Use 80/20 mince, handle it as little as possible, and season only when it hits the heat. For a smash burger, press thin on a hot plate; for a thick patty, cook over a two-zone fire. Cook ground beef through, to 71°C.
Step by step
Buy the right mince
Use 80/20 beef, meaning twenty percent fat. Leaner mince makes a dry, tight burger with no rendered fat to fry the crust in. Coarse ground is better than fine. Chuck is the classic burger cut.
Handle it as little as possible
Form the patties gently and stop. Compacting the meat makes it springy and tough. Do not season the mince through; salt the surface only, at the last moment, because salt draws out moisture and cures the meat if it sits.
Choose smash or thick
A smash burger needs a flat, screaming-hot surface: a cast iron plate over the coals, not the bare grate. A thick pub patty wants a two-zone fire, cooked gently then seared. They are different burgers with different methods.
Cook it right
For a smash burger, press a loose ball flat and hard, cook until the edges are lacy and dark, flip once, cheese on. For a thick patty, cook indirect to just under target, then sear over the coals. Cook ground beef through, to 71°C.
Build it warm
Toast the buns on the grill, melt the cheese on the patty under a lid or a cloche, and build the burger the moment it comes off. A burger waits for no one.
Why 80/20
The fat is not optional. It renders as the burger cooks, keeping it juicy and frying the crust from within. A leaner burger is dry and sad no matter how well you cook it. If your butcher grinds to order, ask for chuck at eighty percent lean.
Smash versus thick
A smash burger is all about the crust: thin, lacy, caramelised, cooked in seconds on a hot flat surface. A thick burger is about the juicy interior, cooked more gently so the middle is done without the outside burning. Decide which you want and commit; trying to do both at once gives you neither.
Unlike a steak, a burger must be cooked through, to 71°C, because grinding spreads any surface bacteria through the meat. This is a food safety matter, not a preference. A thermometer or a firm, hot centre is how you know.
Common questions
Why is my burger dry?
Almost always lean mince, or over-handling, or overcooking. Use 80/20, form gently, and pull it at 71°C rather than leaving it on until it is grey throughout.
Should I make a dimple in the patty?
For a thick patty, a shallow dimple in the centre stops it doming into a ball as it cooks, so it stays flat. Smash burgers do not need it.
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