Our 23 Best Burger Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to juicy burgers? ›

Making a juicy, flavorful hamburger starts with using the ideal beef-to-fat ratio. In this case, we recommend an 80/20 ratio—that's 80% beef to 20% fat; just enough fat to make it juicy. You can use a 90/10 ratio if you like, but remember that the leaner the beef, the less flavor and juice you'll get to enjoy later on.

Season all sides of the patties generously. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the mayo, Sriracha sauce and salt together. Set aside. Oil the meat well on both sides and place onto the medium heat side of the grill.

Egg yolk acts as a binder and adds flavor

After forming it into a patty, he explains that the egg actually helps bind the meat together, and adds an incredibly rich flavor to the burger patty. As a good rule of thumb, it's best to add one yolk per pound of ground beef.

Cook the burgers in a cast iron pan with butter and a splash of Worcestershire sauce until golden brown and slightly charred on the first side. Flip the burgers, add more butter, splash more Worcestershire, and cook the burgers until golden brown and very slightly charred on the second side.

Mix the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, evaporated milk, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and garlic in a large bowl using your hands. Form the mixture into 8 hamburger patties. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill patties until browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes per side.

First thing, do not overwork your meat. It makes it dense, which can become tough and chewy after cooking. Second, experiment with different thicknesses. Thicker burgers tend to be juicier than thinner.

Selecting the best meat for burgers

A good basic mixture would be to use 50% chuck (the cheap and lean), 25% rib plate (the fatty parts) and 25% brisket (the fatty and beef flavor). Alternative cuts that make a damn good burger without emptying your wallet are round (lean) and navel (the fatty beef belly).

The burgers will shrink slightly as they cook, so you want the raw patties to skew a little larger than the buns onto which they'll eventually land. Make a small dimple in the center of the patty—this indentation will prevent your burger from puffing up like a balloon, ensuring an even and picturesque patty.

Beef is delicious on its own – it is a high-quality protein that is tender, juicy, and full of natural flavor. The most important tip for making the perfect burgers is to keep it simple. You don't need a bunch of mix-ins, or you're just masking the flavor of the beef. Remember it's not a meatloaf, but a burger.

Worcestershire sauce adds tang to beef.

"Balancing that with a little olive oil is just going to add a little more fat and texture to meat when it hits the grill, and help prevent it from sticking." This sauce can be added directly into ground meat to make burger patties more moist and flavorful.