Why your burgers SUCK & five tips to make a better burger!

Over the years we've cooked our fair share of burgers & have learned a thing or two about the art of burger-making. In this post I will be going over the biggest mistakes I see home cooks make when making burgers & what to do instead.

1. Your meat is WRONG.

Never go for lean ground beef. It's too lean so the end result will be dry. Instead opt for a medium ground beef for a juicer burger!

2. Your cooking surface is TOO HOT or TOO COLD.

The most flavorful part of a burger patty is the surface area that gets caramelized during the cooking process. In order to develop that flavor (and not over-do it) you must nail the temperature of your pan. Too hot and you will end up with too much charred flavor. Too cool and your burgers will end up steam cooking and lack flavor. Heat your pan on medium-high and add your oil. Wait until the oil is glistening and easily glides along the pan before adding your meat. Once you add your meat, let it hang out for a few minutes before flipping it.

3. Your patty is too dang THICK.

I get the appeal of a HUGE burger patty, but trust me, if you want lots of meat on a burger you're better off cooking 2 thin patties than 1 thick one. A thicker patty takes longer to cook meaning you might end up overcooking the outside in order to fully cook the inside. Another reason is 2 thin patties means double the caramelized surface area, which as we learned in tip #3 equals DOUBLE FLAVOR.

4. You didn't properly SEASON your meat.

Before throwing your burger on the pan, generously season with salt and pepper. No need to get fancy, salt & pepper brings out the flavor of the meat without overpowering it.

5. You put COLD STUFF on it.

So you did all the work to perfectly cook your patty, only to put it on a cold bun with cold vegetables and cold condiments! You don't have to be a scientist to guess what the end result will be! COLD! Instead let your vegetables come to room temperature and slice them as thin as humanly possible. Pop your bun in the toaster to heat it up to keep everything warm & toasty.

There you go! Follow these 5 tips and you will be well on your way to mastering the art of burger-making.