Everybody has their own method of grilling the perfect hamburger. But sometimes things just don’t work out the way you’d hoped! That’s why I’ve been working to perfect my burger grilling methods…and flavors.
I start with about 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef. 80 or 85 percent seems to be the right ratio of meat to fat for a burger that will hold together nicely, but will not become a hockey puck when cooked.
I dump the meat into a bowl and add several healthy shakes of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and about a tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce. Add some fresh ground black pepper and MIX LIGHTLY to combine. Adjust these ingredients to your own tastes…It’s YOUR burger.
DO NOT OVER-MIX the meat. If making the mixture into four patties, make an X in the meat with your hand and then make each piece of the X into a patty That will insure that each patty is the the same size so they will cook evenly and in the same amount of time.
COOKING TIPS…VERY IMPORTANT…
- Preheat your grill on HIGH…But turn down to MEDIUM when you put the burgers on to cook.
- DO NOT FLIP THEM VERY OFTEN…Especially when you’ve just put them on.
- Make sure the bottom is SEARED before you try to flip…or you will be fishing meat out from under the grates!
- If the burgers stick to the grates…they are NOT ready to flip! Resist the urge and close the lid! (You’ll thank me later!)
- Make a DEEP THUMBPRINT in your burgers!
Have you ever grilled burgers and they come off the grill with a huge HUMP in the middle? Sometimes burgers can almost look like meatballs! To prevent this, make a DEEP thumbprint in the middle of each patty before you place them on the grill. This will keep the burgers flat! TRY IT…It really works!
 |
| See the DEEP thumbprint in the meat? |
 |
| The OTHER side of the Burger…BEAUTIFUL…and FLAT! |
So here is the finished product…served with grilled buns. I also sliced a red onion, added some smashed garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil and wrapped in tin foil to cook with the burgers…a great addition to top the burgers instead of raw onion…
 |
| The Finished Product… |
So burgers don’t have to be dry, and they don’t have to look like meatballs…Give these tricks a try, and I bet your gang will appreciate the efforts. Happy Grilling!
Leave a Reply