close-up picture of three hamburger patties on a lit grill

Food & Home

How to Grill Hamburgers (Recipes Kids Should Know Before Leaving Home)

Did you know Americans eat on average three hamburgers per week? That equals more than 50 billion burgers per year in the United States! Since hamburgers are clearly popular, it goes without saying it would be a good idea to know how to grill one up yourself! And while there are over 50,000 hamburger restaurants in the country, being able to make your own burger at home is not only delicious but most often times healthier. So, that’s why we think it’s a meal a kid should know how to make before leaving home.

In the recipe below we will describe in detail how to cook a hamburger outside on a grill as well as on the stovetop in a frying pan. It’s good to know both ways since you may not always have access to an outdoor grill. The directions aren’t all that different and both techniques make for a great burger.

Hamburger Grilling Tips:

1. When buying ground beef, you will see numbers on the package like 80/20 or 90/10. These numbers indicate the ratio of lean meat to fat – 80/20 ground beef has 80% lean meat and 20% fat. We recommend choosing 80/20 when making hamburgers.

2. Don’t over mix the hamburger when forming your burger patties! They will be more tender the less you handle the meat.

3. The only seasoning you need is salt, and you should add the salt just prior to cooking the burgers. Salt is perfect for creating great flavor in hamburgers, but it can remove moisture if it sits on the meat too long. I also like to season burgers with black pepper but wait to sprinkle it on until after the burgers are cooked – pepper is a volatile spice, which means it loses its flavor when cooked. Always add pepper at the end of cooking for maximum flavor!

4. It doesn’t matter if you make thick or thin burgers…just make them how you like them! Remember, though, that thinner the beef patties will cook faster, so you will need to adjust the cooking time.

5. Don’t smash the burgers when they are cooking! Not smashing will help retain all those delicious juices inside the burger.

6. You only need to flip the burger once during cooking.

7. If you want to make cheeseburgers, add sliced cheese to the top of the burgers during the last minute of cooking.

8. Toasted buns are the best! You can put them in a toaster or just throw them face down directly on the grill during the last minute of cooking the burgers.

Tips Specific to Using an Outdoor Grill

When using an outdoor grill, gas or charcoal grills both work great. For both, you should cook the burgers over high heat. Make sure you have an adult helping you at the grill, especially if you are using hot coals.
Before turning on the grill, soak a paper towel with a neutral cooking oil, like canola or vegetable oil, and rub the grill grates with the oil. This will help the burgers not to stick to the grill.

If you are cooking your burgers on the grill, use a long-handled spatula that is made for grilling. Grill utensils are made to withstand the hot heat of the grill, and the long handles keep your hands safe from the flames.

How Long to Cook Hamburgers for Different Doneness

One more thing…how long should you cook your burgers? That depends on how you like your burger cooked! But what does that even mean? Some people like their burger barely cooked, so the meat is mostly red, which is called “rare.” Other people like their burgers cooked so they are completely brown all the way through, which is called “well done.” Most people like burgers cooked somewhere in the middle, either “medium-rare,” “medium” or “medium-well.” The advantage to cooking a burger so there is some red or pink inside is the burger will not dry out. A well-done burger tends to lose moisture and I think taste drier and tougher.

Below is a list of the different ways to cook a hamburger, with the accompanying temperatures. Please note that the USDA recommends ground beef be cooked to at least 160º F to ensure safety when eating. Our family cooks burgers in the Medium-Rare to Medium range because it just plain tastes better. There is higher risk for food-borne illness, so your family will need to decide what is right for you. Consumer Reports has a great article with methods for cooking burgers as hot as 160º F but still having them taste good – click here if you are interested!

I like to use an instant-read cooking thermometer to keep track of how cooked the burgers are. You can just poke a little hole and see how the burger is doing, but a thermometer is fast and accurate. Simply stick the thermometer in so the tip is in the center of the burger.

Rare: Mostly red inside (internal cooking temperature 120º – 125º F)
Medium-Rare: Pink throughout the inside (130º – 135º F)
Medium: Just a little pink in the center (140º – 145º F)
Medium-Well: Almost brown throughout, just a smidge of pink (150º – 155º F)
Well: Brown throughout (160º – 165º F)

There are tons of burger recipes out there as well as variations on the techniques we share below. We are sharing a very basic but delicious approach to cooking hamburgers, but once you have that down feel free to experiment. Happy grilling!