How to Grill Burgers

A burger on a grill cooks in about eight minutes. There is not much room to correct a mistake, so the method is mostly a list of things not to do.

Start with the right beef

“You don't want a lean burger. You don't want some silly 90-10. You know, get a good 80-20, 75-25 blend.”

Gray Shipley

On a grill this matters more than anywhere else. Fat renders, drips, flares and bastes the patty on its way out. A lean patty has nothing to give and goes from raw to dry with almost nothing in between.

Get the grate properly hot

Clean, hot, and oiled lightly. A burger sticking to the grate is a burger that was put on too early. Give the grill longer than feels necessary and the patty will release on its own when the crust has formed.

The rules

• One flip. Not four. Each flip interrupts the crust forming on the side you just abandoned.
• Never press. Pressing squeezes out the fat you paid for, into the fire, where it does you no good at all.
• Leave the lid alone unless you are melting cheese. Then close it for a minute and no longer.
• Dimple the middle before it goes on, so the patty stays flat instead of doming.

“I like a thicker burger. You know, when you get that sear and the crunch and the smash burger, that's pretty good. But I like a good, thick burger.”

Gray Shipley

A thicker patty is also the more forgiving one on a grill, for the same reason a thick steak is: the middle takes longer to catch up, which buys you time.

When it is done

Pull at about 155 degrees and let it sit two minutes. Carryover takes it to the USDA figure of 160 without drying it out. Color is not a guide here and never has been.

Flare-ups

Fat dripping onto coals is what gives a grilled burger its flavor and what sets fire to it. Keep a cooler zone with nothing under it and move a patty there when the flames come up. Do not squirt water at a fire under food.

The last minute

“And then, you know, let the flavor do the work and don't try to do too much.”

Gray Shipley

Cheese on with a minute left. Buns on the cooler side of the grate for thirty seconds. Everything else belongs on the table rather than on the grill.

The temperature question is covered properly in ground beef temperature, the ratio in 80/20 vs 90/10, and if you are feeding a crowd, set up a burger bar.