Classic, No-Fuss Beef Burgers

Juicy, delicious, 100% beef burgers are so easy to make. Once you’ve tasted these, you’ll never go back to buying preformed, frozen burger patties.

For some reason, my family of origin has the bad habit of buying preformed, frozen hamburger patties for all those large family and friends grill-out occasions. They’re tasteless, dry, and resemble a hamburger in appearance only.

I suppose the draw is the ease factor. Pull them out of the freezer and slap them on the grill.

When I discovered how easy it is to make my own burgers, there was no going back. They’re cheaper, way tastier, and only require an extra 10 minutes to make into burger shape, if I’m really moving slow. Definitely worth the tiny bit of extra effort.

These basic, no-fuss burgers are the only kind we eat, at least when we’re at home. No telling what the relatives are grilling up!

Paired with these fresh homemade hamburger buns, the result is comfort food at its finest!

Quality Ingredients are Key

The key to a juicy, flavorful homemade burger is good quality beef. No extra binders or flavorings required, just the goodness of the meat itself.

The best burger flavor is going to come from somewhat higher fat-content ground beef. 85% lean ground beef is the sweet spot.

Leaner than that and your burger is going to be on the dry side. Fattier than that and it will either just feel greasy in your mouth, or all the extra fat is just going to drip out anyway.

Besides the beef, the only other ingredients needed to make these burgers is salt and pepper. You can certainly add other spices if you want, but they’re really not necessary.

However, not all salt and pepper will do the job equally well here.

Coarse salt, such as sea salt from a grinder, or kosher salt are the best options. The reason for this is that the larger salt crystals will sit on top of the burger do a better job of drawing out the juices. You’ll also get a punchier salt hit when you take a bite of burger.

Freshly ground black pepper is obviously going to have fresher, peppery-er flavor than the stuff that was ground who knows how long ago. And again, the larger pieces will give you a bigger flavor sensation when you take a bite.

Shaping the Burgers

You need 2 lbs of fresh (or frozen and defrosted) ground beef.

Tip: Don’t bring it all the way to room temperature before shaping it, as the fat in the meat will stick to your hands more, making it harder to shape. Try to work the beef cold, then allow the patties to rest before cooking.

Divide your ground beef into 8 similar-sized pieces if you’re aiming for 1/4 lb. patties.

Form each piece into a tight ball with your hands, then flatten into a patty.

As you press down to flatten the ball, the edges might split a little bit, so tighten up any of these cracked edges by pressing them together with your fingers.

Generously season both sides of each patty with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Allow seasoned patties to rest while your grill comes up to temperature.

Note: You may notice in some of these pictures that the size of the patties is pretty irregular. I’m not a perfectionist, but it’s completely intentional in this case. I make larger patties for the adults and pre-teens in the family, and kiddie-sized patties for the 6 and under crew (who aren’t overly fond of burgers anyway).

Cooking the Burgers

There are several good ways to cook burgers, including an outdoor grill (gas or charcoal), a countertop grill (such as the one I have – Cuisinart), or a cast iron skillet.

The cast iron skillet is my least preferred method, but certainly works if that’s all you have. The reason? It smokes and splatters A LOT and the grease has no where to drip out, leaving the burgers more saturated with grease.

We don’t currently have an outdoor grill, so that leaves my preferred option – the indoor countertop grill. The grooved cookplates allow the extra grease to run off, and leaves those delicious, crusty scorch marks on the burger.

All that to say, your cooking apparatus will determine the exact procedure and cooking time for the burgers.

Whichever method you’re using, be sure to preheat it before throwing the burgers on. You want that instant contact with the hot surface to sear the outer layer, sealing off the inner parts to keep the juicy goodness inside.

Also, the burgers are more likely to crumble and fall apart when it’s time to flip them (or stick when you open the lid of your countertop grill) if they haven’t formed a good crust on the initial sear.

Outdoor grill

For a medium-well done burger on an outdoor grill, cook for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side. Your grill should be preheated, but then turn the flames to medium (on a gas grill) so you don’t get a lot of flare-ups. Don’t be tempted to do a lot of flipping back and forth.

Place the burgers on the rack, close the lid, and wait patiently for at least 3 minutes. (Ok, you can check them if they start catching on fire).

Flip them carefully with grilling spatula, and again wait patiently with the lid closed for an additional 3-4 minutes. You can test for doneness by pressing your spatula down on a burger. There should be just a little bit of give. Remove burgers and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Indoor grill

For a medium-well done burger on an indoor grill, cook for approximately 4-5 minutes on high/sear. You don’t need to flip the burgers if your grill has a top surface that closes.

I like to rotate the burgers after about 3 minutes to get a nice criss-cross pattern on the tops, but this is entirely optional.

Make sure the grill is fully preheated before placing the burgers on the grill. On my grill I can only fit about 4-5 burgers, so I have to cook them in batches.

Burgers are done when juices run clear and there’s just that little bit of give when you press on the tops.

Skillet

While using a cast-iron skillet is my least preferred method of cooking burgers, just because of the mess factor, it still produces great-tasting burgers. The part I don’t like is all the grease splattering that makes a mess on the stovetop. Definitely wear an apron!

Preheat a cast iron skillet with a little dab of butter on your cooktop. It’s ready when the butter is fully melted and starting to brown. You want that pan to be nice and hot to sear the outer layer on first contact.

Place 3-4 burgers carefully in the skillet. Unless you have more than one cast-iron skillet, you’ll have to cook them in batches.

Cook for 4-5 minutes on the first side without shifting or peeking underneath. You don’t want to break the burger apart by trying to pry it up before it’s formed that seared outside crust.

Flip burgers and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Burgers are done when juices run clear and there’s just that little bit of give when you press on the tops.

Remove burgers from your heat surface and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving with fresh homemade burger buns and all your favorite toppings.

We love the classics of cheese, lettuce, and tomato!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Warm them up in a covered dish in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, or throw them on a hot skillet for 1-2 minutes per side.