The Perfectly Grilled Burger
We have all seen it happen if we’ve watch Uncle Buck attempt to cook hamburgers at
the family cookout.  It is the infamous “press.”  Yep you got it.  He takes his fancy
$30 custom stainless steel spatula with the cool bottle opener on the end of the
handle, and he presses down on the hamburger patty while it is on the grill causing a
flame-up.  If you were to ask him why he does such a crazy thing, he will most likely
tell you he is squeezing the grease out of the patty.  This begs the question, “Why
didn’t you buy lean meat in for first place.”  This grilling faux pas is commonly seen in
many restaurants as well as backyards, but it is the worst thing to do to a potentially
good burger.

What he is actually doing is squeezing the moisture (water), flavor and life out of the
meat.  This is because the fat has a greater likelihood to hold onto the meat, as it is
less volatile than water at the cooking temperatures on a grill, which should be about
550 F.

So how do you make the perfect burger?  Here are my basic rules for providing my
customers and clients with a delectable burger.
  1. Use fresh ground beef with a fat content of 20%.  Anything less will produce a
    dry burger.  For added flavor use a 25% blend of ground pork with your
    ground beef.
  2. Season the meat as desired, carefully mixing the meats, bread crumbs, and
    pepper with the tines of a fork, but do not mash them.
  3. Don’t overwork (or kneed) the meat when mixing/combining, or else the burger
    will become too dense and dry coming off the grill.
  4. Lightly form hamburger patties and press lightly into shape, making them
    thinner in the center than the edges.  This will make the burgers flatter as the
    patty swells during cooking.  Make the patties at least ½” to 3/4” thick.
  5. Make sure your grill is hot.  If you can hold your hand over the grill for more
    than 2 seconds, it is not hot enough.  
  6. Grease the grill lightly, just before you place the patties on the grill
  7. Cook the burger for about 4 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the
    second side. Flip only once.
  8. Remove the patties from the grill and allow them to rest for five minutes.
  9. During these five minutes, toast the buns by placing them on the grill, cut side
    down.
  10. Assemble, as you like.


The Don’ts --
  1. NO pressing!!!!!!
  2. NO cutting into it to see if it is cooked.  This only drains the life juices from
    what was potentially the world’s best burger.
  3. NO constant flipping, this just dries out the burger as the flipping does not
    allow the surface temperature of the patty to get hot enough to caramelize.
  4. NO excessively fatty meat, or else the patty will fall apart.
  5. NO excessively lean meat, or else the patty will be dry and hard.


Happy Grilling,
Personal Chef David Hall
Copyright 2010, Thyme for a Chef, LLC.  All rights reserved.