16 Tips for the Perfect Burger
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16 Tips for the Perfect Burger
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Want to make the very best burgers on the grill? AOL Food asked Jeff Weinstein of The Counter for his top tips to make the perfect patty.
Backyard burgers. What could be more American? What could be a bigger crowd pleaser? What could be easier?
While we don't need convincing that a juicy cheeseburger would instantly have them belting out "The Star-Spangled Banner" in the streets of Paris, we do have a beef with anyone who thinks crafting a classic burger is as easy as slapping down ground meat on a grill.
We've had too many dried-out discs of near-jerky to think that. Luckily, Jeff Weinstein, founder and owner of The Counter burger restaurants is here to save us from ever again eating a hockey puck at a summer barbecue. Read on for his top tips for making perfect burgers.
Click on the gallery below for Jeff's tips.
16 Tips for the Perfect Burger
Don't Push Down on the Meat
Consider this the cardinal rule of cooking burgers. "It squeezes out the juices, and the juices are the flavor," says Jeff Weinstein, founder and owner of the Counter burger restaurants. "Would you rather have a juicy product that took an extra minute or a non-juicy product that came a little faster?"
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Buy Good Meat
Weinstein likes to have his butcher custom grind his meat -- he asks for a sirloin steak or rib-eye with a meat-to-fat ratio between 75-25 and 80-20. Even if you just go to your supermarket's meat section, don't fall for the trap so many people do, assuming the leanest meat is the best. "It'll be cardboard by the time you're done."
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Chill the Meat First
Before you even form the patties, put the meat in the fridge for a half hour or so. You don't want your body heat to melt away the fat as you shape it; getting it colder helps it withstand the treatment. Weinstein even washes his hands in cold water before working with it to reduce their temperature.
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Use a Scale
Unless you want people griping about unequal treatment, or you have a practiced eye for meat, use a scale to balance even amounts in each burger. Even Weinstein does.
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Don't Overwork the Meat
People tend to ball up the meat as they form their patties. Don't do that; less handling is better. The more you push down and compress, the tougher the meat will be.
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Use Both Hands to Form the Perfect Patty
Pull the meat apart into equal pieces, then pat down into a patty on a hard surface with one hand while forming the rough edge with the other. Resist the urge to slam down! Some people use the caps of big mayonnaise jars instead, which is fine. Weinstein prefers a thickness of 3/4 of an inch to an inch.
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Dimple the Patty
When beef patties cook, they contract, and can leave you with a rounded, uneven burger. Push a little well into the center of the meat, about an inch or two around and a quarter-inch deep. The burger will be perfectly flat when they're finished cooking.
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Back in the Fridge
After you've formed your patties, put them back in the fridge to cool down again for 30 to 45 minutes.
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Use the Right Buns
Too many people put all their efforts into the meat without remembering that the bun forms more than half the burger. Try for a meat-to-bun ratio of 1:1. Buns about 4 inches to 4-1/2 inches round are generally good. You don't want a super-thick burger overhanging the buns -- but rather to get a taste of every element -- meat, bun, toppings -- in every bite.
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Get the Grill Really Hot
"The hotter the better," Weinstein says. "You're trying to sear or char the meat really quickly so you have nice color on the outside and flavor from the barbecue on it." Weinstein likes to put wood chips in his grill for added smoke flavor.
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Recent Comments
BTheHoneymooners 06:11:01 PM Aug 31 2009
What a scummy site, all you do is fight and do political retoric... Get a life, cook and share recipes learn to make each other happy with good food and lets add a little wine savy.... Michael
MRiley1365 02:32:17 PM Aug 16 2009
Jnrentz: a great list of restrictions ! you are the bomb !!! (Can I say that if I am a conservative or will ACORN report me to DNC/Obama mama ?)
FIXITGUY59 12:46:24 PM Aug 16 2009
I don't agree with half of what this guys says. I have taken a fancy to smoking my burgers with indirect heat and a blend of hickory and mesquite chips burned directly on the coals. I make a nice thick 1/3 pound burger and it takes about an hour and fifteen minutes, in a closed Weber kettle vents full open. The burgers come out juicy and full of great smoke flavor.
Gemin8888 11:33:36 AM Aug 16 2009
when cooking any meat, do not press it down, gently just flip it over while searing both sides. The juices will stay inside of the choice of meat. However, games meats such as venison really has no fat and will be a dryer texture. Not to mention that old fashioned charcoal makes and cooks food so much better, gives it alot more flavor by using a some woodchips of your flavor or smell. Everything cooks differently and alot of people think that just because it has a pink tinge color in the center of the cut, that it is not done, therefore overcooking it and drying the meat out. But there is a big difference in undercooked meat and the way a properly grilled piece of meat looks after taking it off of the grill. We always use a dry rub mixutre on our steaks and let it sit out for an hour before we put it on the grill, aging the meat in the fridge first is a good idea as well.
derfdbs 11:12:24 AM Aug 16 2009
Drghiggles / Refrig for ground meat , room temp for steaks and other cuts.
Pobrienchr 10:38:09 AM Aug 16 2009
Jnrentz is an idiot. Use a political comment board you moran!
Jomarl123 09:41:17 AM Aug 16 2009
For an even more robust beef flavor add a little Watkins Meat Majic to the beef. finely chopped onion and some Asiago cheese. I have also used Mrs. Dash Grilling seasoning, now that make a heck of a burger.
JohnNLV 11:31:07 PM Aug 09 2009
add a little ground lamb to your burger. less than 1 to 4 lamb to beef. a little lamb will make the burgers moist without tasting like lamb
Hint of Smoke
Wood-smoked and grilled ingredients add a fire-kissed hint to these yummy summer drinks.
- Hickory Smoked Cherry Lemonade
- Smoked Salt Margarita
- Grilled Honeydew Sorbet Sparkler
- Perfect Smoked Lemonade