Tips & Tricks for Making The Best Burger Patty

You may believe that making burgers is a straightforward cooking task that doesn’t require much training. That’s where you’re wrong.

Making the best burgers requires some studying, practicing, and making mistakes. Not all patties are the same, and preparing them in the same manner, won’t give optimal results.

Luckily, you’re in the right place to learn how to cook a burger patty on the stove. We’ll explain everything from choosing and forming the beef patty to the cooking process. 

So wait no more and start making the best patties your family’s tried yet.

Or, if you want to go out and have the best burgers in Miami, visit Burgermeister and check out our menu.

Choosing the Right Burger Patty Meat

The first, and many say the most important part of preparing a burger, is choosing the right meat. 

You must know how to pick the right cut, correct grind, and the perfect fat ratio. They all play a factor in the taste of the finished product.

The first piece of advice we have about picking the meat is to skip the meat tubes. If ground beef spends that much time in a compacted tube, it will be stuffed together and won’t give great burgers. This type of meat is acceptable for tacos, just not what we’re making now.

A good butcher is worth more than you realize. 

If you wish to make the best burger possible, go for ground beef with visible individual strands of meat. You can get that by grounding the beef yourself. Or, try finding a good butcher shop you’ll return to because of their fresh ingredients.

Next, it’s time to learn about the best cuts of meat for making burgers.

Ground chuck is your safest bet for making a burger patty. Its fat isn’t as stringy as brisket, and the ratio is just how you need it.

An 80/20 beef patty will be perfect for the grill. A 90/10 ratio may seem healthier and a better option, but those patties tend to come out a bit dry.

But don’t think that more fat means just a juicier burger. If you go for a cut with higher fat content, you’ll likely end up with shrunk patties that look like meatballs. Leave the high-fat cuts for meatloaf, and stick to chuck when making burgers.

How to Form a Burger Patty

As we mentioned, pressing the beef too much isn’t a good thing. So, the main advice we have to give you is not to overwork the meat. 

Only press the meat enough to shape the beef patty, and you’ll surely get better burgers.

To start the process of forming patties, separate the beef into chunks sized for your burgers. 

If you wish to be exact, you can use a kitchen scale. 1/2 or 1/3 lb are standard, but feel free to improvise. You can go with less meat if you like thinner patties or smash burgers. Or, if you want thicker, pub-style burgers, go with more. That part is yours to decide.

Once you’ve prepared the burger-sized meatballs, all you need to do is press them down. You can do this by hand or with a burger press. 

No tools are necessary if you’re being careful. Place the beef on a flat surface and do the job with your hand. Press the meat into the thickness you are aiming for, and make sure it holds together. 

The patties should be a bit wider than the buns you have since they will shrink during the cooking process.

If you’ve done everything correctly, you’ll still be able to see strands of meat in the patty. That means you haven’t overworked the beef, and your burgers will taste better than ever.

Having wax papers can simplify the task since the meat won’t be sticking to any surfaces. So, that should possibly be your next purchase for the kitchen.

How to Cook a Burger Patty on the Stove and the Grill

Learning how to cook a burger patty on the stove is similar to cooking in any other environment. The first rule of all is not to press the patties when it isn’t necessary.

Many people play with the burgers, tapping and flipping them, then squeezing out the fat – all of which ruins it. No, the point isn’t to cook the burger as quickly as possible.

It’s to make the best burger you can. And, to do that, follow our tips.

Don’t flip the burger when it isn’t necessary!

Many beginner chefs make this mistake. They keep flipping the burger to check if it’s done and how it’s progressing. However, flip it only once to make the best out of your meat.

It usually takes 3-4 minutes a side to cook a burger. That’s the time your patty should spend on each side, and timing it is easier if you don’t flip the burger every 20 seconds. Also, leaving one side on the grill for the full 3-4 minutes will create a charred crust. It takes the burger to a different level you can’t reach without it.

The tricky part of cooking a burger on the stove is figuring out the temperatures. Usually, cooking on high will burn the burger on the outside way before it reaches the wanted inside temperature. Since each stove is different, we advise improvising with your equipment and figuring out what works best for you.

If you ask us, an iron skillet seems to be the best cookware you can get for this process. Give it a go and see how well the burgers will come out.

The Toppings

Choosing the best toppings is a highly subjective topic. Each individual prefers their own combination, but some still have been proven to work.

If you’re making burgers for your friends, you should always have the classics prepared.

For the sauces – mayo, ketchup, burger sauce, and BBQ will likely be more than enough.

For the vegetables – lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and onions. Those will cover the basics; unless your friends are extra picky, you’ll be safe.

Extra Tips

• The best lettuce

Try making burgers with green leaf lettuce. Most people go with iceberg or romaine, but we believe that green leaf has better texture and flavor and looks more appealing at the table.

• Toast the buns

Toasting the buns on the inside is a must when making burgers. Just put them face down in a skillet for a few seconds, and it will do the trick. This will stop the buns from becoming soggy once they’re in contact with the patty’s fat.

• Let it rest

We know it’s hard waiting for that first bite. However, to make it as good as possible, you should wait a few minutes. Let the juices settle back into the meat, and enjoy your burger after it rests for a while.

Try the Best Burger in Miami

If all this burger talk got you a bit hungry, maybe it’s time to try the best burgers in Miami. Visit Burgermeister, check out our menu, and see these tips and tricks implemented in the burger-making process.