear like the burgers by placing them in the pan and leaving them alone! Treat them like you would any good steak and don’t move them around for at least 3-5 minutes so they can develop a nice crust on one side before flipping and cooking on the other side, just like on the grill.
Burger construction: building a better burger
Once you have your burger game in place, think about the condiments and toppings you want to serve with them. Ketchup, mustard, and mayo are all traditional, with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles for classic burger fixings. Soft, pillowy burger buns make such a huge difference in your burger game, so don’t waste your time on boring, stale buns from the store. Brioche buns are the best for burgers, in my opinion, but potato rolls are good too. We love our buns toasted on the grill during the last minute or two of cooking our burgers! I’m probably the last person to realize this, but I recently learned that if you place your lettuce under the burger it will help keep the bottom bun from getting soggy.
Don’t forget the toppings!
How to Make Aioli Crispy Fried Onion Strings Oven Baked Bacon Bacon Jam Alabama White BBQ Sauce Other favorite BBQ sauce Sauteed mushrooms Caramelized onions
Our Favorite Gourmet Burgers
Grilled Poblano Pepper Southwest Burgers Cilantro Bomb Burger Hawaiian Teriyaki Pineapple Burgers Juicy Lucy Burgers Juicy Bison Burgers Bacon Jam Burgers Soy-Glazed Mushroom Swiss Burgers
More Favorites from House of Nash Eats
All-American Hamburger with Crispy Onion Strings & Burger Sauce
Red, White, and Blueberry Bacon Burger with Basil Aioli
Elote Burger
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
