Learn how to make the best burgers on the grill! We tested multiple different burger grilling techniques and found the best ones. We'll walk through all our tips and tricks, share what works and what doesn’t, and provide an easy recipe you can use to grill fantastic burgers every time!
Grilling Burgers: The Ultimate Guide
For something as ubiquitous and common as the hamburger, it sure can be tricky to get it just right. We’ve all had the unfortunate experience of biting into a bad burger. Nothing is quite so disappointing as readying yourself for that first bite, only to be met by a dry, flavorless puck of meat.
A great burger, on the other hand, is impossible to resist. It’s juicy and tender, with lots of melty cheese and a perfectly seasoned crust. That’s the burger we all crave, and in this post, we’re going to discuss exactly how to grill the perfect burger.
From what kind of beef is best for burgers to the best burger toppings, to whether you should put an ice cube in your burger patty, we'll answer all your questions so you never have to eat a bad burger again!
Don’t have a grill? Use these same tips to make the best Air Fryer Hamburgers!
Tips for Grilling Burgers Like a Pro
Before we jump into the instructions, here are a few tips I use every time I make burgers.
- Use fatty beef- Save the lean beef for Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup. I recommend using no leaner than 80/20 beef for juicy burgers.
- Be gentle- Avoid tough burgers by handling the meat as little (and as gently) as possible.
- Use your thumb to indent the center- If you’ve ever started grilling a big burger patty and ended up with a small burger dome, you’ll understand the importance of this trick. Making an indent in the center of your patty prevents it from puffing up in the center and allows for more even cooking.
- Oil your grill grates- Avoid mangling your burgers by starting with clean, oiled grates. You can oil them by spraying with cooking spray (BEFORE lighting the grill), or using a paper towel soaked in vegetable oil to wipe them down (my preferred method).
- Flip once- The key to getting those lovely grill marks is to only flip the burgers once. Allow them to cook undisturbed for several minutes before flipping. They should loosen from the grill easily once they're seared.
- Never press burgers down- Nothing hurts me more than watching someone press their spatula into a burger patty and seeing all those delicious juices run out. Please, if you disregard all my other advice, DON’T DO THIS. We want all those juices in our burgers, not at the bottom of the grill.
Tricks for Juicy Burgers: Do They Work?
We’ve all heard our favorite chef share their top secret trick for making the juiciest burger. I was excited to try a few of these and see if they were worth the hype.
Here are the 3 tricks I tested:
- Seasoning the outside of the burgers vs. seasoning all of the meat
- Adding an ice cube to the center of the patty for extra moisture
- Topping the burger with butter for added flavor and fat
How to Season Burgers- Mix it into the meat or sprinkle on the outside?
I have long been a season-all-the-burger-meat girl, thinking that would give the burgers the most flavor. However, this test has made me a convert.
Seasoning the outside of the beef creates a juicy burger with a super flavorful crust. Generously seasoning both sides of the patty gives it plenty of flavor, despite not being mixed throughout the meat.
Turns out there’s some science behind this as well. Salt draws moisture out, so it’s best to wait to salt it until right before it’s going on the grill, and to only salt the outside.
Kosher salt and pepper makes a fine seasoning on its own, but if you want to take things up a notch, try this easy homemade burger seasoning.
Adding an Ice Cube to Burgers: Yay or Nay?
This one did not impress me. It was a pain to wrap the burger meat around the ice cube, and one of my burgers ended up with a weird divot where the ice cube was. And, for obvious reasons, this trick is super time sensitive. I didn’t notice a significant change in juiciness, so the ice cube trick was a no for me.
Should I add butter to burgers?
The butter trick was tantalizing to look at (I mean, who doesn’t start drooling when they see a pat of butter melt over a burger patty?), but was also not a game changer for me. It made a *slight* difference in flavor and juiciness, but not enough that this will be a regular for me.
However, I do recommend using butter when you cook burgers in a cast iron skillet, as you get the benefit of the butter staying in the pan and basting the burgers as you cook.
How to Grill Burgers
Now that we’ve got all the tips and tricks up our sleeve, let’s bring it all together and grill some burgers!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1.5 pounds 80/20 ground beef- I make 5 patties with this, for ⅓ lb burgers.
- Kosher salt and pepper or burger seasoning
- A charcoal or gas grill
Step 1: Preheat your grill to medium high heat (About 450 degrees). If you’re using a charcoal grill, arrange the coals so you’ll have one high heat zone for cooking and one low heat zone, so you can move the burgers if there are flare ups.
Step 2: Shape the patties. Use your hands to gently form the burgers into 5 balls of roughly equal size. Place them on a cutting board or sheet pan, and use the palm of your hand to gently press them into a circle. They don’t have to be a perfect circle. Burger patties shrink during cooking, so make your patties slightly larger than the size of your buns.
Step 3: Indent. Use your thumb to press an indent into the center of each burger.
Step 4: Season. Right before the burgers are going on the grill, give them a generous sprinkling of seasoning on both sides.
Step 5: Grill. Place burgers directly on the grill and grill according to the time and temperature guide below.
How Long to Grill Burgers: Time and Temperature Guide
Every grill and every burger size is different, so please use these guidelines as a rough estimate. Temperature is a much better guide than time, so grab a meat thermometer and use it to know exactly when your burgers are done.
- Rare Burger Temp and Time: 130-135 degrees, 3-4 minutes per side
- Medium Burger Temp and Time: 140-145 degrees, 4-5 minutes per side
- Well Done Burger Temp and Time: 150-155 degrees, 5-6 minutes per side
Note: These temperatures account for carryover cooking, which is the 5-10 degree rise in temperature after the burger comes off the grill. The USDA recommends cooking ground beef to at least 160 degrees, which means removing it at 150-155 degrees.
Burger Toppings + Recipes:
My personal philosophy is that burgers should always have cheese. Add cheese to the burgers for the last minute of grilling time to get it nice and melty.
Besides cheese, we also love:
- Lettuce, Tomato, and Onion (otherwise known as LTO)
- Pickles
- Avocado, like in these Avocado Burgers.
- Pico de gallo and tortilla chips, a la Taco Burgers.
- Caramelized onion and mushrooms, as in this Mushroom Swiss Burger.
- Cucumber, radish, and arugula, as in this Ranch Burger.
- Bacon- Learn how to cook bacon in the oven and use it in on these Double Bacon Cheeseburgers.
- Pimento Cheese Burgers
- French Fried Onions
- Pesto
- Copy Cat Big Mac Sauce
You can also check out our favorite sides for burgers and hot dogs here!
📖 Recipe
Perfect Grilled Burgers
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds 80/20 ground beef
- Salt and pepper or burger seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to medium high heat (About 450 degrees). If you’re using a charcoal grill, arrange the coals so you’ll have one high heat zone for cooking and one low heat zone, so you can move the burgers if there are flare ups.
- Shape the patties. Use your hands to gently form the burgers into 5 balls of roughly equal size. Place them on a cutting board or sheet pan, and use the palm of your hand to gently press them into a circle. They don’t have to be a perfect circle. Burger patties shrink during cooking, so make your patties slightly larger than the size of your buns.
- Indent. Use your thumb to press an indent into the center of each burger.
- Season. Right before the burgers are going on the grill, give them a generous sprinkling of seasoning on both sides.
- Grill. Place burgers directly on the grill and grill for 4-5 minutes per side, flipping only once, or until internal temp reaches 150 degrees for well done burgers. Add cheese for the last minute if desired. See chart in the notes below for temperature and time guidelines.
Notes
- Rare Burger Temp and Time: 130-135 degrees, 3-4 minutes per side
- Medium Burger Temp and Time: 140-145 degrees, 4-5 minutes per side
- Well Done Burger Temp and Time: 150-55 degrees, 5-6 minutes per side
