How to Cook the Perfect Burger

Pictured here: Vermont Cheddar Burger, topped with white cheddar cheese and maple-glazed onions.

If you have a craving for a delicious, juicy burger, don’t look for takeout – homemade is the way to go. Read on to learn our time-tested method for making flavorful, grilled, broiled, or skillet-cooked hamburgers.

The Right Type of Ground Beef for Burgers

The first step to making great-tasting burgers is to be sure that your meat is freshly ground, whether you’re buying it already ground or planning to grind it yourself.

• Fat-to-lean ratio: When buying ground beef for making burgers, it’s important to consider the fat-to-lean ratio. Leaner is not better in this case, and our recommendation for juicy burgers is ground chuck, marked 80% lean / 20% fat.
• Freshness counts: Ground meat loses moisture rather quickly, so if you’re buying ground beef at the store, check and make sure it was just ground that day. For ultimate freshness, follow the instructions below and grind your beef at home. Meat grinders come in a wide range of styles and prices, or you can simply use a food processor.

How to Grind Beef at Home

Here are some guidelines for grinding your own beef:

• Shopping for beef: In keeping with our recommendation for an 80:20 fat-to-lean ratio, a small chuck roast (2 to 2-1/2 pounds) is your best choice for grinding.
• Prepare the meat for grinding: Cut the meat into 1/2-inch cubes, and don’t trim away the fat. Place the beef cubes in a plastic bag and freeze them for 30 minutes. This deep chilling prevents the fat from getting too soft, resulting in less dense and, consequently, juicier patties.
• Meat grinder: If you’re using a meat grinder, choose a grinding blade with 1/4-inch holes and freeze that along with the meat to keep everything as cold as possible. Grind the meat according to the instructions for your particular grinder.
• Food processor: If you’re using a food processor, freeze the blade along with the meat, then pulse the cubes in small batches, just long enough to mince it into pieces slightly larger than grains of rice. In order to avoid overprocessing, only “grind” about 1/4 to 1/3 of a pound at a time. You don’t want to end up with a paste.

Note: For our recipes, we bought a small chuck roast (about 2-1/4 lbs), cubed it, and ground it using an attachment for our stand mixer.

Preparing Burgers for Cooking

• Form and season the patties: Divide the ground beef into equal portions and form each into a loosely packed ball. Gently flatten each ball into a patty that’s about 3/4″ thick.
• Make an indentation in the center: We’ve all seen grilled burgers that end up being too small for the bun, dry around the edges, and puffed up in the center. This happens because the edges cook more quickly and contract, squeezing the center of the patty and making it thicker. The simple solution for this is to form a patty with a thinner center and thicker edges. Many recipes tell you to make a thumbprint in the middle of the burger, but that won’t be large enough in diameter to help. Instead, use two or three fingertips and gently make a larger indentation. Your burger patties should resemble a shallow saucer.
• Chill the burgers: Chill the patties for at least 30 minutes before cooking. The colder the patty is when it hits the grill, the juicier your burger will be when it’s done.

How to Grill Burgers

Here are our tips for grilling perfect burgers. If you get rained out or don’t have a grill, no worries – check out our instructions for broiling or cooking burgers in a skillet below.

• Preheat and oil the grates: Thoroughly preheat your grill to medium-high heat (400 to 425°F) and liberally oil the grates.
• Season the burger patties: Lightly season the burgers just before placing them on the grill, indentation side up.
• When to flip: Be careful not to flip your burgers too soon. Keep a careful eye on them and grill until some juices bead on the top before flipping, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Test for doneness: Continue grilling, checking the internal temperature of the burgers with an instant-read thermometer after 1 minute. Burgers are done when they reach an internal temperature of 125°F for medium-rare, 135°F for medium, and 145°F for medium-well.
• Add the cheese: As soon as your burgers reach the desired internal temperature, add a slice of cheese and continue cooking just long enough for the cheese to melt, 20 to 30 seconds.
• Let the burgers rest: Just like with steak, you should always allow grilled burgers to rest for 5 minutes before serving. This allows the meat to reabsorb its juices.
• Have your buns and toppings ready: Toast your buns while the burgers rest, and have your toppings ready, so you can serve them immediately.

How to Broil Burgers

You don’t have to own a grill to make great burgers. Here are our instructions for broiling.

• Preheat the broiler: Position a rack 3 inches below the element (or flame) and preheat your broiler for at least 10 minutes on high. Line a broiler pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Broil the burgers: Arrange the burgers on the foil-lined pan, indentation side up, and season with salt and pepper. Broil for 3 minutes, then flip.
• Test for doneness: Continue broiling, checking the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer after 1-1/2 minutes. Remove the burgers once they reach an internal temperature of 125°F for medium-rare, 135°F for medium, and 145°F for medium-well.
• If adding cheese: As soon as your burgers reach the desired internal temperature, add a slice of cheese and place it back under the broiler just long enough for the cheese to melt, 20 to 30 seconds.
• Let the burgers rest: Give the burgers a few minutes to reabsorb their juices by letting them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• Have your buns and toppings ready: Toast your buns while the burgers rest, and have your toppings ready to serve immediately.

How to Cook Burgers in a Skillet

Skillet-cooked burgers are every bit as tasty as grilled or broiled. Here’s how to do it:

• Preheat the skillet: Add about 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to a 12-inch skillet, swirl to coat, and preheat on medium-high just until the oil begins to smoke.
• Cook the burgers: Transfer the burger patties to the skillet, indentation side up, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
• Flip and test for doneness: Flip the patties, top with cheese (if using), and use an instant-read thermometer to monitor doneness, 125°F for medium-rare, 135°F for medium, and 145°F for medium-well.
• Let the burgers rest: Give the burgers a few minutes to reabsorb their juices by letting them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• Have your buns and toppings ready: Toast your buns while the burgers rest, and have your toppings ready to serve immediately.

Pro Tips for Cooking Burgers

• Don’t flatten the patties: No matter which method you use for cooking your burgers, never press or flatten them. This squeezes out all of the juices, increases the possibility of flare-ups on the grill, and can result in a dry, dense burger.
• Use an instant-read thermometer: Cooking times will vary depending on the size and thickness of your burgers, the heat intensity of your grill, broiler, or skillet, and your personal taste regarding doneness. As a general rule of thumb, a 3/4-inch thick burger, cooked over medium-high heat will take about 5 to 7 minutes to cook. Test the center of the burger with an instant-read thermometer:
  • 125°F for medium-rare
  • 135°F for medium
  • 145°F for medium-well
• Note: The CDC recommends that consumers cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160°F.

More Burger Recipes

• Vermont Cheddar Burgers
• Grilled Hawaiian Burger
• Chimichurri Burger