How do you know when your burger is done?

T

TheFied

2,500+ Posts
I make my burgers from scratch (ie, not preform patties). But what are some clues to know the the burger is done? I tend to leave them on a bit too long. They don't get burned but I can tell afterwards that I could have taken it off a bit earlier.

I use the 3sec rule when I cook them (ie, I put them in a part on my charcoal grill where I can leave my seconds just above the grill for only 3sec, not less, not more).
 
it is always a guess for me. i like my burgers dark pink in the middle, so if i pull them off too soon it doesn't bother me a bit.
 
I generally flip only once. If you can maintain that temp for the entire time, how long should you cook per side?

And what internal temp is a burger for medium rare and medium?
 
With burgers, it's best to err on the side off undercooking. You can always throw them back on or toss 'em in the microwave if they're not quite cooked to your preferred doneness.

I prefer a burger that's rare-medium rare. I can't really eat one that's more than medium.
 
Under cooking is better than over, IMO. If you do find it's too under, rather than the micro, crank your oven to 425 or greater and finish it in there in a low-sided plate, like a pie tin.

5-8 mins in a hot oven should yield the results you're after.
 
When they hit the grill. I like rare beef (yeah, even ground beef).

For others, I tend to look for the point when the patties don't break apart. I make my own patties, too, and sometimes gind my own beef. Most of the time, if you don't pack them too tightly, they will fall apart if you try to flip them before they are ready. I flip only once and try to find the right time to flip where they just start to hold together. I cook for the same amount of time and add cheese off the heat for about a minute.

Maybe this just works for the way that I make them, but it seems to be pretty fool-proof.
 
When I eat steak, I eat med. rare but for ground beef, can you do that? I have always been concerned about whether that is safe.
 
i prefer to grind my own meat when i have time so usually my burgers are pretty rare in the middle. i admittedly don't have a good way of knowing how done they are. i just take them off when i get impatient.

but i've heard people saying once they see the blood/juice start to collect on the surface of the patty then it's time to either flip it or take it off (depending on if you've done the other side yet).
 
ok haven't tried this method but I've heard about it.....when forming patties push a thunbprint into top side of patty almost halfway through, then place patty on grill with thumb print facing up....as meat cooks then thumbprint will eventually dissaper when top of patty is totally flat again flip once and get the other side for just a bit and patty will be ready.
 
Three seconds of holding your hand over the heat means you are cooking over high heat. For burgers I would use the 5 second rule to keep from burning them. For doneness I use the poke with my finger method. When they start to firm up to the poke they are done.
 
I like my burger a little pink on the inside but Mrs, Macanudo likes hers (light) brown throughout. I buy 15% fat ground beef and when I can no longer see grease dripping off the burger, I move mine away from the heat and let it sit where it can warm while hers continues to cook over direct heat.
 
I just do them for 5 minutes per side and it usually works fine. Of course, your results will vary depending on the size & thickness of the patties
 
One indicator is the squishiness of the meat. I've never tried this for ground meat, but it works for steaks.

The safest method is to have a test meatball that you can crack open when you're getting close.
 
Touch test. Touch your thumb to you middle finger. Touch the meat between your thumb and fore finger. That is medium.

Thumb to fore finger = med rare
Thumb to ring finger = med well
Thumb to pinky = well done
 
Best way in my opinion is to sear both sides for about 2.5 minutes each and then move to indirect heat and close the grill and cook for another 6-7 minutes. This is if you are using the fire with the '3 second" rule.

The thumb indentation is a near must if you make thick patties and want them to be unifrom in shape comeing off the grill and not more closely resemble small pillows.

You end us sealing the juice in with the sear, and then with the lower indirect heat you allow the meat to continue to cook without so much heat as to force the juice out of the burger. I put the cheese on a couple minutes after I move them to indirect and when the cheese is melted then that's usually my "done" indication. Better undercooked than overcooked! I usually cut into mine if I have any concerns relating to doneness.

The OTHER secret that so many folks forget is you nearly always get a better result if the meat has set out a few minutes and isn't cold coming out of the fridge and onto the grill. Then you have a burnt outside and rare cneter. I prefer a nice even pink throughout with a crey edge close to the outsdie edge from the sear. Not unlike the smoke ring of a properly cooked bricket.
 
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