5 Hacks for a Perfectly Grilled Burger (recipe)

This perfectly moist, grilled hamburger recipe plus my 5 Hacks for a Perfectly Grilled Burger will make you king (queen?) of the backyard BBQ! Even if you use your own recipe, these tips will help you master your grilling skills!

This perfectly moist, grilled hamburger recipe plus my 5 Hacks for a Perfectly Grilled Burger will make you king (queen?) of the backyard BBQ!

Jump to:

• 5 Hacks for a Perfectly Grilled Burger
• 1. Add sour cream to your burger recipe.
• 2. Use the back of a spoon to create an indention in the center before grilling.
• 3. Have your patties at room temperature before grilling.
• 4. Flip your burger only once!
• 5. Give your burger a good bun!
• Great Sides that go with Burgers
• Recipe

By no means am I a grilling expert, but I think I may have finally managed to master a perfectly grilled burger. This recipe is delicious, moist and full of flavor!

Besides the perfect recipe, I am also sharing 5 hacks that will get you perfect burgers every time!

Before we get to that... y'all, I'm so in love with our backyard. We bought this house at the end of November when things were cold and dreary. We knew the yard was beautiful, but we had no idea what we were in for this spring/summer.

I took this panoramic picture over the weekend. Although it distorts things a bit (or a lot), you get the full picture of our gorgeous backyard.

As everything has turned green and lush and bloomed, we're more excited than ever to enjoy grilling outside, hosting friends and family over for celebrations and just chilling around the picnic table or firepit and relaxing.

This brings me to today's post...

5 Hacks for a Perfectly Grilled Burger

The kids have been begging to eat out at the picnic table almost every day since Caleb built it for me. So we've started to enjoy more meals out there when it's not too hot or the bugs aren't too annoying!

The day we had these burgers was one of those days... overcast, not suffocatingly hot, and windy enough to keep the bugs at bay!

I couldn't get a picture of the whole family... the hubby was working, the oldest son was slow to get to the table and Sarah wasn't home. But anyway - I had fun with the 4 younger boys and we made the most of it 🙂

So let's get to my grilling tips.

1. Add sour cream to your burger recipe.

I cannot remember where I read this tip and I'll be the first to admit that it sounded strange to me, but y'all - it makes the burgers SO good! Considering that I always have sour cream on hand for my cake recipes, it was easy to give it a try!

Other than that - I like to keep my burger recipes very simple... I add a packet of dry onion soup mix (something I learned from a local restaurant owner), garlic salt, water, and sour cream. That's it!

But the flavor is out of this world! (Note - the sour cream will make the meat look lighter/whiter than you're used to as you'll see below ... don't worry, they look perfectly normal once they're cooked!)

2. Use the back of a spoon to create an indention in the center before grilling.

I cannot tell you how many millions of burgers I've made over the years that ended up shaped more like a ball than a burger. They'd draw in from the sides and swell up in the center and it was so frustrating!

But this simple step stops all that nonsense. Take a large spoon and press a shallow indention into the center of each burger. Voila... when you pull them off the grill, you'll have burgers that are actually shaped like burgers! They even out when cooking and fit on your buns just right!

3. Have your patties at room temperature before grilling.

There seems to be some conflicting information on this tip, but I'm going to tell you what works for me. I recommend letting the patties sit out (covered) for at least 20-30 minutes before putting them on the grill. When we've tried grilling burgers straight out of the frig or freezer, we always end up with the outside crispy way before the inside is close to done.

Now if you like a really rare burger (which I do not!), having them cold might be the better option. But for us, we always get the most evenly cooked burgers when we start at room temp.

4. Flip your burger only once!

I used to be the queen of flipping burgers over and over and over again... and pressing them down with the spatula to squeeze out the juices and make them sizzle. Why? I have no idea. Both of those habits lead to dry, overcooked burgers.

But here's what I've learned. You only need to flip a burger once. Start by placing your room-temperature burger on a hot grill and let it cook for 6-7 minutes without flipping or smashing it down. I know it makes that wonderful sizzling sound when you do that, but resist the urge!

When you go to move it, it should easily lift off the grill. If it doesn't, either your grill wasn't clean or it needs another minute or so of cooking. When it's ready, it'll easily release and lift off the grill to be flipped.

Tip: you'll start to see juices collect in your dent when its getting close to ready!

On the second side, you usually only have to cook for 3-4 minutes. Of course, this ultimately depends on the thickness of your patty and how well done you like your burgers. We like ours mostly done with only the slightest pink center.

Want to grill more than burgers? Check out this Grilled Chicken Thighs recipe.

5. Give your burger a good bun!

Of course, you can't have a good burger without a good bun, right? We love sesame-seed buns or brioche-style buns! Both give the burgers a little extra special touch!

Great Sides that go with Burgers

• Grilled Brats with 7UP BBQ Sauce
• Easy Green Beans with Bacon & Brown Sugar (Step-by-Step Video)
• German Cucumber Salad
• Our Favorite {No Onion} Baked Potato Salad
• Creamy & Spicy Corn Dip

And that's it... my 5 tips for perfectly grilled burgers! Do you have a tip you'd like to share? Please leave a comment!

Down below you'll find the printable recipe for Easy Grilled Hamburgers!

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Recipe