Burgers are staple foods across most barbecues but a lot of people don’t know how to make the best burger ever. A great burger requires great high-quality meat so you want to make sure that you use the right proportion of fat content. We recommend going between 70/30 to 80/20, any blend in that range is just enough fat to keep the burger together juicy and flavorful. If you are making a dinner style burger, use about 4 ounces of meat per person, if you are making a pub-style burger its about eight ounces of meat per person.

The most common cuts that we use are chuck short rib and round. First up, we are going to make the dinner style burger also called the smash burger, this is always done on a griddle cast-iron or a skillet. First, we are going to divide our meat into 4 ounces portions about the size of a tennis ball. Heat the skillet or cast-iron over high heat, when its just about to smoke, add olive oil. Now take the four ounces ball of meat and generously season it with salt and pepper.

Place the seasoned side of the meat directly into the pan, using a spatula, smash your burger down into a patty, make sure that the pattty is pretty flat so that they can get a nice even crust. Cook it for about two minutes on both sides. If you are into a cheeseburger, a soon as you flip that is when you add the cheese. Use the thermometer to make sure that the meat is cooked to 160 degrees.

Now that your patties are done, the best easy upgrade is to toast your buns, brush your buns with melted butter and then place them on a hot pan, this will be done really fast about 40 seconds until your buns are toasted. For the hub-style burgers, they are significantly larger than the diner-style burgers. Season your meat before you form the patty, always use salt and pepper or you can get creative with other seasonings.

Take your meat and form it into a classic patty form once, once the grill is preheated, add this patty and cook it without moving for three to four minutes on both sides. If you want to add cheese, make sure you do this when you are about two minutes from being done. Toast your buns on the grill, use stronge buns like the brioche. Diner style burgers are4 great for when you want something fast, easy delicious and more classic, pub-style burgers are great when you are feeding a crowd.

Ingredients;

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (80 percent lean) or ground turkey (90 percent lean)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 4 slices cheese (optional)
  • 4 hamburger buns, split; toasted, if desired

Instructions;

  1. Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each). Form each portion loosely into a 3/4-inch-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat a gas grill to high or heat coals in a charcoal grill until they glow bright orange and ash over. Brush the burgers with the oil.
  3. Grill the burgers until golden brown and slightly charred on the first side, about 3 minutes for beef and 5 minutes for turkey.
  4. Flip over the burgers. Cook beef burgers until golden brown and slightly charred on the second side, 4 minutes for medium rare (3 minutes if topping with cheese; see step 3) or until cooked to the desired degree of doneness.
  5. Heat a grill pan over high heat on top of the stove. Cook the burgers as for a grill, above.
  6. Heat the oil in the pan or griddle over high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Cook the burgers until golden brown and slightly charred on the first side, about 3 minutes for beef and 5 minutes for turkey.
  7. Flip over the burgers. Cook beef burgers until golden brown and slightly charred on the second side, 4 minutes for medium rare (3 minutes if topping with cheese) or until cooked to the desired degree of doneness.
  8. Cook turkey burgers until cooked throughout, about 5 minutes on the second side.
  9. Add the cheese, if using, to the tops of the burgers during the last minute of cooking and top with a basting cover, close the grill cover, or tent the burgers with aluminum foil to melt the cheese.
  10. Sandwich the hot burgers between the buns and serve immediately.