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How to Grill the Best Burger

Burgers from the grill just taste better.

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Grilled Burger Recipes

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Grill the Best Burger

Make sure the grill is the appropriate temperature Medium-low to medium heat is best. Too hot, and burgers burn on the outside before getting done on the inside. Keep the lid closed while cooking; it shortens cooking time and keeps burgers moist.
Use beef that is no leaner than 85% A little fat keeps burgers moist and flavorful. For ground chicken and turkey, add a little olive oil or broth to the mixture.
Always clean and oil the grill grate This prevents burgers from sticking, extends the life of your grate, and helps put those beautiful grill marks on your patties.
Cook burgers properly Cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (170 degrees F for poultry). For an accurate reading, insert the thermometer into the patty horizontally.

A Complete Menu for the Grill

Try this ready-to-go grilling menu or create your own menus.

Menu: Get Your Grill On

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More Grilling & BBQ Advice

Recipes and tips for building the best backyard burgers.

Grilled Burger Basics

When a hamburger is done right, you know it--the smoky, char-grilled outside and the juicy inside, all barely contained within a chewy, toasty roll. That's what a burger is all about!

Top 20 Grilled Burger Recipes

Get the Best Flavor

Meat with a higher fat content will be juicier but will also shrink more when it cooks. If you shop at a grocery store or a butcher that grinds their own beef, choose coarsely ground beef for juicier burgers with a more pleasing texture.

Add just about anything you like to your burger mixture. Here are a few flavoring suggestions:

Fresh or dried herbs and spices
Dehydrated or fresh minced onion and garlic
Seasoning mixes for soups or salad dressings
Your favorite cheese, such as Blue cheese, goat cheese, Gorgonzola, Feta, Stilton, Cheddar, or pepperjack
Prepared sauces including Barbeque sauce, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, Hoisin sauce, plum sauce, oyster sauce, salsa, or salad dressing
Other tidbits like olives, capers, chopped tomatoes, diced chiles, crumbled bacon, or minced ham

Best Beef Burgers:

Save the Salt

Here's one common ingredient to leave out. Wait on the salt! Don't combine it into the mixture, especially if you're not going to grill the patties right away. Salt will extract moisture from the meat, leaving you with bone-dry burgers. Instead, sprinkle each burger with salt right before you put it on the grill.

Lovely Lamb Burgers:

Don't Mix Too Much

Use a light touch when combining seasonings with the ground beef. If you mix it too much, your burgers will be dense and heavy.

Tasty Turkey Burgers:

Let the Flavors Mingle

Leave the meat mixture (or patties) in the refrigerator for several hours to allow all the flavors to mingle. To form patties, wet your hands a little to keep the meat from sticking to them. If you've patties ahead of time, stack them on a plate separated by waxed paper and cover with plastic wrap before you put it in the refrigerator.

Choice Chicken Burgers:

Form a Good Patty

Don't form patties too thick or too thin. A 3/4-inch thick patty is ideal. To keep patties from swelling in the middle, make small indentations in the center.

Top Veggie Burgers:

Turn Once

And it's hard to resist, but try not to flatten your burgers with the spatula. It squeezes out flavorful juices.

Fabulous Fish Burgers:

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Become a master of the backyard BBQ with our other Grilling 101 articles.

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slo_cook

Jul. 15, 2009 7:44 pm

I use the leanest ground beef, 10% or less fat content. Being a firm believer that yes pork fat rules and bacon is served in heaven, I add ground bacon fat to the mixture. About 1/4 cup per pound of ground beef. I buy bacon ends and pieces in 3 lb packages and separate the lean from the fat then freeze both for seasoning uses. For burgers I put nearly frozen bacon fat in the food processor and pulse it til its about the consistency of sausage. Just add the bacon fat to the ground beef along with whatever spices and seasonings you like and grill. Preferably over oak wood.

Terry Can Cook 2

Nov. 24, 2009 4:16 pm

Great recipes grilling.

Stonewall

May 19, 2010 5:34 am

I’ve been serving burgers and brat patties out of a small kitchen for over 30 years. Here’s what I’ve learned. No matter how hard you try, you won’t please everyone. I only have a few rules. They’re not really rules, lets say, methods. No. 1 As this article says, never squeeze the burger with the spatula and don’t overcook it either*. No. 2 Always heat the bun. Either on the grill (careful) or nukerate it. It just should be heated, not toasted. Nothing worse than a hot burger on a cold bun or toasted crisp one. The best roll is a Sheboygan (WI) hard roll but whatever you're using, heat it. Put a pat or two of butter on the top half of the bun, just before serving. Hey, those that are on some goofy diet don't eat burgers anyway. And that burger doesn't have to be 3/4" thick. Thick burgers are Chicago, like their pizza. They can have ‘em. There's no flavor to cooked hamburger by itself. It's how you cook it, what you put on it and the bun that make the burger. 1/4" - 1/2" thick meat is more than adequate. And of course, real charcoal is best followed by a gas grill. You can make a decent burger in a fry pan with a marshmallow bun, but that’s a whole ‘nuther deal. * Here in Wisconsin we eat beef raw (ground round) and will fight to get it. Generally open face on a good caraway rye and topped with raw onion sliced isinglass thin with lots of salt & pepper. Some just call it “Raw Beef Sandwiches” and some “Cannibal Sandwiches”. So, I strongly disagree with the notion that hamburgers have to have a certain internal temperature before serving. Serve 'em the way you like 'em. Leave a little Moooo in 'em. I can't remember the wedding or group get-together where it wasn't served. It's like the ubiquitous tuna/noodle casserole. I've been eatin' hamburger and ground chuck burgers for most of my life (70 yrs) with a pink interior and haven't got sick yet. Trust your butcher.

WISE_GUY

May 19, 2010 9:43 am

always toast the buttered bun! Thick is good! Go Chicago! If you go thick...remember to put a thumb size indentation to the center of the burger.....so when it wants to plump up in the center it will return to a level burger for easier bun placement.

Diego

Jun. 17, 2010 8:08 pm

Ola--- this is a recipe for a fat free hamburger---juicy tasty, but fat free---.I live in Mexico---The beef down here is range fed---That is they eat off the desert--I've seen cattle eating leaves off the mesquite tree---That means there is no fat--Healthy , but tasteless---I used to smoke a lot of meat (sausage) I remember a fat replacement---To 1 pound of ground meat --use one TBSP of fat replacement to 1 TBSP of water---next cut chop (or however) 2 TBSP of fresh white bread crumbs---Cut a four inch chunk of celery--then slice into four strips---simmer the celery for 20 minutes----chop fine--mix all with ground meat.cook your burger(Over charcoal is best)----do not add anything not even salt--Take a bite of the burger before you ad the trimings---What an unbeleaveable taste, but as soon as you add trimings it hides the flavor. have not found any thing that does not hide this flavor--Some one could do this at a burger stand for Fat free burgers---Enjoy Diego in Mexico

dydx

Jul. 2, 2010 12:46 pm

The suggestion to use medium-low to medium heat is incorrect. Your grill should be as hot as possible, then it will take ~2 minutes per side to get a very nice burger. Also, the 'suggestion' to cook the burgers to 160F is TERRIBLE. This is what anyone with good taste would call an overcooked burger. Shoot for 130F and you'll have a delicious medium to medium-rare burger. The USDA's recommendation to cook beef to 160F is ridiculous if you trust the quality of your meat and handling.

Steven

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Sep. 29, 2010 4:55 am

Here is what I do especially for myself when grilling. I make a whole bunch of pre-made burgers frozen in the box. While I am grilling I have one of those huge foil 9X13 pans or larger filled 1/2 way full with water sitting on the grill next to the burgers being grilled. As the burgers get done, I slip them into the hot pan of Water, and throw some more frozen burgers on till the pan is full. If you must use two pans depending on the group then go right ahead. As the guests arrive an hour or so later, they can help themselves to a hot, juicy burger or throw it on the grill for a couple of seconds, and then on a bun. This has saved me from doing the grilling while others are having a good time visiting. I now can enjoy the company, knowing full well the food will be hot and ready when ever they need something to eat. The water will start to turn brown, creating a type of au jus, Ever wonder how the burgers at the baseball park taste so much better?? Well, now you know the secret too!! I saved this trick for ALL RECIPES.COM and for you. Try it sometime, and more people will ask for your secret!!

martha

Feb. 14, 2011 6:31 am

I am always interested in cook ahead ideas,however I am wondering about the grilled burgers in water. It seems like they would taste washed out or boiled. I will have to experiment with just a few to test that idea. I hope it works for me Thanks for the tip

alwayy

Mar. 27, 2011 2:10 pm

We put them in water mixed with Dale's Seasoning for our high school concession stand. We also put the hot dogs in it. We have been complimented on having the best burgers around.

debweb

May 27, 2011 5:17 am

I buy the leanest ground beef I can find, to have the least amount of saturated, animal fat possible. But we all know that this doesn't make a juicy burger. So I add a 1/4 cup of heart healthy olive oil to 1 pound of meat,along with whatever seasonings I choose, and get ready for a juicier, healthier burger!

Jess9968

May 28, 2011 8:05 pm

Any tips for cheese? Is goat cheese good on burgers

cardvrgps

Jun. 1, 2011 12:54 am

I have an east coast and a west coast winner. I will start with the East and finish with the West because I am from the West. The Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern is simple mouth watering. No sauce necessary. I need this in my mouth right now. Perfection in the form of a burger. car dvr camera http://www.espow.com/wholesale-car-electronics-car-dvr.html

Ovaltine

Jun. 15, 2011 1:55 pm

Every year at the 3-day annual Chili Cookoff to benefit local charities, there are charity booths selling among other food hamburgers and hot dogs. We sell about 700 hamburgers and 500 hot dogs over the 3 days, most on Sat and Sun. First, does keeping hamburgers in hot water really work? Don't they get boiled? Second, has anyone tried it with hot dogs, which we grill, but doing them ahead as the crowd thins briefly leaves a dry crust. Any suggestions on hot dogs besides electric steamers which aren't practical in our situation?

milehiflyer

Jun. 15, 2011 4:16 pm

Mix some powdered au jus mix in with the water. You don't want to have the water simmering . . . about 120 - 130 degrees is about right. Don't add more hamburger patties than you're likely to use in an hour. Also, when making a cheeseburger, hold the slice of cheese by the corner and briefly dip it into the broth. This will soften the cheese so that it melts quicker on the burger, and will also impart some nice flavor.

momma

Jun. 20, 2011 9:22 am

My husband loves burgers and one of his favorite things to add to burgers is crushed cheez its or goldfish. The cheezy crackers make the burger taste like a cheddar burger. try it if you love cheese.

Kati

Jul. 19, 2011 8:54 am

My burgers always fall apart on the grill when I go to flip them. Can anyone give me some tips on how to fix this?

Eigsti

Jul. 21, 2011 8:24 pm

Kati.......If your burgers are falling apart when you flip them, that means they are too dry. I find a couple of different things that are essential for a good moist burger are as follows; First you can add approx. an 1/8 cup olive oil per 1 pound of your beef mixture before patty-ing, or bacon fat works just as well. Secondly, leave the salts out of your mixture. Salt your patties just before you place them on the grill. If your beef patties are good and moist, and they still fall apart, then perhaps you could grill on higher heat and leave your patty on longer per side before flipping. Hope this helps! Happy grilling!

Kati

Aug. 11, 2011 5:55 pm

Eigsti. . . Thanks for the olive oil tip. My burgers turned out great! No falling apart :)

sara

Feb. 23, 2012 1:46 pm

im not the greatest when it comes to grilling burger patties they normally taste pretty bland does anyone have any tips on better tasting burger patties :) im sure my family and friends would thank you

Joes Leah

Mar. 8, 2012 11:18 am

I have found that grinding my own meat is the only way to go. When chuck roasts go on sale or tri tips UNTRIMED I use my grinder attachment on my stand mixer and wow! If you compare the price its cheaper to grind your own and know whats in your ground beef. Its best to make your patties (garlic powder, worch, ect) and let them rest in the fridge so they can set up if you will, doesn't need much seasoning because you are making a steak burger and the freshness is the key to a juicy burger. Oh, I almost forgot i also add a little water to the ground meat before making the patties, not alot just a little. If you start with good ingredients you can never go wrong.

mikeraff

Apr. 8, 2012 4:30 pm

For people like me,surfing burger tips,Never,ever do it without access to meat!Like me,you will find yourself drooling over an old shoe!Great tips,though.

traceyposner

May 10, 2012 12:22 pm

hahahaha...@ mikeraff oh how right you are! I too was drooling over the different posts! I just happened to have had the package of (my own ground meat blend) waiting for me to decide which amazing ingredients to put into it befoe forming them into patties! I decided to check out this site to see what inspiration I could take away. So glad I did! Can't wait to get to grillin'!

Shadowcaster

May 22, 2012 2:03 pm

Love all the good tips so I think I'll add one. If you want a moist warm bun when grilling out just remove buns from bag and as you grill place the burger on a bun and put it in the bag. Keep the bag tightly closed until you finish all your burgers. People can remove them from the bag one at a time and they will be warm and moist. Please don't toast a bun.

KarasMom06

May 23, 2012 10:20 am

My mama always added 1 egg and about 1/4 c rolled oats to her burgers, along w/ lots of spices and they were always moist and never fell apart. We will be grilling burgers this weekend! YUM!

wisweetp

May 24, 2012 11:24 am

I must disagree with the comment that everyone in Wisconsin eats raw beef. While I've heard of the sandwich and know people who have eaten it, it is not common throughout all of Wisconsin, especially now. We love bison burgers with a bit of Dale's Sauce and olive oil mixed in and grilled over charcoal. And no rare or medium rare burgers for us. We like them done, and they are still plenty juicy.

STORMCLOUD319

May 24, 2012 9:52 pm

The bacon fat sounds great. Absolutely don't work the patty too much but......the bun.... to toast or not to toast. If your using those standard hamburger buns it really doesn't matter because they don't add a thing to a great burger. Everyone knows its the total package of a great burger, great bun and fixing of your choice. Go to the bakery and try a brioche or egg bun or onion bun. If you decide to toast brush inside of buns with melted butter and then grill lightly. These buns will hold up to fixins like lettuce, tomato, grilled onions or, one of my favorites, avocado relish with jalapeños. Happy grilling!

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