A Guide To Burgers (with LOTS of recipes!)

This Guide To Burgers goes over the ingredients to use, the perfect ratio in each recipe, and multiple recipes to try!

Let's Grill Some Burgers

Today is National Burger Day! Did you know such a thing existed!?

Burgers are undoubtedly the unofficial food of summer. Charbroiled, topped with your favorite fix-ins, and sandwiched between a pillowy bun: burgers are the perfect handheld meal. The beauty of burgers is that they are so incredibly versatile. You get to choose your meat, your cheese (or no cheese!), your toppings, and your sauce. You can personalize it as much as you want, and the options are endless.

The Burger Equation

When making burgers, regardless of what type, I feel there is a certain equation that one should follow to get the perfect burger every time.

This starts, first and foremost, with quality ground meat. Seek out the best quality you can afford and find: you’ll be grateful for it! Next, there are a few ingredients that I believe every burger should include:

Garlic
Onion: green, red, yellow,or white, depending on the type of burger you’re making
Salt: kosher, Worcestershire, aminos or soy, olives
Pepper: fresh cracked is best!

For the best basic burger, my equation is:

1 pound of meat
1/4-1/2 cup of minced onion
2-4 cloves of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of salt (or salty ingredient)
1/4-1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Now, there are few other extracurricular ingredients that can help accentuate the flavor of your burger:

Cheese: shredded cheddar, feta, crumbled goat cheese
Bread Crumbs
Egg
Spices: rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage
Roasted Red Peppers
Shredded Vegetables: carrots, zucchini, spinach

How To Cook The Perfect Burger

For 1 pound of ground meat, you can easily get 2 very generously sized burgers. I mean, do the math: that’s a half-pound burger! You can opt to make smaller burgers if you prefer.

First, take the ball of burger mixture in your hands and begin to roll it into a ball.
Next, place your thumb in the center of your burger and use your other fingers on the other side of the burger and start gently pressing it into a patty.
Form each patty to be about 3 inches wide and about 1 inch thick (if using 1 pound of meat for 2 burgers).
Use your thumb to gently indent the center of one side of each burger. This helps the burger cook evenly and not bubble up.
Heat your grill to about 400 degrees. If you’re cooking on the stovetop, heat your pan over medium-high heat.
Sear each side until lightly charred, and internal cooking temperature aligns with your preferred doneness.

But When Is The Burger Done?

I can’t stress enough the importance of using a meat thermometer to ensure you’re cooking your meat to a safe temperature. Here is the meat thermometer I use and love!

While poultry is safest cooked to 165 degrees, there are varying degrees of doneness for beef:

Rare: 120-125 degrees
Medium Rare: 130-135 degrees
Medium: 140-145 degrees
Medium Well: 150-155 degrees
Well Done: 160-165

While the above can certainly be guidelines for doneness, I always urge others to find their precise temperature that they prefer their burger (or other meat!) done to.