How to Make Hamburger Patties That Do Not Shrink

Three things make a patty shrink: fat rendering out, protein tightening as it heats, and water leaving. The first two are physics. The third is partly you.

Handle it as little as you can

Every minute the beef spends being worked warms it and compacts it. A patty that has been kneaded into a smooth puck cooks dense and tight. One that has been barely pressed together cooks loose and tender.

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

Gray Shipley

The three habits

• Keep it cold. Beef straight from the refrigerator forms better and holds its shape longer on the heat.
• Make them wider than the bun. By a good half inch. They will pull back to about the right size.
• Dimple the middle. A thumbprint in the center stops the patty doming into a ball as the edges tighten.

Ratio again, because it decides this too

“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

A leaner patty shrinks less, because there is less fat to render. It is also drier, which is the trade nobody mentions. The answer is not leaner beef, it is a patty sized for the shrink you are going to get.

Salt at the right moment

Salt mixed into the beef changes the texture: it dissolves proteins and makes the patty springy, closer to sausage than burger. Salt the outside just before it hits the heat instead, and you keep the loose texture you were working for.

Size it to the bun, not to the pack

Five and a third ounces is a useful standard because it fits an ordinary bun after it shrinks. A quarter pound forms a patty that looks right raw and sits small on the bread once cooked, which is where the disappointment comes from.

If you are making a lot

Form them on parchment squares and stack them, then refrigerate until the moment they cook. They go from the stack to the heat without being handled again, which is the whole trick when you are cooking for twenty.

“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

When you want to form them yourself

Dry-Aged Signature Ground Beef - 1lb

One pound packs of dry-aged ground beef. Four quarter-pounders or three third-pounders to the pack.

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The one that makes this easy

Dry-Aged Signature Burger Patties - 5.3 oz

Dry-aged patties at 5.3 ounces, portioned already. Count heads, count patties, done.

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The everyday pack

Proper Meats Ground Beef - 1lb

Proper Meats ground beef by the pound. The one to buy by the handful for a week of dinners.

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The ratio argument is in 80/20 vs 90/10, the grill method in how to grill burgers, and seasoning in how to season burgers.