18 Burger Recipes for a Weekend of Flippin’ Good Grilling (2024)

FAQs

How long to cook burgers before flipping on grill? ›

We do recommend letting the patty cook for at least 3 to 4 minutes before giving it a first flip, to give the meat time to sear. Otherwise, the patty may start to fall apart. After that, however, you can flip it once and be done, or flip it as often as you like, trying to get both sides to cook and brown evenly.

Medium Rare Burgers: Cook them about 7 minutes until the internal temperature reads 135 degrees F. Medium Burgers: Cook them about 8 minutes until the internal temperature reads 145 degrees F. Well Done Burgers: Cook them about 9 minutes until the internal temperature reads 150 degrees F.

Place the burgers on the hot grill and cook for 3-5 minutes to sear on the bottom. Flip and cook for another 3-5 minutes on the other side, until you reach your desired degree of doneness. Plan on 5-6 minutes total for rare, 6-7 minutes total for medium-rare, 8-9 minutes total for medium, and 9+ minutes for well-done.

Use an 80/20 Mix of Ground Beef

Ground beef with an 80/20 mix is the best for grilled burgers—this means a mix 80 percent lean beef and 20 percent fat. The 80/20 ground beef you would buy in the supermarket is usually ground chuck, which is great for burgers.

If you're grilling quick-cooking foods like burgers, thin steaks, chops, fish, shrimp, or sliced vegetables directly over the flames, you can leave the grill open. For red meat, that means you won't lose that pink, juicy center so many of us love.

Cooking Your Burgers

The 5-6-7 rule is basically as follows: Rare burgers only require around 5 minutes on each side. Medium-rare burgers with a red and warm center will take about 6 minutes on each side. Medium-done burgers usually require approximately 7 minutes to achieve that pink, warm center.

Before grilling burgers, it's not required to bring the meat to room temperature. The meat should be refrigerated before grilling, starting the cooking process while the meat is cold. The cold temperatures keep the fat of the meat intact, maintaining the burger's juicy texture during the cooking process.

This Is the Best Temperature for Grilled Burgers

Grill your burgers over too high a heat and you'll end up with dry, burnt burgers; too low and they'll be placid and rubber. The sweet spot for grilled burgers is 375°F to 400°F, which for most gas grill is medium-high heat.

Brush with hot melted butter or garlic butter or a little oil or rendered lard, such as bacon fat or beef tallow. Oil helps prevent sticking on the grill and the extra fat means extra juiciness and flavor. You can also brush some on during cooking. Pick a beef with lean to fat ratio of at least 80/20.

Grill the burgers.

If using a charcoal grill, move the patties to a lower-heat (indirect) area of the grill. If using a gas grill, reduce the heat to medium. Grill 2 to 3 minutes more for medium-rare burgers, 3 to 4 minutes more for medium, or 5 to 6 minutes more for well-done burgers.

How many times do you flip a burger on the grill? ›

Flip the Burgers Once and Only Once

Constant turning will toughen and dry out the meat, and if you flip too soon, burgers will stick. Cook two minutes per side for rare, three minutes for medium-rare, four minutes for medium, and five minutes for well-done.

Milk: Milk helps to keep the burgers nice and juicy and tender when cooked. Worcestershire sauce: This savoury condiment is full of umami flavours and adds some extra tastiness to each bite. Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper are used to flavour up the ground beef.

Season your burgers before you cook them

If your patties are store-bought, season them well on both sides with salt and pepper before cooking. If you are forming your own patties, you can season the blend as you mix and shape them.

Place the steaks directly over the hottest area of the grill. If your grill has a hot spot (where everything seems to burn) that's where you should sear them. Place them on the grill for at least 3 minutes before flipping. Sear for another 3 minutes.

Other than occasionally checking the temperature, leave the patties alone once they hit the grill, aiming for one single flip halfway through the cook time. Resist the urge to press on the patties, which can cause flare-ups and lead to dry burgers, and you won't be sorry.

Cook 2 minutes per side for rare, 3 for medium-rare, 4 for medium and 5 for well-done. 2. Don't Press Burgers While Cooking: This is a common mistake in grilling burgers. The juice that seeps out holds most of the flavor and moisture — let your burgers hold on to it!