How to Grill Burgers
Learn how to grill burgers perfectly every single time with my handy tips! Tips include hamburger grill time, the best beef for burgers, and burger temperature.
Grilling season is the very best season. Truthfully, I grill year round, so it’s always grilling season for me.
I’m the most comfortable in front of my grill. It’s always relaxing, and I love being outside, unless the temps are freezing. 🙂
In my opinion, food is always better when it’s grilled. The grill marks are appetizing, you can’t beat the smoky flavor, and the biggest bonus is that there are less dishes to wash!
My life changed when I learned how to grill, and now I grill everything from chicken, steak, vegetables of all kinds, and of course, hamburgers.
There’s nothing better to me than a classic, all-American burger. This grilled hamburger could be considered an In-n-Out Burger copycat as it’s slathered with homemade Thousand Island sauce and topped with classic toppings.
As much as I love In-n-Out burgers, homemade is always best. 🙂
How to grill hamburgers
I learned how to grill burgers a long time ago, and I make them regularly because they’re a family favorite. Normally I make them on the weekends when I’m not working on recipes for the blog and taking photos, which is why it’s taken me so long to share this guide with you.
After making these during the week in order to photograph them, I’ve decided to start making them on weeknights more often. They’re so quick and easy, and my family was so excited for dinner!
If you’re really on top of your burger game, make a batch of my homemade burger buns.
Best beef for hamburgers
Let’s talk about the best kind of beef for burgers. My favorite kind of ground beef is organic grass fed beef, because it’s sustainable and it has the most flavor.
There’s nothing like grass fed beef burgers. They’re juicy, flavorful, and worth the extra money. Costco happens to sell grass fed beef in a 3 pack, which is the most cost effective way to purchase it.
I personally love the grass fed beef from Butcher Box. This is an affiliate link as I’m part of their affiliate program, because I love their sustainable, organic meat!
Every great burger needs some fat content, as the fat is what makes them tender and juicy. I normally use the 80/20 ratio of 80% lean ground beef and 20% fat, and the burgers are perfect every time.
How to shape burger patties
For this grilled burger recipe, I used 1 pound of grass fed ground beef, and made the burger patties 1/4 pound each.
- Simply form the ground beef into balls, then working from the middle outward, form into even patties until about 1/2″ thick.
- Use your thumb to make a dimple in the center, which will help keep your burger from shrinking too much.
When shaping the burger patties, it’s important not to overwork the ground beef as it can become tough.
How to season burgers
When you’re using good, quality ground beef, a simple seasoning of salt and pepper is all you need so that the flavor of the beef really shines!
How to grill burgers on a propane grill
I always grill burgers on a gas grill as I prefer the ease of use. See this guide if you’d like instructions on how to use a charcoal grill.
Below is a quick overview of the method I’ve found to be the best way to grill hamburgers:
- Turn the propane on, then ignite the burners to high heat. Brush the grates with a grill brush if necessary.
- Close the lid and heat the grill until it reaches about 400 degrees F.
- Reduce the heat to medium high, or about 375 degrees, and place the burgers on the grill.
- Close the lid and cook until the burgers reach the desired doneness.
Burger grilling tip: Never, ever smash the burgers down while cooking! All of the juices will escape and the result will be a dry burger.
How long to grill hamburgers
Grill your burgers according to your desired level of doneness. Below are the hamburger grill times that I’ve tested time and again:
- Rare: 2-3 minutes per side
- Medium: 3-4 minutes per side
- Medium well: 4-5 minutes per side
I always grill my grass fed beef burgers for 3 minutes per side for medium doneness and they’re perfectly juicy every time.
How to keep burgers from falling apart
Make sure the grill is piping hot and the burger patties are cold. Oil the grates lightly, or to prevent flare-ups, simply coat each burger lightly with oil.
There’s no need to flip the burgers more than once. Excess flipping may make the burgers fall apart.
Best temp to grill burgers
The best way to tell when your burgers are done is by using an insta-read thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the burger from the side, making sure that the tip remains inside the burger.
- Rare temperature is 125 to 130 degrees F.
- Medium rare temperature is 130-140 degrees F.
- Medium well temperature is 140-150 degrees F.
Assembling your burger
Always place the lettuce on the bottom half of the bun to keep the bun from getting soggy from that juicy burger!
Place the burger over the lettuce, then top with tomato and red onion. Slather the homemade thousand island sauce over the top burger bun, and place on top of the burger.
Burger grilling tips
- Don’t forget to grill your buns! When the hamburgers are finished cooking, turn off the grill. Place the buns on the grill racks split side down, and close the grates. They’ll be nice and toasty in about 2-3 minutes!
- If you want to make a grilled cheeseburger, add the cheese to the burger during the last 20-30 seconds of cooking time.
- Form the patties up to 24 hours in advance and keep covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to grill.
- Customize your burgers with your favorite condiments, sauces, cheese, veggies and buns!
Side dishes for hamburgers:
Not sure what to serve with your juicy hamburgers? Here are some of my go-to hamburger side dishes:
- Broccoli slaw salad
- Grilled potato salad
- Grilled sweet potato fries
- Three bean salad
- Mexican grilled corn salad
Try these burger recipes:
Need more grilling inspiration? See all of my Grilling Recipes. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite burger recipes:
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and rating below, or tag me @flavorthemoments on Instagram!
How to Grill Burgers
Ingredients
Burgers:
- 1 lb. grass fed ground beef
- Salt and pepper to taste
Thousand Island Dressing:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons natural ketchup
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
Burger Fixings:
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 1 large tomato sliced
- 1 small red onion sliced
- burger buns
Instructions
Grill the burgers:
- Turn the propane on, then ignite the burners to high heat. Brush the grates with a grill brush if necessary.
- Close the lid and heat the grill until it reaches about 400 degrees. Reduce the heat to medium high, or about 375 degrees.
- While the grill heats, form (4) 1/4 pound burger patties into an even 1/2″ thickness. Use your thumb to place a dimple in the center to prevent the burgers from shrinking. Season well with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Close the lid and cook until the burgers reach the desired doneness. Rare: 2-3 minutes per side or 125-130 degrees, Medium: 3-4 minutes per side or 130-140 degrees, and Medium well 5-6 minutes per side, or 140-150 degrees.
- Remove from heat and cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the grill and place the buns split side down on the grill. Close the lid and toast for 2-3 minutes.
Make the dressing:
- While the burgers cook, place the mayo, ketchup and pickle relish in a small bowl and stir to combine.
Assemble the burgers:
- Assemble the burgers by placing lettuce down on the bottom half to prevent the bun from becoming soggy. Place the burger on top of the lettuce, and top with tomato and red onion. Spread 1 tablespoon of the sauce over the top half of the bun, and place over the burger. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Form the patties up to 24 hours in advance and keep covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to grill.
- If you want to make a grilled cheeseburger, add the cheese to the burger during the last 20-30 seconds of cooking time.
- Customize your burgers with your favorite condiments, sauces, cheese, veggies and buns!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
12 Comments on “How to Grill Burgers”
So many great tips in this one Marcie! And it’s just in time. We broke out our BBQ last weekend, and burgers are usually a go-to all summer! I’m sending this one to my husband, as he’s usually in charge of grilling. I’m the one sitting in a deck chair sipping on a beverage telling him not to burn the burgers! 😉
Oh thank you! I know so many people struggle with grilling dry burgers, especially when working with grass fed beef. And I like the way you make sure your husband does a good job! lol
Omg, Marcie! I want that burger! It’s so perfect and that sauce sounds amazing! This is a great tutorial filled with so much useful information. Love the tip about making a dimple in the center!
I’d love to send a burger your way Kelly! Thanks so much friend! 🙂
Soooo we got rid of our grill a few years ago when it broke but I still love grilling things up in my grill pan!! lol We JUST had burger bowls last night! Such great tips in this post!
The grill pan is a great option! I use mine when it’s too cold out, or when I’m too lazy to go back and forth. 🙂
That burger is perfection, Marcie! I totally agree, homemade is definitely best. I love all of the tips you had in this post!!
Thank you friend! I’ve got grass fed beef down to a science so I had to share. 🙂
Nice post…you covered all the bases for anyone just learning to cook on a grill. That is a beautiful looking burger. I just cleaned our grill yesterday because as you said, grilled foods are so good.
Thank you Karen, and happy grilling!
Followed this and they were really rare even after 10 minutes. Not sure what I did wrong here. I bought pre-pattied beef.
Hi Andrew — maybe the temperature of the grill was too low? Were the burger patties 1/4 lb. each?