National Burger Day – How to Cook the Perfect Burger

A quick look at the weather forecast confirms pretty much what I learnt this morning. I got drenched walking into work this morning. What’s more I live two minutes away from the office. As the Bank holiday approaches, the end of this British summer is certainly a washout. So not perhaps then the best time to think about barbecuing. But as tomorrow is National Burger Day I thought I would post how to cook the perfect burger. There might even be a sunny spell over the weekend and chance to give it a go.

What goes in the perfect burger?

At the heart of every burger is the meat to fat ratio. When selecting your cuts of meat to mince, you ideally want to achieve around 85% lean meat. The fat is very important to your finished burger. Much of the flavour comes from the fat during cooking. It is also responsible for the correct mouthfeel of the finished product. The fat moistens the burger as it cooks, but much of fat will drain off onto the barbecue.

If you cook too close to the coals, this is when you get flaring as the fat ignites. Less than 15% fat and your burger will be dry. Much more and your burger will shrink drastically during cooking. The finished burger will only be, a not unhealthy 5% fat. You can ask your butcher for advice on which cuts to use. But I find a fifty/ fifty split of ground chuck and ground sirloin will achieve outstanding results.

If you do ask you butcher for advice he can help you with the next stage and mince your beef for you. You want to get a coarse grind. Too fine and the mixture is sloppy and the end result can be like rubber. You want to avoid working the meat as much as possible. Your butcher will grind the beef in an industrial mincer. This will process the beef quicker than a small handheld mincer. Many commercial burgers included numerous other ingredients.

I like to keep it simple with just sea salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Maybe a few finely chopped fresh herbs. If you do want to add other ingredients, an onion is just about acceptable, dice them very, very finely. Anything over the finest dice and the added ingredients will not cook. Your burger will not hold together leaving you with mince all over the grill.

The next steps

If your butcher prepares your mince for you chill it for a couple of hours before you prepare the actual burgers. Keeping your seasoned burger mince cold will result in a much better burger and help ensure a safe hygienic production. If you are going to barbecue every weekend consider buying a burger press. But it is just as easy to shape a medium sized handful into a ball then lightly pat it flat. Run some cold water over your hands to keep them cool before you shape your burgers. Remember to try to work them as gently and as little as possible. Over handling bruises the meat and will result in a tough, dry burger. Cover a tray with cling film and place the completed burgers onto the film. Cover with more cling film and store in the refrigerator until cooking time

Fire up your clean barbecue and get the coals nice and hot so the grill heats up. Give the grill a good going over with a wire brush then very carefully give a quick wipe of oil. The safest method is to sprinkle some vegetable oil on a thick fold of kitchen paper. Using barbecue tongues wipe the oiled paper over the grill to wipe off any remaining burnt fragments and charcoal dust. Once the barbecue is ready we can cook.

Cooking your burger

Brush the chilled burgers with a little olive oil to help prevent sticking and place on the grill. Quickly press down with your thumb in the centre of each burger to leave a slight indentation. As the meat cooks and the proteins contract and pull together this will stop the burger looking like a rugby ball. Aim to leave a third of your grill empty. You might think this is an waste of your glowing coals. However, if you do get flare-ups you will have space to move your burgers and prevent them from burning.

After three minutes give the burgers a ninety-degree turn ( that’s one quarter-turn ). If you think your burger is cooking too fast and it will burn just raise the grill one notch from the coals. Turning the burger will give the criss-cross appearance of char marks on your burger. This will demonstrate your professional cooking skills. Do not be tempted to squash the burger down with your spatula. This squeezes out the tasty melted fat leaving a dry burger.

After another two minutes, your burger is should be ready to flip. The edges will be browning and you might see pinkish pearls of moisture on the burger surface. As you develop your barbecue grilling skills you will learn the cooking times of different meats and cuts. You really only ever have to turn the burger over once. Then let it cook for three more minutes and you can then check if it is ready. The cooking time is directly proportional to the thickness of your burger. When it is ready any escaping juices will be clear. The internal temperature, if you check it with a thermometer should be over 180 F / 80C.

Serving your burger

Place the cooked burgers on a warm plate. Then cover with foil and place to the side of the barbecue to keep warm. Let them rest for a few minutes. Brush the cut sides of your burger rolls with a little melted butter and toast them over the coals. The rest is up to you. Personally, I favour sliced pickles, crisp lettuce, and really ripe tomatoes and maybe a slice of Monterey Jack Cheese. Enjoy.

May I ask a favour?