Let’s face it, you cannot call yourself a true meat-lover if you don’t like devouring a juicy burger like there’s no tomorrow. In simple terms: it’s culinary heaven. It may seem easy to fire up the grill and whip up some burgers, but there are certain things to consider before attempting to create that one tasty burger. Hugo’s Burger Bar came up with some solid tips as to what constitutes a textbook burger.
1. Use premium-quality meats
Texture is important with any food. When it comes to burgers, blending different grades of ground beef influences the patty’s texture. If it’s too fine, the burger will feel more like beef pâté. Too rough, and the burger will look like a meatloaf. Generally speaking, short rib, and chuck are a good start to the perfect burger.
2. Remember the fat to lean ratio
80:20 is the perfect ratio, for leanness 80% and 20% fat content respectively. Overpacking a burger or making it too dense is also not the way to go. Incorporating air in your patties and a really nice crust is essential. But if you like a fattier taste, a 75:25 ratio creates a juicer, more flavourful patty.
3. Thumb-press the patties before cooking
Make an indentation in the centre of each burger by using your thumb. This prevents flying saucer-shaped burgers – all puffed up and bulging in the centre. As the meat cooks and expands, the depression magically disappears, leaving you with beautifully-shaped and cooked burgers. The thumb-press also prevents the burger from shrinking up.
4. Only season the outside of the meat
It’s best not to season the inside of the burger. Salt the meat before placing it on the grill. You’re going to need more salt than you instinctively think. But what makes a burger extra juicy is when you season it ahead of time, giving it a minimum of two hours or a maximum of 12 hours.
5. Make a thinner patty
The average burger is about 150-200g, but the larger the patty, the more you start to get into meatball territory. To us, a great burger should hold together just enough to allow you to cook it correctly. The mixture should have an equal proportion of crumble and stability.
6. The Temperature Conundrum!
Squeeze the sides of the patty to measure the burger’s doneness. A perfect beef burger is usually pink and juicy in the middle and cooked somewhere between medium-rare and medium. But for those who prefer a higher degree of doneness, here’s a cheat-sheet of total approximate cooking time stages:
Rare – 6 minutes
Medium rare – 7 minutes
Medium – 8 minutes
Medium-well – 9 minutes
Well-done – 11 minutes
7. Let the meat rest
Once you remove the patty from the grill or griddle, let it cool for at least five minutes on a cooling rack. This method gives the burger more time to cook on the inside. It also lets the juices on the exterior redistribute within the patty, allowing for maximum juiciness when you take that first bite.
A good burger should be a mouth-watering vacation for your taste-buds, made up of ingredients which are as fresh as they are delicious. But if you still can’t master the art of grilling a tender patty, why not come to Hugo Chetcuti’s Burger Bar. Our burgers are so delicious each burger’s brioche bun actually comes with a seal of approval from the man himself!
