Gina's Top 10 Burger Tips

It's #13GrillingWeek at WZZM TV13 and I will be showing you my Top 10 Burger Tips on Wednesday, July 13th. The segment will air around 6:45am. Tune in!
Burger Segment

Wednesday, July 13th is also #NationalFrenchFryDay so here is my favorite way to eat french fries. It's my Cheddar Cheeseburger Deluxe Dip over Waffle Fries. YUM! Remember that recipe from the MLive Party Dip article? Well, I like to add that to french fries and add some extra dill relish and tomatoes. This would be great to make on Wednesday. 

Gina's Top 10 Burger Tips

1. Meat - You want to select ground chuck 80/20 if you are buying it pre-packaged. (I like to freshly grind my own meat. You can see how and why on this YouTube video that I recently uploaded.)

Use ground chuck and not ground beef, ground sirloin or hamburger. Ground chuck is 80% lean and 20% fat and it will be juicier than a ground round or ground sirloin. Why? Because ground sirloin and ground round are too lean. Ground chuck will also be more flavorful than ground beef or regular hamburger. Why? Because ground chuck is from the chuck, a primal cut of beef. Chuck has great marbling and that imparts an amazing flavor. Ground beef and hamburger can come from any of the  primal cuts of beef and their trimmings. So, stick with ground chuck when grilling burgers. 

2. Bun - Choose any bun that you like, just make sure that you lightly toast the cut sides of the bun. You will still have a soft bun, but the lightly toasted area will help absorb the juices from the patty so your bun doesn't get mushy or fall apart. I like to lightly toast my buns with garlic butter. 

3. Patties - When forming your patties, don't overwork your meat. Gently shape the meat into a round patty a little bit larger in circumference than the bun because the patty will shrink a bit when cooking. You want to maintain a good meat to bun ratio. If you are making a thick patty, have a thicker bun. If you are doing thin patties, have a thinner bun. You also want to dent the center of the patty with your thumb, this will help the patty evenly cook while not puffing up like a ball. Also once you form your patty, you need to refrigerate the patties until you are ready to grill. Burgers are not like steaks, where you need them to be at room temperature before grilling. Keep your burger patties cold.

4. Grill - Make sure that your grill grates are clean and lightly oil them, if necessary. You don't want you meat to stick to the grill. Before adding your patties, make sure your grill is at a medium high to high temperature (somewhere between 400-500 degrees). When you add your meat to the grill, you want to get a nice sear on the outside. Grill to your desired temperature. 

Medium Rare - 3-4 minutes each side

Medium - 4-5 minutes each side 

Medium Well - 5-6 minutes each side 

Well - 6-7 minutes each side 

Remember these times vary with the size of the patty, the temperature of your grill, the wind, how many times you open the lid on the grill, etc. Don't press down on the patties, that releases the juices and then your burger will be dry. Don't flip your patties until they achieve a nice sear on the first side. 

5. Seasoning - You can add whatever seasoning you want to your patty, but simple salt and pepper is all that is needed. Don't salt and pepper too early, this will draw moisture out of the meat. I, liberally, add salt and pepper to the outside of the patty just before it hits the grill. (I am also known for adding some soy sauce to the ground chuck when forming the patties for extra umami flavor.) 

6. Cheeses - You can add cheese on the inside of the patty or on top at the end of grilling. 

     Inside - Make two thin patties, then add some cheese in the center of one patty and add the second patty on top and gently form the edges to seal the cheese in. Grill as usual. 

     On top - When adding cheese on top of the burger, I like to add it during the minute or two of grilling. Close the lid and it will melt faster. 

7. Toppings - You can add any assortment of toppings that you like. If I am doing a really juicy burger with different aioli's and sauces, then I like to start with the lettuce on the bottom before adding the patty. The lettuce acts as a barrier to help gather some of the juices before they soak the bun bottom. I love theme burgers, pick your favorite food then create a burger around it. If you love lasagne, make a lasagne burger. If you love tacos, add taco seasoning to your beef and create a taco burger. If you love chicken parmesan, make a chicken parmesan burger. I love chicken satay, so I recently made a chicken satay burger. Don't just get stuck in the old cheeseburger deluxe mode, add some unique toppings and make it your own. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't put that on your burger, you do you. My husband puts peanut butter on his, not my gig...but that's his burger. You put whatever you want on it! 

8. Add ins- Optional things to add into your patties to increase the juiciness of your meat. You can add soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, butter, beer, wine, cherries, grated onion, grated garlic, dill relish.... the list goes on. Just remember if you add things to your beef, you'll need to incorporate them into the meat without over handling the beef. So, less is best. 

9. Spreads, aiolis and sauces - One of my favorite parts of a burger is the sauce. I love a good home made thousand island or russian dressing. I'm crazy for horseradish, so it's in just about every sauce that I make! I make home made horseradish that will make grown men cry, just saying. I also do a great zesty sauce and I love to use hot sauces. I like to make different aioli's, which is just a fancy word for garlic and oil. An easy way to make aioli is to add some garlic in with some mayonnaise and then whatever else you want. I love my adobo avocado aioli, it pairs well with most burgers. I also like my harissa aioli that I use on my chicken satay burger. 

10. Non-beef burgers - Beef burgers are easy to make without adding a thing. But, non-beef burgers can be a very tricky because they don't contain as much fat as beef so they have a tendency to dry out quicker and fall apart. So, here's a few quick tips. Add some liquid to your chicken or turkey burgers. For example, when making my chicken satay burger, I add soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, ginger paste, garlic paste and peanut butter powder to the ground chicken before cooking. These will help to bind that chicken together and keep it juicy. I also use a cast iron skillet when making non-beef burgers. You can still use the grill, just put your skillet on your grill and when the burger is almost complete, throw it on the grill for a minute each side to impart that grilled flavor. You can make chicken, turkey, pork, shrimp and veggie burgers. They just need extra things, like eggs and breadcrumbs, to bind them together. (But never add eggs or breadcrumbs to your beef burgers, unless your naming them meatloaf burgers.)