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The Best Hamburger Recipe

Looking for the best hamburger recipe? Whether you grill, cook on the stove or even bake- I have the best recipe for you! With all the tips and tricks to make these the tastiest, juiciest burgers ever.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 ¼ lb patties and ½ lb patties
Calories 288kcal
Author Lisa

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground hamburger- with 20-30% fat 80/20 is fine
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Vegetable oil

Instructions

Before starting  just remember that any hot oil and grease from the burgers can burn you. Any sort of pan frying will splatter and be quite messy- please be careful and take the proper precautions.

  • Divide ground beef into equal portions and flatten into patties that are 4 inches in diameter. I recommend either making two ½ lb patties or four ¼ lb patties.
    Patties formed

To cook on the stove:

  • Preheat a heavy bottomed fry pan/skillet (like a cast iron) with 1 teaspoon of oil. (Use an oil like vegetable oil).
  • For thick ½ lb patties: Place patties on the pan and sear both sides, then flip the patties every 30 seconds or so until an internal temperature of 125-135°F is reached for medium rare or 135-145°F for medium (I use a meat thermometer for this). ~4-7 minutes.
  • For ¼ lb patties: Since these are thinner, they will cook faster. So, place the patties in the preheated, oiled pan and cook without flipping for ~2 minutes. You want the side to form a nice golden/browned crust, then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
    Browned Hamburger in Skillet
  • With thinner burgers it’s harder to get a medium rare cooked burger, so expect it to be cooked to medium/well doneness.
    Best Burger Featured Image

To grill the burgers:

  • Preheat your grill for at least 5 minutes then clean and oil the grilling grate. (I use a gas grill so if you have a charcoal one adjust accordingly.)
    Patties on grill
  • For thick ½ lb patties: Place patties on grill on, cover and cook for about 2 minutes- you want nice grill marks. Flip and grill for another 2 minutes. Then and allow to continue to cook until the internal temperature reads 125-135°F is reached for medium rare or 135-145°F for medium- 5 to 6 minutes approximately.
  • For ¼ lb patties: Place patties on the preheated grill and grill for 2 minutes, rotate 90°F and cook for another 2 minutes until more grill marks appear. Then flip the patties, place cheese on the cooked side and grill from another 2-3 minutes.
    ½ lb burger with fixings

To bake the burgers:

  • Preheat oven to 200°F and adjust your oven rack to the mid lower section of your oven.
  • Line a baking sheet with foil. Place formed patties on prepared baking sheet.
    Patties on baking sheet
  • Bake in oven until an internal temperature of 120-125°F is reached for medium rare or 130-135°F for medium, about 30-40 minutes. Time will vary depending on oven- make sure to check internal temp of burgers often.
  • When burgers are at the correct internal temperature remove from oven. They will look like grey unappetizing blobs- but they are perfectly cooked and delicious.
    Hamburgers that were baked
  • Now heat a heavy bottomed fry pan/ skillet with a tablespoon of vegetable oil until the oil is just about smoking. Then place the patties in the pan and cook until a golden-brown crust forms, ~45seconds to a minute, then flip and cook for another 45 seconds. Remove from pan and enjoy!
    Browned Hamburger in Skillet
  • This method works well for both ½ lb and ¼ lb burgers since you are really just waiting for the internal temp to reach the desired temperature.
    ½ lb burger with fixings

Video

Notes

Lisa’s Tips and Tricks
For all my tips please see the above blog post.
The summary of my tips from the post:
  • Don’t overwork the ground beef
  • Don’t over season (there’s no need too!)
  • Make the patties at least 4 inches in diameter
  • Most importantly cook the burgers to your perfect internal temperature of doneness- cooking times will vary based on cooking method and cooking appliance (different ovens, grills, and pans will all affect how the burger cooks) .
  • Check out my Wagyu Burger recipe for extra flavorful burgers!

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcal | Protein: 19g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 306mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 2mg