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 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Total Time 15 minutesminutes
Servings 4¼ lb patties and ½ lb patties
Calories 288kcal
Author Lisa
Ingredients
1lbground hamburger- with 20-30% fat80/20 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.
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.
With thinner burgers it’s harder to get a medium rare cooked burger, so expect it to be cooked to medium/well doneness.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Video
Notes
Lisa’s Tips and TricksFor 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!