Today we’re turning up the heat with this easy grilled hamburgers video recipe . Whether you’re cooking for a few…or a few more, we’ll share tips and tricks for grilling tasty hamburgers EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
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- Hey everybody, I'm Joey, and today we're firing up the grill for that summertime staple, the hamburger. Whether you're cooking for a few or a few more, we'll share tips and tricks for making tasty burgers every single time. We've all been to that summer barbecue where the burgers end up looking more like meatballs or footballs, and it leaves all this excess bun, nobody likes that. Or, on the other hand, they turn out burnt and dry like hockey pucks. Not cool, bro. And I really hope it wasn't your party. But whether you are the guy or you know the guy, we're here to help. This is not a video about crazy burgers stacked three feet high with aiolis and gravies and insane concoctions, and if you're looking for that mac and cheese stuffed burger with the flaming Cheetos dusted donut buns, you're gonna have to look somewhere else, because here at Red Meat Lover, we're all about cooking meat made easy. And that's what we're just gonna show you, some simple tips and tricks for making great burgers. First, you need to start with the beef. As a matter of fact, that's all you really need but we're gonna add some other ingredients as well. And when it comes to the beef, it's very important, you don't want anything too lean. I like an 80/20 ground chuck, and I like the ground chuck because I know exactly where it came from vs ground beef. So let's get started. The first thing you need to do is make the patties, and you can do them by hand or you can find something around the house. Here I have just an old pickle lid, you know, nice and round, or this small little egg skillet. Both of them will help you form perfect patties every single time. Whether you do it by hand or you use something around the house, be sure that you don't press the meat too tight. So here we're just gonna go ahead and press it in this pickle lid, again, not too tight. That will just help us get a nice round shape to it. Alright, now that we've turned them into patties, it's time to season them, but before we do that, what we wanna do is just take our thumb and put it right in the middle of this burger and press down. This will promote even cooking and it will prevent it from turning into a football or a UFO as we throw it on the grill. And then we're just gonna follow it up with a little bit of olive oil on both sides, a little kosher salt, and just like with a steak, be sure to apply it liberally. A lot of this will stick to the grill as you cook. It might look like too much, but it's usually just about right. And next, the pepper. And while I'm only showing one side here, make sure that you season both sides. Okay, now that these are seasoned, let's go ahead and put them in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, allow them to firm up, and then we're gonna throw them on the grill. Alright, these are ready to go on the grill. This has been heating for about 20 minutes and we're using jumbo lump charcoal which burns hot and clean. A big mistake I see a lot of people make is use a fire that's actually too cold, if that makes any sense. So we're just gonna get these right on the grill, and they're a fatty cut of meat, so if you get some flare-ups, you're gonna wanna go ahead and throw the dome down and leave that grate open so you don't cool off the fire too much. Okay, these have been cooking now for three minutes, and we're gonna go ahead and give them a flip. If they stick to the grate, well then you know you tried to flip them too soon. As I mentioned earlier, you really only wanna try to flip your burgers one time. And now we're gonna go ahead and get the buns on. We wanna get these around the coolest part of the grill. We don't want these to burn, no one wants burnt toast. And there's one final trick here. Don't be the guy that presses the burgers and wastes all the juice. That basically turns them into hockey pucks. So just flip them one time and let them sit. I'm gonna let these cook for about another two to three minutes. Two minutes we'll come back and we'll add some cheese. Okay, so it's been about a minute and a half, this is going real hot, so I'm gonna go ahead and get the cheese on the burgers. Now you can use whatever kind of cheese you want, this is a mix of ground Fontina, some American, some Colby, and some Monterey Jack. So go ahead and get that on there. And then we're gonna go ahead and flip these buns. As I said, we don't want them burnt. Pretty hot part of the fire, I'm gonna throw it over here. Woo! Okay, now we're gonna throw the dome down and let this cook for another 60 or 90 seconds. Be right back. Alright, the cheese is nice and melted, I'm gonna go ahead and pull these buns off now. I forgot to mention it, but I did put a little olive oil on these buns to help promote that nice crunch. You can use butter, but I like olive oil. Alright, so get these burgers off that flame now, they've been on for about six minutes. Remember though, the actual cooking time will depend upon the thickness of the burgers themselves. Also, once you're done, don't put the burgers right on the buns. That would make them soggy. Leave them to the side until you're ready to build your burger. Which we're gonna do next, so follow me. Now it's time to build our burger. And I don't really have any set way or right way, I'd say put whatever on it that works for you. I do like to chop the lettuce instead of using whole pieces, that always seems to slide right off. So we'll just start at the bottom, add a little bit of lettuce. I like mine on the bottom because that helps prevent the bun from getting too soggy, no one wants to eat a soggy bun. Next, I'll just go ahead and throw on some of these sliced red onions right here. And now it's time for the meat. Look at that, does not look like a UFO or a football and it fits nicely on that bun. Next we're gonna take the top, tomato, couple of pickles. Again, I know that some of you have the right way to do this. I'm not big on that, it's just really whatever works for you. Little ketchup on there. And a little bit of mustard. I like my burgers cooked to about a medium well. 145 degrees or greater. When you grind beef, it can cause a lot of bacteria that's on the outside to get inside and so it's really for safety. I get it, there's a lot of people like their burgers rare and medium rare and it's whatever works for you, I just prefer mine medium well. So there you go. A perfectly-cooked medium well burger just the way I like it. So go ahead and give your grill a thrill and make this right at home. If you like our video, please give us a thumbs up, like or subscribe to our channel by hitting the big red subscribe button right below this video, you can't miss it and it will just take a second. Look, I know you have a lot of great tips and tricks on how to cook burgers yourself and we would love your feedback in the comments below or you can leave them on our website at redmeatlover.com. And remember, a burger with no cheese is like a hug with no squeeze, baby. You just gotta have it. I'll see you next time.
Grilled Hamburgers
We’ve all been to that summer party where the burgers end up looking more like meatballs orfootballs….round with all kind of excess bun. Or they end up all burnt and dry like a hockey puck. Not cool bro. And I really hope it wasn’t your party…but whether you are the guy, or you know the guy, we’re here to help!
And just a heads up – this is not a video about crazy burgers, stacked 3 feet high with aioli’s and gravy and insane concotions. There’s some great ingredients in the world but you’ll have to look elsewhere for that mac and chees stuffed burger with the flamin Cheetos dusted donut buns.
Here at Red Meat Lover we’re all about “Cooking Meat, made easy”….so let’s get started.
Recipe:
- Beef: We’re making hamburgers, so you will need beef. As a matter of fact, it’s the only ingredient you really need, but we’ll probably add some others. You can use many different types of meat for grilled hamburgers, not just beef. No matter what type of meat you use, don’t use anything that is too lean, it can dry out easily. I prefer beef that has at least a 20% or greater fat content (80/20). I personally prefer ground chuck.
- Shape: Next, you need to shape the beef into patties. You can do this by hand or use items around the house to form a round shape. I prefer to use a pickle lid for a gallon jar….perfect shape. I’ve also used an egg skillet. These shaping tools are especially handy when making a lot of hamburgers for a crowd. I like my hamburgers about 1/3 of a pound, before cooking.
- Season: Once they’re shaped, season with Olive Oil, salt & pepper….nothing more. We’re not making meatloaf so you don’t need eggs, onions, etc. Keep it simple, especially when cooking for a crowd.
- One Final Step: Once they’re seasoned, make an indention in the center of the hamburger, using your thumb. Press down hard but not so much that you push through the meat. This thumb indent will result in even cooking of the hamburgers and prevents the rounding of the burger during cooking.
- Firm Hamburgers: It is important to firm up the hamburgers before cooking. The burgers can be refrigerated as long as the night before or as short as 20 minutes before cooking. This will prevent them from falling apart on the grill.
Grilling Tips
Before we can start grilling the hamburgers, we’ll need a fire. I use lump charcoal. It cooks hotter and cleaner than briquettes. 
- Hot Fire: When cooking hamburgers, a nice hot fire is what you want. The most common mistake I see, are fires which are not hot enough. Avoid any cool parts of the grill as indirect heat can cause the Hamburgers to dry out. A hot fire is key.
- Avoid Flare Ups: You don’t want the flame “eating” your burger…..this will make it burnt and dry. Once you begin to get flare ups, place the lid of the grill down on the base if the flames attack the burger. However, be sure to leave the top grates open.
- Reduce Flips: Try to flip the grilled hamburgers only 1 time. If you need to flip more than once, that means that you don’t have your burgers over the hottest parts of the grill. Instead of overcrowding the grill, build a bigger fire, that fills the grill “edge to edge” or reduce the number of hamburgers cooking simultaneously.
- Don’t Press: This is a big one! We all know that one guy that presses all the juice out of the burger…..totally destroys it. Don’t be that dude…grab your beer and leave it alone. Do not press the spachula on top of the hamburger, that will completely dry it out….turn it into a hockey puck. Don’t be that guy!
- Avoid Overcrowding: As I mentioned, a hot fire is key to making tasty grilled hamburgers. If you overcrowd the grill with burgers, it will slow down the cooking process resulting in more of a “steamed” burger rather than a grilled one. If you have space around the exterior of the grill, use that indirect heat to make toasty buns (see below).
- Temperature: I like to cook my burgers all the way through to medium well – 145+ Farenheit. I think it’s too risky to go with anything less than that, although I know many may disagree. And remember, if you’re unsure of the temperature, you can’t go wrong w a thermometer either….no shame in that game.
Grilled Hamburgers
Now that we got the tips out of the way, this part is incredibly easy.
- On the Grill: Place hamburgers on the grill over the hot part of the fire only. Again, do not overcrowd the grill by trying to do too much. If you have a small fire, use the extra grill space to toast the buns.
- Timing: Let each patty cook for about 2 – 3 minutes / side. It’s an art, not a science. There are a lot of variables including temperature of the heat as well as the thickness of the burger.
- Cheese: When the burgers are about 3/4 of the way done or about 60 – 90 seconds remaining, put the cheese on top of the burger and put the lid of the grill on. Having the grill on will help create the steam needed to melt the cheese.
- Plate: Remove grilled hamburgers to a plate. Do not place directly on the bun, as you don’t want them to get soggy.
Toasty Buns
Brush some olive oil or melted butter over both sides of the bun. Place them over indirect heat around the exterior of the grill. Do not place them over direct heat or they will burn….and nobody likes burnt buns. Also, I like em toasty on the top and bottom, so give it a flip so both sides have that crunch.
Grilled Hamburgers Video Recipe
These burgers took a total of 6 minutes too cook. They were incredibly juicy and flavorful. Grab a beer and go ahead and give your grill a thrill with these super easy grilled hamburgers. They’re simply great for any occasion. And remember, a burger with no cheese is like a hug with no squeeze…..ya just gotta have it!
– Peace,
Joey
Instructions
- Make the patties into rounds about the size of a medium pickle jar lid.
- Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper. Do this for both sides of the burgers.
- Press your thumb in the middle of the burger. (This prevents the burger from balling when cooking.)
- Refrigerate the patties for 20 minutes.
- Place the burgers on the grill and cook for 3 minutes.
- Flip the burgers and cook for an additional 3 minutes. (Do not press down on the burgers.)
- Add olive oil to the buns.
- While burgers are cooking for the additional three minutes place the buns on the grill.
- Place cheese on the burgers and flip the buns.
- Place the bbq grill dome on and let cook for another 60 - 90 seconds.
- Remove everything from grill. (Do not place burgers on the buns until ready to you are ready to build.)
- Build the burgers and garnish with your favorite toppings.
- Serve.
2 Comments on “Grilled Hamburgers Video Recipe – Tips & Tricks for Grilling Tasty Burgers”
Excellent! George L.
Thank you for the great feedback, much appreciated!