Tips to Grill The Perfect Hamburger Patty

I guess some men have problems with cooking something simple like a hamburger on a grill. They fall apart when you cook them, or they end up dry and overcooked. Maybe your burgers end up shrunk and really looks more like a kids burger or like it was hit with a shrink ray. If this sounds like you, then you really need to read this. I was lucky to be raised in front of the grill, and over all those summers cooking I learned some valuable tips. I am going to help turn you into a burger master. 

The first step is to make sure you are using the right kind of hamburger for your burger. If you are trying to eat healthy, why are you eating a burger? To make a great burger, use the fattiest meat you can find, preferable ground chuck. Just make sure it is above 30 percent of fat content, but the higher the better.

When you are forming your patties, don't squish the patty at all. Be very gentle, but consistent and take your time shaping it. There should be no uneven edges, it should be a smooth circle. The patty should be at least an inch thick and at least one full inch wider then the buns your going to use. To help with the shrink, take your finger and press one finger print in the center of the burger. Press down about half way down but be careful not to press all the way through.

Put whatever spices you like, but be very liberal with the amount. Most people put not enough in my opinion, go crazy with it. Not a pile or anything, but you know what I mean. Some people refrigerate there burgers before or put spices in the meat, but I have never got better results doing any of those things. I put the spices on right before I cook.

Now for the biggest tip of all...DO NOT SQUISH OR PRESS DOWN ON THE BURGER WHEN IT IS COOKING! It drives me crazy when I see this. Press...fire...press...fire. Does anyone think about what they are doing to that poor burger? You are pressing all the juice out and drying it out. Leave the burger alone until it is ready to flip. Don't move it around, flip it, lift it, or anything that involves touching the burger in any way. Only flip it once and then touch it again when you take it off the grill.

After you are done cooking, let the burgers sit for at least 15 minutes before eating. Buns are really great toasted, but sometimes that is easier done in the oven. Remember, until now you had trouble with cooking burgers, just sayin'.