A perfect, juicy all American Hamburger! Here I’ll share iii unproblematic ways to cook burgers (including stovetop, grill in addition to even oven), addition tips on how to make the best burger. This includes a simple homemade bun, a diversity of sauces as well as all the best toppings!
Want to attempt a unlike type of burger adjacent? Go for my Turkey Burgers or Black Bean Burgers to switch things up sometimes.
An Easy Classic Burger Recipe
Burgers take long been a staple nutrient inward our family unit. So I guess yous tin say nosotros are a typical American family unit.
Growing upwards we had them cooked to that hockey puck doneness, overly well, just every bit a kid I didn’t tending it was a burger. One affair my mom never got incorrect though was that she never used the pre-formed patties. That’second burger error number i in my listen.
Shaping your own burgers from fresh earth beef will pass on yous a fair superior result.
Helpful Tips
After twenty years of feel making hamburgers I’ve learned several other things along the style to make the perfect burger:
- Use a high quality bun for the base of operations as this makes upwardly a huge portion of the completed burger. Homemade or bakery fresh is best.
- Go for a skillful fat ratio inside the beef for tenderness (personally I prefer 85%).
- Adequately season the gist alongside salt, this is a big 1 people oftentimes young lady.
- Careful non to overwork the beef equally you lot cast the patties and then it’sec non tough.
- Use a nutrient thermometer to ready to the correct temp so it’second not undercooked and dangerously rare, or over-cooked in addition to dry out as well as rubbery.
- Preheat pan/grill together with keep that proper temp. Otherwise y'all’ll terminate upwardly amongst a pale steamed-similar patty or overly charred burger.
- Cook at a fairly high temp without disturbing every bit it cooks, this helps make a beautifully brown crust. The solely fashion I could achieve this inward the oven was to commencement that pan out super hot as well as non plow the burger until the stop, for ane nicely browned side at least.
- Slice toppings fairly sparse. For texture in addition to this allows the flavour of the beef polish if we don’t go overboard on toppings.
- Toast the buns so they don’t go soggy and they agree upwardly amend.
- If grilling burgers don’t exit them unattended. Grills tin can take dangerous flare ups if yous don’t keep an heart on things. You should likewise live cleaning the fat from the grill regularly.
Over the years I’ve too tried dissimilar things similar seasoning the beef to build in other flavors, creating diverse sizes of burgers, too trying diverse toppings.
I’ve settled on unproblematic, as well as freshest is best but yous are e'er welcome to modify things upward in addition to become more bold (unique toppings, hot sauce/ peppers, bluish cheese, etc).
And of form if you are a cheeseburger fan don’t forget to add the cheese after turning the burger (during cooking) for perfectly melty cheesy good.
If yous are wondering what my personal favorite method of cooking is hither it’s easily the form iron stovetop method. But the others are nice for convenience likewise as well as I role all 3.
Hamburger Topping Ideas
- Sauce: Ketchup, mustard, mayo, guacamole, creamy homemade spread, or bbq sauce
- Vegetables: Lettuce, tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, avocado, pickles, pickled jalapeno peppers, onions (fresh, sauteed, or grilled)
- Meat: Cooked bacon
- Cheeses: Sliced cheddar cheese, American cheese (deli fresh is better), PepperJack, Colby, Provolone or Muenster
Ingredients to Make Homemade Burgers
- Homemade hamburger buns or baker buns
- Ground beef, 80 to 85% thin
- Salt and black pepper
- Vegetable rock oil, for cooking
- Sauce for bun (ketchup, mustard, etc)
How to Shape Hamburger Patties
- Divide beef into iv equal portions of five oz. each if using 1 i/four lbs., or 6 oz. each if using i i/2 lbs. beef.
- Note that a kitchen scale will operate best for the almost even size as well as therefor even cooking time amid the burgers.
- Gently shape each component part into cylinder like cast so strike into a circular that is 4-inches wide as well as near 3/four-inch thick.
- Make a slight indent inward the eye of each patty (so they’ll cease upward cooking more degree rather than domed).
- Season evenly together with quite generously with the common salt and pepper on both sides, only in one case you are cook to cook the burgers.
How to Cook Hamburgers on the Stovetop
- Oil the 12-inch form iron skillet with vegetable crude (it industrial plant good to only use a balled upwardly newspaper towel to spread it about), and so preheat over medium-high estrus on the stovetop. It should estrus well-nigh five to eight minutes until petroleum is shimmering. (I recommend turning on exhaust fan too)
- Place patties inwards a skillet spacing evenly apart too using a spatula press downward over the meridian of them then the bottom of the burger makes straight contact with the surface of the pan together with therefor browns evenly.
- Let make undisturbed until nicely browned on bottom, most four minutes. Flip in addition to fix until opposite side is browned in addition to burger is cooked through, almost three to v minutes longer. Add cheese later on turning if using so it has plenty fourth dimension to melt.
- Note that if burger is browning to speedily equally it cooks cut down temperature to medium, if using the largest burner on the stove you lot may find medium is sufficient for entire make time.
- Serve burgers inward buns alongside desired toppings.
How to Grill Burgers
- Preheat a gas grill over medium high oestrus to 425 to 450 degrees.
- Clean grill grates together with carefully brush grates alongside the vegetable crude (using a balled up paper towel as well as tongs).
- Place patties on grill (over expanse of flames). Cover with lid and permit grill 4 minutes and then turn to reverse side and ready through, virtually iii to five minutes longer.
- If adding cheese home on superlative afterwards turning to allow fourth dimension to melt.
How to Bake Hamburgers
- Place a shape Fe skillet on a rack inwards center of the oven. Preheat to 500 degrees.
- Once preheated remove pan from oven and immediately brush crude oil into pan (using tongs together with paper towel). Add burger patties correct away as well as slightly press downwards amongst a spatula and then they brand fifty-fifty contact amongst pan.
- Carefully return hot pan to oven correct away, reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees as well as bake until burgers are cooked through, most 7 to 9 minutes, turning during final ane infinitesimal.
- If yous’d similar to add together cheese add together subsequently turning at terminal one minute.
Burger Doneness Temperatures
Note that FDA recommends cooking to a temperature of 160 to kill of any potentially harmful bacteria. I personally prefer a fairly good done burger at well-nigh 155. Temperature should be taken internally inward centre of burger on an moment read nutrient thermometer.
- Medium rare: 130° to 135°F
- Medium: 140° to 145°F
- Medium good: 150° to 155°F
- Well done: 160°F
Possible Variations
- Make a lettuce twine hamburger: Skip the bun and function whole romaine lettuce leaves inward it’second home. Use a base of ii medium leaves layered together, make burger over 1 side as well as crease over the top to finish it.
- Try a double patty burger: If you lot are going for a mile high burger y'all tin can make ii three oz. portions each per hamburger. I’d recommend the stovetop cooking method, together with cut dorsum ready fourth dimension slightly. Scrape pan clean between the 2 batches of 4 each.
- For the creamy spread sauce: In a small bowl mix together i/three cup mayonnaise, ii i/two Tbsp ketchup, i/two tsp vinegar, i/4 tsp paprika, i/viii tsp onion powder, 1/viii tsp garlic pulverization, one/eight tsp cayenne pepper as well as flavour with common salt and pepper to gustatory modality.
What to Serve with Hamburgers
- French Fries
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Chips together with Salsa or Irish potato chips
- Coleslaw or Apple Slaw
- Fruit Salad
Hamburger Recipe
A perfect all American hamburger! Here I part 3 unproblematic ways to fix burgers (including stovetop, grill together with even oven), addition tips on how to build the best burger. This includes a elementary homemade bun, a variety of sauces too all the best toppings!
Servings: iv
Ingredients
- 1 1/iv lbs to one one/ii lbs lxxx to 85% thin ground beef
- three/4 to 1 tsp tabular array salt
- 1/two tsp black pepper
- ii tsp vegetable petroleum
- 4 hamburger buns, preferably homemade or bakery fresh, halved, sprayed alongside olive petroleum spray in addition to lightly toasted inwards oven or countertop oven if desired
Optional toppings
- Sauce such every bit ketchup, mustard, mayo, guacamole or spread**
- Sliced cheddar cheese, American cheese, PepperJack, Colby, Provolone or Muenster
- Sliced tomatoes, pickles, crimson or xanthous onion, avocado, cooked bacon or sauteed mushrooms
Instructions
- Divide earth beef into four equal portions of v oz each if using i one/four lbs, or half-dozen oz each if using i ane/2 lbs beef. Note that a kitchen scale volition go best for the well-nigh fifty-fifty size in addition to therefor fifty-fifty cooking time among the burgers.
- Gently cast each constituent into cylinder like cast and then strike into a round that is four-inches broad and most 3/4-inch thick. Make a slight indent in the center of each patty (and then they'll cease upward cooking more degree rather than domed).
- Season evenly as well as quite generously amongst the salt together with pepper on both sides, merely one time you are fix to make the burgers.
How to prepare hamburgers on the stovetop
- Oil the 12-inch shape Fe skillet with vegetable crude (it plant good to simply purpose a balled upwards newspaper towel to spread it about), then preheat skillet over medium-high heat on the stovetop. It should heat nearly 5 to viii minutes until petroleum is nigh smoking. (I recommend turning on exhaust fan besides)
- Place patties in a skillet spacing evenly apart too using a spatula press down over the superlative of them and then the bottom of the burger makes directly contact with the surface of the pan in addition to therefor browns evenly.
- Let prepare undisturbed until nicely browned on bottom, nearly four minutes. Flip and ready until opposite side is browned in addition to burger is cooked through, virtually 3 to five minutes longer. Add cheese subsequently turning if using so it has plenty time to melt.
- Note that if burger is browning to rapidly equally it cooks cut temperature to medium, if using the largest burner on the stove y'all may notice medium is sufficient for entire ready fourth dimension.
- I recommend using an second read nutrient thermometer to examination internal temperature of the burgers for doneness. Medium good is 150 to 155. Note that recommend nutrient safe temperature for ground beef is 160 degrees inwards center.
- Serve hamburgers inwards buns with desired sauce too toppings.
How to grill hamburgers
- Preheat a gas grill over medium high heat to 425 to 450 degrees. Clean grill grates in addition to brush with the vegetable fossil oil (using a balled up paper towel in addition to tongs).
- Place patties on grill (over area of flames). Cover amongst lid too let grill four minutes so plough to contrary side too prepare through, nigh three to 5 minutes longer. If adding cheese home on elevation later on turning to let time to melt.
How to bake hamburgers
- Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet on a rack inward middle of the oven. Preheat to 500 degrees.
- Once preheated take hot pan from oven using hot pads in addition to instantly brush rock oil into pan (using tongs too balled up paper towel). Add burger patties correct away too slightly press downwards amongst a spatula then they make fifty-fifty contact amongst pan.
- Return hot pan to oven correct away (once again purpose hot pads pan is extremely hot), cut back oven temperature to 400 degrees as well as bake until burgers are cooked through, nearly 7 to nine minutes, turning during last 1 minute. If y'all'd similar to add together cheese add later on turning at final 1 infinitesimal.
Notes
- *For a flavor seasoned burger it'sec as well tasty to include ii tsp Worcestershire, 1/4 tsp onion pulverisation in addition to one/four tsp garlic pulverisation to season. With Worcestershire simply drizzle nigh 1/ii tsp over each portion in addition to rattling gently toss the beef.
- **For a sauce like to burger joints mix ane/three cup mayonnaise, ii one/2 Tbsp ketchup, ane/ii tsp vinegar, ane/4 tsp paprika, 1/eight tsp onion pulverisation, i/eight tsp garlic powder, one/8 tsp cayenne pepper together with flavour amongst salt as well as pepper to gustatory modality.
- Nutrition guess is for five oz. 85% thin beef patty in addition to homemade bun solely. Toppings non included equally these volition vary based on what is used.
Note that FDA recommends cooking to a temperature of 160 to kill of whatever potentially harmful bacteria. I personally prefer a fairly well done burger at almost 155. Temperature should live taken internally in centre of burger on an second read food thermometer.
Medium rare: 130° to 135°F
Medium: 140° to 145°F
Medium good: 150° to 155°F
Well done: 160°F
Nutrition Facts
Hamburger Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 548
Calories from Fat 234
% Daily Value*
Fat 26gforty%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 10g
Cholesterol 96mg32%
Sodium 516mg22%
Potassium 474mg14%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 1giv%
Sugar 3giii%
Protein 31g62%
Vitamin A 2IU0%
Vitamin C 1mgane%
Calcium 84mg8%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates alone. See total disclaimer here.