While we all try to do right, we’re lucky to have our very own grilling guardian angel (aka Lisa) to help us get to Hamburger Heaven, a place where all burgers are superior.
Here are Lisa’s Top Burger Tips:
- For a juicy burger, go for a meat mixture of 80/20, a content of 80% lean ground chuck and 20% fat.
- Don’t season the beef with salt until after patties are formed and are about to put on the grill – salt will dissolve muscle and if you add it too far in advance, it’ll draw out the juices and dry out the burgers.
- The meat should be well-chilled, and you should only form patties with cold, wet hands to keep the fat content solid – you don’t want to melt the fat with the heat of your hands.
- When forming patties, work quickly and gently. Over-handling will lead to dense, dry burgers.
- Try for uniform-sized patties for even cooking and gently push your thumb to make a dimple in the center – this way, the patties will maintain their shape and not puff up.
- Once grilling, don’t press down on the burger with the spatula – you’ll squeeze the juices out.
- Flip as much as you like – flipping encourages faster, more even internal cooking and shortens grill time.
- Finally, the surest way to Hamburger Heaven? Try this Chipotle Burger with Creamy Coleslaw.
