Burgers are the #1 favourite food for the grill. Here’s what our testing taught us on what it takes to make them THE BEST they can be.
It’s all about the MEAT
When it comes down to patty greatness, you can’t beat the flavour of 100% Canadian beef. The options are Lean, Extra Lean or Medium – which do you choose? It’s up to you – if you are concerned about fat, then make the lean choice, but keep in mind, adding in an egg and bread crumbs helps keep these lean burgers moist and more flavourful. Try Medium for maximum flavour and juiciness. Do the taste test yourself next time to decide — we did! Keep in mind, that whichever type you choose, grilling burgers reduces total fat content by about 30% as the fat drips out as the patties cook.
Thumbs down to patty puffing
Burgers puff up as they cook and become a bit baseball like unless you make a thumbprint indent into the center of the patty before cooking. It comes down to physics – the burger crusts up at the edges first as it cooks, the center of the burger is expanding as it cooks and has no where to go but up. Here’s how to make your mark:
Cook using temperature
Use a digital instant read thermometer for burgers done best — cooking them to the right doneness — but not overdone — after all, we all want a juicy burger not a hockey puck on a bun! ‘Burgers Done at 71’ is the jingle to remember — cook your burgers to an internal temperature of 71°C (or 160°F).
