Tips for Making the Perfect Memorial Day Burger

Written on: May 20, 2019

May is a big month for outdoor grilling aficionados: for one thing, it’s National Barbecue Month, and for another, it includes Memorial Day – traditionally one of the biggest grilling weekends of the year.
If you’re planning an outdoor cook-a-thon this Memorial Day, there’s a pretty good chance that beef (or chicken…or turkey…or veggie) patties will be on the menu. Don’t make those hamburgers humdrum – here are 10 tips for making the perfect Memorial Day burger.

1. Keep the grill clean. Clean your propane grill with a wire brush before you start cooking your burgers; burn off whatever bits of food are left from the last cook.
2. Oil the grates before cooking. Apply a thin layer of olive oil to your grill grates. This will give your burgers a good, clean sear.
3. Don’t salt your ground meat. Salt will dry out chop meat, so avoid putting it in your ground meat mixture. Instead, sprinkle your burgers with salt before you put them on the grill.
4. Choose the right cooking method. Different burger meats need different cooking treatments. For a chicken burger, use medium flame and light oil. For a beef burger, use a blend of short loin, chuck and brisket with an 85/15 or 80/20 meat-to-fat ratio and cook for 5 (medium rare), 6 (medium) or 7 (medium well) minutes on each side. For a veggie burger, use ether potato or sweet potato to bind the patty. For tofu, rubbing grates with olive oil before grilling.
5. Cook on direct heat. Unlike hot dogs, burgers cook best over direct heat. Keep them right over those flames!
6. Keep the juices in. Don’t push down your burger – you’ll press out all the natural juices (and all the flavor with it).
7. Flip it once. Flip your burgers only once, and avoid doing it too soon (see above or some guidelines on grill times for beef burgers). If your burger sticks, it’s not ready to flip: your burger will release from the grate if it’s cooked on that side.
8. Close the lid. One of the things that makes a propane grill so great for cooking is that you can control temperatures within a few degrees; all of that goes out the window when you’re constantly opening and closing your grill.
9. Let it settle. Give your burger a few minutes to settle before serving it; this will drive the juices to the center of the burger.
10. Get creative. The internet is filled with great burger recipes. Check out some of these sites for creative ways to avoid a burger fail:
    • All recipes
    • Simply Recipes
    • Food Network
    • Epicurious
    • Serious Eats

Memorial Day is coming – fill your propane barbecue cylinders for your big burger bash! Contact Ace-Robbins today learn more.