Advice From The Grill: Don't Make These 10 Burger Mistakes
10 COMMON MISTAKES WHEN GRILLING BURGERS
Who doesn’t love a barbeque? You’ve finished shopping and cleaning; your home and patio look festive; you look and feel great; even the weather is cooperating – it’s going to be a beautiful day! Your carefully planned menu is going to wow your guests; the beverages are cooling; your music playlist is ready to go – it’s going to be a great party! Until “Uh-oh!” Or even worse, “Oh, Noooo!”
HERE ARE WAYS TO AVOID 10 COMMON MISTAKES WHEN GRILLING BURGERS
1. Make sure your grill is clean. There is some debate about frequency of cleaning a grill, but if burnt food and oils build up, your fire can heat unevenly, your food may stick, and it may taste bitter. To clean it before the party, pre-heat the grill (some recommend laying a piece of aluminum foil on top while pre-heating) and then use a clean grill scraper to remove burnt-on food.
Don’t use a metal brush, as splinters of metal can break off and get into your food. A better option is a coiled stainless steel scraper. You may need to put a little bit of oil on the grate to loosen big build-ups. And don’t forget to clean the lid or hood. The best idea is to clean the grill shortly after cooking, when it’s still hot. It will be easier to clean and ready for use next time.
2. If you are using a charcoal grill, go easy on the lighter fluid or it will affect the taste of your food. Rather than opting for cheap charcoal that is often difficult to light, pay a little extra for good charcoal.
3. Don’t over-season the meat. A little salt and pepper and a brush of olive oil will allow the taste of the meat to come through. For specialty burgers, add a little seasoning while grilling, but don’t over-do it.
4. Avoid errors in cooking time. First, make sure the grill is hot and ready before putting your burgers on it. While cooking, the outside may look good, but inside may not be done. And, for heaven’s sake, don’t poke or cut the meat to check the inside. Use a meat thermometer that is made for burgers. (Those old ones for turkeys and roasts are too thick and leave big holes in your beautiful burgers.) Beef, lamb, veal and pork burgers should cook to 160 degrees, while chicken and turkey burgers should reach 165.
5. A common mistake is to flip the burger too early and too often. And don’t press down on the top of the patty to get it to cook faster or you’ll lose moisture and juices that give your burgers great flavor. Depending on size and the desired level of grilling, burgers should cook three to five minutes on each side. Flip only once, twice if you must…but no more than that. If you do, you’re losing moisture and increasing the cooking time.
6. Don’t let your burgers flame up. Maintain a proper grill temperature and if there is a flare-up, move the burgers to a cooler spot on the grill. Flame-ups can dry out the burger and leave a residue and an unpleasant taste.
7. Which brings us to another mistake – don’t crowd the grill surface. You don’t need to cook the burgers all at once. Think of grilling as a Just-In-Time operation, having burgers ready when people are ready to eat them. If you don’t want to miss the socializing, standing longer at the grill, ask people to come over and socialize closer to you. No one wants burgers that have been sitting out on a platter. Burgers taste best right off the grill.
8. Don’t remove the cooked patties from the grill too soon. Move the burgers that are done to a cooler place on the grill surface where they can “rest” for a few minutes before being served. Juices will redistribute throughout the patty and excess blood and juices can drip away so the bun won’t get soggy.
9. Avoid cheap, tasteless and textureless buns. There are so many yummy rolls and buns to choose from – ciabatta rolls, English muffins, Kaiser rolls, potato buns, onion rolls, pretzel rolls, sesame seed buns, and more. Be creative!
10. But while you are being creative, be careful not to stack too many toppings on your burger. After a certain point, the toppings start to take over the meat, and you lose that wonderful grilled burger taste. Executive Chef Patrick Ochs proposes 50% bun, 30% burger, 10% veggies, 5% cheese, and 5% sauce or condiments.
Source: www.EatThisNotThat.com/burger-mistakes/
And of course, start with good burger patties. If you’d like the convenience of frozen patties without losing texture and taste, try our line of Sizzle King quarter pound patties. We offer two and four pound resealable bags of beef patties and turkey patties, and three scrumptious beef blends – Sweet Onion, Bacon and Cheddar, and Spicy Jalapeño!