Grill guide: Perfecting beef and veggie burgers at home

The most classic are beef burgers, but you can also prepare them successfully on the grill in different versions – pork, poultry, or vegetarian. The meatless options require a bit more effort, but the others are quite simple to make. You just need to season the meat and shape it into patties. There's no need to add eggs and breadcrumbs like in traditional meatballs.

Let's start with classic beef burgers – experts advise against making them with just tenderloin. Although this part of the meat is considered the tastiest, on the grill, it's better to have a patty with a bit more fat. Add chuck, shoulder, rump, or brisket to the tenderloin to make the burgers juicier once cooked.

This rule also applies to pork and poultry burgers. For pork burgers, mix shoulder or neck with ham, and if you want to make poultry patties, choose thighs instead of chicken breast. Grind the meat at home or ask to have it ground at the store.

Before you start shaping the patties, let the meat come to room temperature so it becomes more flexible. Add salt and freshly ground pepper (some also add a bit of grated onion), moisten your hands, and shape a patty about 2 cm thick. Its diameter should be slightly larger than the bun – the patty will definitely shrink a bit during cooking.

Cover the prepared patties with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge to maintain a firm structure. Remove them only when the grill is properly heated.

This is a bit more complicated because vegetarian burgers, for example, made from beets or millet, are more delicate and can fall apart if placed directly on the grill. Therefore, I suggest pre-cooking them in a pan or in an oven at home. Cool them and store them in the fridge, then just heat them up on the grill – you'll be sure they won't fall apart, and you'll serve them to guests much faster.

Some people do not salt the raw beef, only after grilling. You might also try this method.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of ground beef – shoulder mixed with tenderloin in a half-and-half ratio,
• 0.5 teaspoon of salt,
• 0.5 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper,
• 5 burger buns,
• selected toppings: lettuce, tomato, pickles, pickled onions, cheese, sauce, crispy bacon.

Instructions:

1. Let the meat come to room temperature, and knead by hand to soften the fibres. Mix with spices.
2. Moisten your hands and shape patties about 2 cm thick and slightly larger in diameter than the buns (you can use a special press for shaping burgers). Place them on parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap, and put them in the fridge.
3. Light the grill. Once you achieve a stable temperature, remove the burgers from the fridge and place them on the grate.
4. Flip to the other side after about 4 minutes, once the meat is browned on one side. Grill for another 4 minutes on the other side.
5. Cut the buns in half and place them on the grate for just a few seconds.
6. Assemble the burgers with your favourite toppings.

If you don't want the burgers to shrink during grilling, make gentle indentations in them after placing the patties on the grate. Some chefs put an ice cube in the centre of the meat.