There are all kinds of mistakes people make when they are making/cooking a burger that can completely ruin it. Even the highest quality and juiciest meat can turn dry and bland without the right preparation and technique. Continue reading to learn more about how to craft the perfect burger that will blow the minds of the attendees at your next cookout.
The Meat
When you are prepping to cook burgers, you might have the thought to opt for leaner meat. If you want a tasty burger, avoid lean meat. Lean ground beef doesn’t have enough fat content to maximize flavor. Try to buy meat that is 80/20. This is the perfect ratio of fat that can keep your burger flavorful throughout the cooking process. Don’t start rubbing your bare hands all over the meat either. You want to minimize the handling of your meat. Take the ground beef from the packaging and form it into a patty without handling it too much. The more you mess with the beef, the less tender it will be. Ideally, you should opt for cooking with grass-fed beef as it will naturally be much more flavorful with the side benefit of being better for the planet.
Size Is Everything
Your patty should be around a 1/2 an inch wider than your bun. You need to make your patties wider than your bun because meat shrinks during the cooking process. You don’t want your burger looking like a mini patty because you didn’t account for the shrinkage that occurs on the grill. Sticking to the rule of using six ounces of meat made around 3/4 of an inch thick should keep you from making your patties too small. Also, pay attention to the patty’s shape. You want it to be flat in order to be able to hold your toppings on an even level.
Careful Seasoning
You should always be seasoning after you form your patties. Any salt you add to the burger is going to dry out your food. Because of this, you should try to only add it to the top layer of your ground beef rather than working it into the patty itself. Sea salt is always a good choice. You will want to use a pepper grinder that is battery operated because it will allow you to minimize handling of your beef and help you do two things at once. While you might be tempted to over-season your beef, sticking to the basics is actually recommended if you purchased high-quality beef. Therefore, try to stick to sea salt and pepper and allow the meat and toppings to shine.
Prep Work And Cooking
Prior to firing up the grill, you want to ensure the racks are clean. Ideally, you want to clean the grill after each use so it’s ready to go. Scrape off anything with a grill brush and wipe it down. You can use coconut oil to prevent the meat from sticking. While cooking the burgers, avoid the temptation to press down on the burgers. Any time you do this, you squeeze out the fat juices that provide the flavor for the burger.
Now Let’s Talk Toppings
While toppings are certainly subjective, there are three toppings recipes that can offer you exceptional flavor. A bacon cheeseburger paired with a fried egg. Another good one would be a blue cheeseburger with caramelized onions. Lastly, a pepper jack burger with bacon and garlic aioli.
Not looking to try your hand at making the perfect burger? If so, check out this best burger in Newport Beach.