Grilling Burgers: Best Tips on Burger Doneness, 10 Common Mistakes to Avoid, and More!

Grilling burgers may be a daunting task for some people, but cooking on the grill can be fun and makes a burger taste great. Which is why today’s post is all about how to grill burgers. We love our outdoor time by the pool with our DIY grill table. But there is also fun to be had prepping delicious burgers in the kitchen during the colder months.

There are three main factors to making the perfect burger. 

First, avoid the common mistakes people make grilling burgers. Second, have great toppings to customize the perfect burger for you. And third, grill your burger to the ideal burger doneness.

Keep reading for all of our best tips for grilling burgers, including a super helpful burger doneness chart. It shows what your burger should look like on the inside and exactly how to get it there.

So, let’s get cooking on grilling burgers to perfection.

How To Grill Burgers

10 Common Mistakes People Make Grilling Burgers

1. Using a Dirty Grill. Take the time to clean off the grate of your grill and oil it. This will help prevent your burgers from sticking, and it actually will make your grate last longer.
2. Overworking the Meat. Gently fold in any seasonings, or onion, into your ground meat. Mixing too much will make your burgers dense and heavy.
3. Too Little Fat. When it comes to grilling burgers, we think 80/20 meat is the perfect amount of fat. After all, the fat is what gives your burger its flavor. If you are using a lean meat like ground turkey or ground chicken add a little olive oil.
4. Patties Are Too Thin or Too Big. Grilling burger patties that are too thin will result in dry burgers. But the key to grilling burgers is having all of your patties the same size for even cooking. This prevents having one patty raw and another burnt to a crisp.
5. Over Seasoning the Burger Patty. We love burgers. And if you are grilling burgers made from good pieces of meat, it isn’t necessary to mix in seasonings. Let your meat be the star and be creative with your toppings.
6. Add Salt at the Right Time. If you have ever cooked eggplant or squash, then you know to use salt before cooking to draw out the moisture. The same thing can happen if you salt your meat before grilling. Instead, sprinkle salt right before grilling burgers to keep them moist.
7. Pressing the Burger on the Grill. Just say no to pressing down on your burger while it’s on the grill. It squeezes out the juices. So, don’t do it, and only flip your burger once.
8. Not Paying Consideration. If you are cooking your burgers the right way, it will only take a matter of minutes per side. Don’t let yourself get distracted with conversations or other food tasks. It may result in dry or charred burgers.
9. Putting the Cheese on Too Early. When grilling burgers, we want to make sure the cheese will be a melted, gooey slice of deliciousness. But if you put it on too early, it will melt too much and drip right off your burger. Put your cheese on right after pulling your burgers off the grill (it’s warm enough to melt it).
10. Cutting to Check Burger Doneness. Don’t kill your burger. When you cut to check burger doneness it releases the yummy juices that are otherwise trapped inside. Instead, use a meat thermometer to see if your burger is at the ideal temperature.

Burgers Account for 60 Percent of All Sandwiches Sold in the US.

HUFF post

How to Avoid Most Common Burger Grilling Mistakes

Hey, we have a secret to getting perfect burgers every time. We avoid at least half of the common burger grilling mistakes mentioned above by purchasing prepackaged burgers.

Not just any burgers—Omaha Steaks burgers. The best burgers we have found with convenient online ordering. 

We love them and appreciate it anytime Omaha Steaks teams up with us to bring you great content like this.

They have something for everyone from Brisket Burgers (yum-o and one of my faves) to Loaded Salmon Burgers, Pork and Bacon Burgers, Veggie Burgers and even Private Reserve Wagyu Burgers.

Is your mouth watering yet?

The reason we love ordering these burgers is that they are individually sealed for freshness, so we can use as few as two if we are having a “date night.” 

Best of all we don’t have to worry about choosing the right meat, over seasoning the mix, overworking the mix, or forming even patties. All of this is done for you. 

Omaha Steaks sends us perfect burgers every time that we can rely on. 

In case you are wondering, we used the Omaha Steaks burgers for this post. They are thick quarter-pound beef burgers and are great for anything from a classic burger to more creative toppings.

“Hamburger is American, but its name is very German. Hamburgers got its name from Hamburg, Germany, where a cut of beef called the Hamburg steak is from. This is a popular dish in Germany brought to the US by German immigrants.”

Mental Itch

Best Burger Toppings to Try

If you are having a barbeque. Or simply have a large family like ours, it’s always a good idea to have a variety of burger toppings available. This allows each person to customize their burger to perfection.

Here is a list of some of our favorite burger toppings:

• Cheeses:  American, Blue, Cheddar, Feta, Herbed Goat Jack, Muenster, Provolone, Stilton, Swiss
• Greens: Arugula, Lettuce, Watercress
• Onions: Caramelized, Fried, Red, Rings, Straws, Sweet, Yellow
• Pickled: Jalapenos, Olives, Peppers, Pickles
• Tomatoes: Sundried, Vine-ripened
• Condiments: BBQ Sauce, Guacamole, Ketchup, Mayo, Mustard, Pesto, Tapenade, Thousand Island
• Accessories: Avocado, Bacon, Fresh Herbs, Fried Egg, Mushrooms, Slaw
• Omaha Steaks Toppers
• Your imagination is your only limitation when it comes to burger toppings. 

Burger Doneness Chart

The final, and crucial step in making a great tasting burger is cooking it to the perfect burger doneness. 

We created this burger doneness chart that will help you understand what the center of your burger should look like, how long you should cook your burger on each side, and what temp your thermometer should read. 

Don’t forget to use your thermometer to check your burger doneness instead of cutting it open!

USDA Internal Temperature Guidelines for Burgers

While the USDA actually touts that the minimum safe temperature for ground meat is 160 F, or well done and ground turkey or chicken is a little higher, at 165 F, many choose to keep burgers at the medium well range. It usually takes a good 10 to 15 minutes to reach the proper burger temperature, depending on the thickness of the burger patty.

As a safety precaution, especially for children or the elderly, it’s important to cook ground meat to a safe temperature. That doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavor or burn your burgers though! If unsure what temperature to cook to, and you usually prefer a pinker inside, just pasteurize!

For a safe medium-rare burger, fire up the grill and cook your burger just like you normally would, but once the patties hit 138-degrees, remove from your grill, wrap in tin foil, and put them in the oven for 10 minutes at 140-degrees. They’ll be right around the medium-rare mark, but be safe to eat.

Always check your burger doneness temperatures with a food thermometer, and make sure clean it with hot soapy water afterward.

Here is a list of cooking times for varying degrees of doneness for burgers:

• Rare: 120 to 125 – Not a safe temperature for burgers, not recommended
• Medium Rare: 130 to 135 – With proper precautions, this is a flavorful option.
• Medium Well: 150 to 155 – A slight pink center.
• Well Done: 160 to 165 – No pink, can have a tougher texture.

“Americans eat 50 billion burgers a year. That’s how popular hamburgers have become. According to 2013 statistics, an average American eat three burgers a week, translating to around 50 billion per year.”

mental itch

Bon Appétit A.K.A. Get Your Eat On

I hope these tips on grilling burgers help you make the most delicious burgers you have ever eaten. I think perhaps the best burger we have ever made are BBQ Bacon Blue Burgers. Seriously, they are crazy good.

Are there any questions you still have about how to grill burgers that I didn’t answer in this post? Also, drop your favorite burger toppings in the comments below. I want to know what delectable burgers you come up with.