How to Grill the Perfect Burgers
Summer time is upon us and there is nothing like throwing some burgers on the grill. Learn all the steps and tips on How to Grill the Perfect Burgers. The results are always juicy and flavorful burgers perfect to serve at any summer barbecue or event.
Ingredients
For Patties:
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 tsp pink sea salt
- 1.5 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 small yellow onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 slices cheddar cheese
- 6 burger buns
Instructions
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Start by lining a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper. Mince garlic and thinly dice onion. Place ground beef in a large mixing bowl and add in your minced garlic and diced onion. Add in the rest of spices and herbs; pink sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika., dried rosemary, dried oregano, and dried thyme. Drizzle in coconut aminos and olive oil.
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Use your hands to mix ingredients in with ground beef. Mix well making sure everything is combined and all the ingredients are well incorporated into the beef. Work your beef to combine but careful not to overwork the meat.
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Use your hands to scoop out a chunk of the ground beef and start shaping it into patties. Shape your ground beef into a patty that is about 4-4.5 inches wide and 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Place your burger on prepped baking sheet pan. Repeat this process until all the ground beef has been shaped into burgers. As long you shape your burgers with this wideness and thickness, you will end up with 6 burgers. Use the bottom of a glass or mason jar to make a dent in the middle of each burger patty.
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Cover your burgers with Saran Wrap, parchment paper, paper towels or anything like that. Place burgers in the fridge for a good 20 minutes to an hour. When you are ready to grill the burgers, lightly grease the grill grates with a bit of oil and preheat your grill for 10 minutes.
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Remove your burgers from the fridge and place them on preheated grill. Grill your burgers for 4-5 minutes (more or less time depending on how done you want your burgers. Check chart above under FAQ's for a guide on how long to grill your burgers for). Flip and grill for another 4-5 minutes. Place slices of cheese over each burger patty. Clean baking sheet pan or grab one that's already clean and transfer grilled burgers to it.
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Serve your burgers inside burger buns and top with your favorite burger fixens such as lettuce, onion, tomatoes, and pickles. Add your preferred condiments such as ketchup and mustard. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Tips and Substitutions:
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- Use meat that is not too lean- You want some fat in your meat. This will make your burgers nice and juicy. Meat that is too lean will make for dryer burgers. I like to stick to 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef.
- Do not overwork your beef- As you mix your ground beef with the seasonings, you want to make sure everything is well incorporated. However, make sure not to overwork it. As you mix your meat, you want your fat and protein to remain combined. This will ensure your burgers hold-up together and keep their shape and form. This also makes for juicy and flavorful burgers. If you overwork your burger meat, it will cause the fat and protein to essentially "break", causing the patties to crumble, lose flavor, and get dry and dense.
- Shape all your burger patties with the same width and thickness- Keeping your burgers the same size will ensure that they all grill evenly.
- Make your burger patties wider than your buns- As burgers grill they will start to cook down and shrink. Making them slightly wider than your buns will then make them the same size after they are cooked.
- Use the bottom of a glass to make a dent in your burgers- Burgers tend to plump up in the center as they cook. Making an indentation in the center of your burger will prevent it from plumping and shrinking too much. The burger patty will hold its form and shape.
- Chill your burgers for at least 20-30 minutes- I like chilling my burgers before grilling. As you shape your burgers with your hands, their natural body heat will warm up the meat even more. Chilling them after, will solidify and retain the fat from the meat and from the added oil. As the burgers grill, the fat will slowly dissolve and most of it will stay in the burgers making them nice and juicy.
- Clean your grill- You want to make sure your grill grates are clean and that there is no food residue. This can result in your burger patties not being cooked evenly. Use a grill brush to thoroughly clean the grates.
- Preheat your grill- You do not wan't to skip this step. Preheating your grill will prevent the burgers from sticking to it. This will also allow for the burger patties to cook evenly.
- Do not press down on your burger patties- Pressing down on your burger patties as they grill will make them release all those juices. You don't want that. You want all those juices inside of your patties to keep them nice and juicy!
- Flip your burgers only once- Flipping them more than once will start to dry out your burgers.
- Toast your buns- Toasty buns are so good and will elevate the overall flavor of your burgers. This also prevents your buns from getting soggy.
- Season your burgers with other herbs and aromatics- Use other herbs and aromatics such as green onions, shallots, cilantro, parsley, dill, etc.
- Substitute for olive oil- Avocado oil is a great substitute.