How to Make the Juiciest Burgers (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to juicy hamburgers? ›

A little extra moisture helps even well-done burgers stay juicy and tender, even if they're made from 90% lean ground beef. Mix in 1/4-1/2 cup water per pound of ground beef before forming your patties to reap the tenderizing benefit of H20. Some chefs tuck an ice cube into the middle of the patty for the same effect.

Secret Ingredients – My secret to juicy burgers is mixing olive oil and Worcestershire sauce into the meat prior to cooking! This locks in the moisture and amps up the flavor. Try it and taste the difference. Seasonings – I keep it simple with sea salt, black pepper, and a little garlic powder.

Instructions for How to Make Ground Beef Patties for burgers: In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, 1 egg, and a generous amount of salt and pepper to season (half tsp each). Egg is a burger binding agent for the ground beef patty. Divide the well mixed beef into four equal round balls and form into patties.

Fat Prevents The Ground Meat From Drying Out

If I know I'm cooking something longer—like with meatloaf—I'll want enough fat in there to keep it juicy over time. If I'm using lean meat—like ground turkey—I'll be extra careful to make sure I don't overcook it.

Sear the meat before cooking it in the oven

This may change for the cut meat but, usually, searing the meat before putting it in the oven will help to keep the juices inside. If you are cooking a big piece of meat like roast beef or similar with sauce, make sure you pour some sauce in while cooking it to keep it juicy.

In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp sweet paprika, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper, ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper, and ½ tsp salt. Stir the spices together and then they're ready to use! Get ready for the juiciest, most flavorful burger ever!

Salt draws out moisture from proteins, which is a good thing when brining whole proteins like steak. With ground meat, salt can draw out too much moisture, leading to a dry, dense burger. So sprinkle the patties with salt just before grilling to create a juicy interior and a deliciously salty crust.

Using meat that's too lean.

One of the hallmarks of a really good burger is one that's super juicy when you bite into it, and you just don't get that by using lean meat. Using meat that's too lean results in burgers that are lacking in both flavor and texture, and easily end up dry and crumbly.

I recommend that you spend a little bit more to get a leaner mix of ground beef. It's the roll that gets soggy, a burger can be drained of excess grease. I actually prefer 80/20 or 85/15, so a leaner burger will be far less flavorful. Just don't put it on the roll until drained of its grease.

Milk: Milk helps to keep the burgers nice and juicy and tender when cooked. Worcestershire sauce: This savoury condiment is full of umami flavours and adds some extra tastiness to each bite. Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper are used to flavour up the ground beef.

Should you mix seasoning into burgers? ›

Yes, you can mix seasoning directly into the burger patty, especially if you're forming your own. In fact, many chefs swear by this method because it helps supplement the burger with an explosion of spice and flavor in every bite.

To try Ramsay's technique, add about one yolk per pound of ground beef. Egg yolks to hold in the meat's juices and achieve flavorful, juicy, well-formed burger patties.

If you're grilling quick-cooking foods like burgers, thin steaks, chops, fish, shrimp, or sliced vegetables directly over the flames, you can leave the grill open. For red meat, that means you won't lose that pink, juicy center so many of us love.