Freshly made hamburger patties on a wood chopping board.
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When making hamburgers, it's best to use ground beef that is 80 to 85 percent lean, according to Steven Raichlen, host of "Barbecue University" on PBS. Too much fat produces a greasy burger, while too little fat can leave your burgers dry and crumbly. For optimal flavor and sticking-togetherness, Raichlen recommends combining ground chuck and sirloin, which typically means a fat content of 17 to 18 percent. Even if you prefer leaner patties, however, you can still take steps to keep your burgers intact.
Step 1
Thaw the ground beef in the refrigerator, if frozen. Defrosting beef in the microwave causes inconsistent thawing and may melt some of the fat in the meat.
Step 2
Add desired mix-ins to your meat before forming patties, but hold the salt. If you want to add grated cheese, chopped onion or a dash of Worcestershire, for example, gently fold the chilled ingredients in with your hands. Raichlen and Chris Schlesinger, co-author of "The Thrill of the Grill," recommend handling meat with cold, wet hands to avoid heating the meat.
Step 3
Form your patties, again handling the meat gently with cool, wet hands. Roll the meat for each patty into a ball first and then gently flatten to desired thickness. Make sure the edges are at least as thick as the middle of your burgers, handling each patty as little as possible.
Step 4
Salt and pepper your burger on both sides just before cooking. Adding salt too far in advance dries out your patties by drawing the juices out, according to Schlesinger. A dried-out burger is more likely to fall apart.
Step 5
Place your lean burger patties on the hottest area of the grill just long enough to make them crusty on the outside, then move to a cooler area to cook the inside. Use your grilling spatula to turn the burgers, but avoid pressing down on the meat, which drains the juice.
Enclosing a pat of butter in the middle of your raw patties helps keep the meat moist, which can help it stick together during cooking. If you're watching your fat intake, choose a healthier butter-like spread, such as one made from olive oil.
FAQs
Enclosing a pat of butter in the middle of your raw patties helps keep the meat moist, which can help it stick together during cooking. If you're watching your fat intake, choose a healthier butter-like spread, such as one made from olive oil.
How to make lean burgers stick together? ›
Add 1 egg yolk per pound of hamburger. It won't add appreciably to the fat content and will bind the meat beautifully. The other thing you can do is add canned, drained, crushed black beans or chickpeas to the hamburger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add an interesting taste.
How do you bind lean burgers? ›
In my experience, the best way to prevent your burger patties from falling apart during cooking is to use both egg and breadcrumbs to make them. You can add eggs to the mixture and then, coat them with breadcrumbs before shaping them into burger patties.
How do you make thin burgers that don't fall apart? ›
To form thin patties that hold together on the grill, massage the ground beef briefly — which is a cardinal sin with many other styles of burgers, but a necessity here for cohesion. This allows you to flatten the patty out extra-thin and wide to account for shrinking as the meat cooks.
How to keep burgers from falling apart? ›
- Try using either Italian or plain bread crumbs.
- premake your burgers the day before and store them in your fridge until you're ready to cook.
- Putting some aluminum foil on your grill where you are going to cook will prevent them from falling through.
One of the most common substitutes is breadcrumbs, but sometimes the breadcrumbs can fall off when the burgers are cooking if there are too many or they are too dry. Other popular substitutions for eggs include cornstarch, flour, ketchup, porridge oats, cracker crumbs, and ground flaxseed.
What do you use to bind burgers together? ›
Bind the patty together
If you're going for a leaner meat or adding bulky ingredients (eg spring onions, onions, chillies), add an egg and a handful of breadcrumbs to bind the burgers.
Why is my hamburger meat not sticking together? ›
Liquid ingredients like Worcestershire sauce are pretty common in burgers but at the end of the day, they do make the patty more watery, which leaves it susceptible to breaking apart on the grill. We recommend sticking with dry seasonings for your flavour.
Will egg whites work as a binder? ›
The proteins in egg products, specifically in the whites, assist with adhesion and ingredient binding. When they are heated or exposed to acid, they coagulate, causing the egg product to change from a liquid to a semisolid or sold.
What to add to lean hamburger? ›
Especially when you are using a leaner cut of beef, it's really important to add some good flavor into the patties. I do that by adding dehydrated onion, Worcestershire, and ranch seasoning. What is this? Add those flavors into the meat, and then use your hands to combine everything.
- Add eggs. Just add one egg to the mixture and mix it in throughly with your hands.
- Bread crumbs soak up some of the liquid and help in it sticking together.
- if you are making it in a pan. ...
- Don't over work your mixture but make sure you mix it well.
- Make a big meatball first then flatten it and push the sides in.
Three things that help the most.
- Make sure the grates and grill is hot before putting the burger on. Otherwise it can stick badly especially if you have cast iron grates.
- Don't overwork the meat. This can cause problems especially for lower fat percent ground beef.
- It helps to use refrigerated or cold meat.
Once you've picked the right meat, the next step in making this incredibly juicy hamburger recipe is the addition of crushed crackers. Sound crazy? Trust us, it works! This is because the starch in the crackers keeps the natural fat and juices from escaping the patty during the cooking process.
Should burgers be room temperature before cooking? ›
Before grilling burgers, it's not required to bring the meat to room temperature. The meat should be refrigerated before grilling, starting the cooking process while the meat is cold. The cold temperatures keep the fat of the meat intact, maintaining the burger's juicy texture during the cooking process.
How do you get hamburger to hold together? ›
You can use a binder in burgers to help hold them together. Common binders include eggs, breadcrumbs, or ground flaxseed mixed with water. These ingredients help to bind the meat, seasonings, and other ingredients together, making the patty more stable and easier to handle while cooking or grilling.
How do you make burgers stuck together? ›
Enclosing a pat of butter in the middle of your raw patties helps keep the meat moist, which can help it stick together during cooking.
