Choose ground chuck, sirloin, or round for burgers

Choosing the Meat – Despite any seasoning you add to your burger, or the toppings you pile on, a great burger depends mainly on the meat that you use. Traditional beef burgers can be made from chuck, sirloin or round cuts of beef. As you choose your meat, keep in mind that fat is essential for a good hamburger. The marbling of fat in ground beef keeps the meat juicy during the cooking process, aids in release from the grill and adds essential flavor. For the juiciest, tastiest burgers, aim for meat that is 20% fat. As your burger cooks, the fat will cook off, so going below 20% puts your burger at risk for drying out and losing flavor. On labels, fat content is given as a percentage of leanness. For example, meat that is 93% lean contains 7% fat. To find 20% fat content, look for a label that reads 80% lean. Buy meat that has a fresh, bright color from a reputable source.

Waring Die Cast Meat Grinder
Adjust-A-Burger Press
Remote Thermometer
Deluxe Mini Burger Grill Set

Grinding and Chopping – Ground meats are readily available at any grocer, however, choosy cooks are increasingly opting to buy their own cuts of meat and grind them at home. This gives you the ultimate control over food safety, texture and fat content. Home grinding also allows you to combine different styles of meat to create blends of flavors and textures. You may use a grinder attachment on your mixer to accomplish this, or use razor-sharp knives to chop the meat finely.

Shaping the Patties – Weigh your meat to ensure uniform cooking, and keep in mind that as your burger cooks, it will shrink. A good rule of thumb is to start with a burger patty that is 10% larger than your bun. A burger press ensures a firmly packed burger with uniform diameter and thickness. If the burger is not packed, it may fall apart on your grill. If you don’t have a burger press, use a plate to apply uniform pressure. Once the burger is pressed, go around the edges and pack them in. Your burgers can be thick or thin, but keep in mind that a small, thick burger will end up shaped more like a golf ball than a burger once it shrinks down on the grill.

Moisten hands with water for less stickiness when forming patties

Seasoning the Meat – For maximum flavor, season from the inside out. Your beef should be well seasoned throughout the ground beef mixture. Experiment with different flavor combinations, or keep it simple and use a steak seasoning blend. Just before cooking, season the exterior of your burger with salt and pepper.

Grilling and Cooking – The best burger method is to start the meat on high to sear and then reduce the heat to finish cooking. Pre-heat your grill on high, and if possible, leave one section on low. Place the burger on the grill over direct heat and sear for about 2 minutes to caramelize the natural sugars and create great flavor. The burger should release from the grate when it is ready to turn. Flip the burger over and sear an additional 2 minutes on the other side. Continue flipping every 2 minutes until your burger is caramelized and seared on both sides. Move the meat to a lower temperature zone and allow the meat to cook to the desired doneness. Never press down on your patties, as this squeezes out the juices.

Grill hamburgers to 160 F over a medium-hot grill

Testing Doneness – Temperature is the most accurate and only sure way to know how done your meat is. An instant read thermometer is perfect for checking your burgers, which should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. But keep in mind that as meat rests, it will continue to increase in temperature, with burgers gaining between 5 and 10 degrees. Be sure to allow for heat gain so that your food is not overcooked. This robs the burger of flavor and yields a dry piece of meat.

Serving Fresh – As hungry as you might be given the swirling aromas, allow the finished burgers to set for a few minutes to that the juices can be reabsorbed into the meat. Use this waiting time to grill the buns to a perfect golden toast.

Smokey Sweet Chipotle Grill Sauce Fallot Dijon Mustard
Explore our Gourmet Condiments for easy Burger customization

Open nearly any refrigerator in America and you'll find in the door shelves a container of ketchup and at least one type of mustard. But what do we know about these ubiquitous condiments?

Ketchup tops the list of condiments, no question. Originally, the word, ketchup, described any number of sauces. The term's meaning settled on the tomato-based sauce by the early 1800s. Henry J. Heinz developed today's ketchup sauce and set the standard for flavor and texture by the turn of the 20th century. His secret was to use ripe tomatoes, pickle them with vinegar, and then concentrate the sauce. Ketchup is considered good if it is thick, does not separate, and, of course, tastes great. The secret to ketchup's huge fan base lies in its ingredients. Ketchup contains tomato, vinegar, sugar, salt, spices, and herbs. This mélange of flavors hits all of our taste buds - sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and the fifth taste, umami. With all cylinders firing at once, no wonder ketchup registers pleasure in our mouths.

Mustard holds second place on the post-grill table. While ketchup seems to be, well, ketchup, mustard sports a host of personalities that project distinctly different flavors and effects. All mustards start with the humble mustard seed, the fruit of the mustard plant. Mustard seed or dry mustard powder does not have any potency on its own, but when combined with water or liquid, heat emerges. The cooler the liquid used in mustard preparation, the hotter the mustard. Hot water breaks down the heat component during mustard making and later during roasting or grilling. Vinegar, water, and spice mixed with the ground mustard seed complete the condiment. There are four common types of mustard each with many variations: