Ultimate Burger Recipe

The best beef to use for burgers is a ground chuck beef mixture of 80/20 with 20% of fat to be ideal. The more fat, the more your burgers will shrink. Which, is why it’s also important to make your patties wider than a standard bun size since they do shrink some during the cooking period.

We love 5-inch patties before they hit the grill. This is the perfect size to fit regular-sized store buns. Here are the different shaped and sized patties you can make from this burger recipe:

Standard size patty- a standard size patty is considered to be on the thin side of the burger family. This is the size pictured in the photo and fits a store-bought bun the best. Form patties into 5-inch flat disks. No need to indent the centers for the standard-sized burgers, that’s only for the thick style burgers.

Thick- Thick burgers are hearty and meaty. Since beef takes the center of attention here, add more seasonings like some Worcestershire sauce to enhance the beef flavor. Pat burgers into 4-inch thick patties for thick burgers and indent the centers to prevent the middles to poof up.

Stuffed- make a surprise filling by indenting the centers and filling with a tablespoon of your favorite stuffing! Stuff burgers with cheddar cheese, a herbed butter mixture, or caramelized onions and mushrooms.

Sliders- feed a hungry crowd with this easy oven-baked version of burgers! Slider burgers make square patties as the beef mixture gets baked then sliced. Pat the 2 lb beef mixture into a 13×9 inch casserole and bake uncovered at 350°F for 15 minutes. Cut into 2″ squares and serve with a 12 pack of dinner rolls.

To replicate the grill effect on the stove-top use a cast-iron skillet! It distributes heat evenly and will give your burgers a charred look without a grill! To get the grill marks cook in a cast-iron panini using a press. Here are other ways you cook burgers.

Cast iron skillet- leaves charred appearance when cooked at a high temperature and distributes heat evenly.

Panini Press– leaves commercial grade grill marks and is fast and convenient.

Oven-Baked Sliders- is a great way to make mini burgers, especially for children or as a finger snack.

Non-stick skillet- the most efficient and convenient way to make burgers at home. Cook 4 minutes per side or until done for 5-inch patties.

Grill- cooking beef patties on the grill is the best method for perfectly charred burgers and summer gatherings!

1. Preheat the grill to high heat. Clean and lightly baste the grill grates with oil.
2. Form beef mixture into 8 (5-inch) patties. Place patties on the preheated grill and immediately turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 4 minutes on each side. Remove and quickly top with cheese.

Homemade burgers freeze very well. It’s the most efficient way to make burgers since you can work with large amounts of beef and make burgers for a future dinner or grilling event. When you want to use them simply place frozen beef patties directly on the hot grill no additional steps need to be taken. Making them ahead of time just saves you on prepping time and is the most common way you get them at the grocery store.

To freeze burger patties: form patties into flat 5-inch disks. Layer between parchment paper and freeze solid. Cut parchment paper between every two patties and transfer it into a freezer bag. Keep frozen for up to 3 months.

To grill frozen burgers: Preheat the grill to high heat. Clean and lightly baste the grill grates with oil. Place frozen patties on the preheated grill and immediately turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 4 minutes on each side. Remove and quickly top with cheese.

The ultimate juicy cheeseburger would be our favorite, with fresh crisp toppings over a toasted bun! Building a burger is really just a matter of preference, but how you build it can impact how quickly it will get soggy! We love it with only a handful of the basic toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, and onions but toppings vary from color, texture, and flavor! Here are the classic toppings plus more that you dress your burger with;

• Cheese- American cheese or deluxe is the best! Other Cheese can be used too but they just seem to lose their texture once cooled. American cheese reheats well.
• tomatoes- use wide beefsteak tomatoes or off the vine tomatoes when making burgers.
• lettuce- iceberg lettuce, green leaf lettuce or Romaine lettuce is ideal.
• onions- sweet Vidialla onions, purple onions, or caramelized are all great options!
• bacon- crisp bacon enhances the flavor!
• avocado- a light and good-for-you topping.
• carmelized onions and mushrooms- delicious paired with swiss cheese or provolone!
• Jalapenos- great for adding spiciness or heat.
• pickles- look for dill pickles as they go best!

You can make your own Hamburger buns with this feather-light Hamburger Bun Recipe! Here is a complete list of the Best Burger Buns to use for Burgers!

• Kaiser Roll- a restaurant-style bun with the signature curved star top.
• Potato Rolls- very similar to a regular hamburger bun but has a yellow hue.
• Hamburger Buns- probably the #1 seller!
• Sesame Seed Buns- the other popular variation to hamburger buns. Very popular and classic.
• Brioche buns- a Restaurant-style bun for many burger places. It’s dark shiny top is incredibly appealing and is great toasted!

The way you assemble your burger will impact how quickly it will get soggy! Which, is why it’s important to put the soggy toppings between the veggies on or in the middle of your burger.

Even fast-food places avoid that error and many gas stations even sell prepared sandwiches with no dressing on the bread.

How to Assemble a burger:

1. Toast Buns- toasting the burger buns adds texture and hardens up the bread surface for better absorption.
2. Layer not so wet veggies first and end with the patty a top- start with dry lettuce, tomatoes, and then onions. Top the burger patty on top and add your favorite burger sauce to the top half of the bun with pickles. Nestle mushy veggies like tomatoes into the middle so it doesn’t have direct contact with the bread. Try to end with meat on top whether it would be bacon or burger.
3. Add Sauces to the top half of the bun so the bottom doesn’t get as soggy- since most burger buns have thin bottoms they tend to sog up fast. If you are planning for leftovers, try to sauce them up before serving so they can sit in the fridge.

There is nothing quicker than using your favorite prepared condiment sauces, like ketchup or flavored mayonnaise. But, once in a while, you might want to jazz things up, so here is a list of burger sauces to build your burger better!

• aioli- are mayonnaise-based sauces with different flavorings like mustard, bbq, ketchup, or garlic. Stir a teaspoon of your favorite flavorings with 1/3 cup of mayo.
• Secret Sauce- is like a thousand island dressing which In-and-out Burger uses on their burgers!
• Chick-fil-A sauce- is not only great for chicken sandwiches but this dipping sauce is good enough to slather over beef or fries!
• Fry sauce- is a seasoned mayo and ketchup sauce that pairs well with burgers and fries. Check out this fry sauce recipe.

For a well-done burger, you want the internal reading to be 160°F. This goes for grilling frozen burger patties or freshly made burgers from beef. Read more on doneness in this article on Burger Temperatures.

The best way to avoid wet and soggy buns when making burgers is to layer the toppings right. Start and end with toppings that won’t sog up the bread as quick like onions, meat or lettuce. And stick all the wet veggies into the middle between the other veggies and meat. This way storing leftovers won’t be like eating a wet burger.