3 Quick Tips For Better Burgers

When it comes to summer cooking, the burger is king of backyard grilling. As iconic and standard as this food is to an American summer, it can be surprisingly challenging to grill the perfect burger. In honor of May being National Burger Month, here are some tips and tricks for grilling this American favorite for anyone working on their online culinary arts certificate.

Choose the right meat
In order to grill the perfect burger, it’s essential to start out properly from the very beginning. The burger patty is essential to the overall consistency, therefore the meat needs to be of a good quality. While you’re at the market, you will want to look for high​-quality meat that has between 15 to 20 percent fat. If the meat is too lean, your burgers will become flavorless and dry out quickly, making it tough and chewy rather than juicy. However, an increased amount of fat can make the burger too greasy. Pre-ground meat is okay, but freshly ground varieties from your butcher are best because it lessens the chance of contamination from packaging plants.

Handle the meat as little as possible
Over-mixing the meat can lead to burgers that are hard to chew. Because fat heats up during the cooking process, meat can toughen easily. Packing the meat too roughly makes burgers dense and firm as well. When making the patties, wash your hands in cold water to lower body temperature and gently form the meat into one​-inch patties. Once the patties are formed, placing them back in the refrigerator for an hour will help them keep their shape while cooking them on the grill.

Don’t be afraid of the heat
Make sure that the grill is hot and ready to begin cooking the burgers right away. You’ll know the grill is at the perfect temperature when the meat sizzles immediately when placed on the surface. Don’t be afraid to move them directly on the hottest part of the grill. You will want to sear the outsides immediately in order to trap all the juices inside for the rest of the grilling time so that they won’t be dried out when finished. After the outside is seared, you can move them off to the sides of your grill to allow the burgers more time to cook. Once the juices running out of the burger are clear, they are ready to come off the grill.

Comments are closed.