Breakthrough Burger Patty Technique

[Mark_E]

As we all know, there are three things that we want when we're done cooking a hunk of meat, whether it be a Ribeye roast, a tenderloin steak, a pork shoulder, a leg of lamb, baby back ribs, a brisket, and so on. We all want the same thing. We want:

• 1) Tender
• 
  
• 2) Juicy
• 
  
• 3) Flavor

Try this method the next time you make a burger. It guarantees the most tender and the most juicy burger you've ever had.

It doesn't matter how you cook it. You can cook it on a Weber kettle, on a griddle, on a gas grill, in a cast iron pan. Whatever you want.

You can cook it at whatever heat you want. Hot and fast. Low and slow. Medium heat. Doesn't matter.

You can cook it to internal temp of 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, or even 180 F. It doesn't matter.

Add whatever dry seasonings you want. Just don't put salt into the ground beef. Put salt on the surface of the patty.

Use whatever burger spread or sauce you want. Mayo. Mustard. Ketchup. Whatever you want.

Use whatever toppings you want. Onions. Pickles. Tomato. Lettuce. Cheese. Whatever you want.

Point is, the flavor is completely up to you.

The cooking method is completely up to you.

But try this technique when forming the patty, and you will be amazed at the juiciness and the tenderness of the finished burger.

Employing this technique will take care of the first two bullet points above. The third bullet point is up to you.

The only tool you need besides the obvious spatula is a bench knife (or a griddle scraper). A bench knife is not sharp, it has a squared edge.

This technique was inspired by Kenji's YT video of March 2025. Search on YT: kenji all time favorite burger

 

[ChadRex]

Thank you for sharing. That technique while a little more complicated, does makes a lot of sense.
White Castle used to put holes in their burgers for the same reason.

Warning Spoiler alert for those who haven't seen Kenji's All time favorite Burger video-

• Meat was harmed beyond human consumption in the making of this video

Kenji's burger technique looks amazing especially grinding his own meat ( chuck, short rib). he also puts emphasis on less human hands touching the meat., loosely packing the patty. never want to over handle your meat

We mix ground pork with our ground chuck for the richer burger profile.
I think I may try a variation of this next time I do burgers.

 

[Mark_E]

My pleasure...

I believe Kenji was inspired to make that vid after seeing SnS's vid from the summer of 2024. and/or the 2022 post on the Smoking Meats forum linked a few lines below.

YT: v=O8PmBf44ynA

I believe SnS was inspired after seeing this post in the Smoking Meats forum created in the fall of 2022. I had actually posted a link to that Smoking Meats forum post on this site a couple years ago. Can't remember what thread it was.

Most Unconventional Burger Recipe You've Ever Loved

Okay I don't have a youtube channel for food but I would like to share this because I think it may be a break-through recipe and have nowhere else to post it. I've been trying to perfect the best burger ever for fifteen years and I've finally come up with this. I've never seen a burger recipe...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

And that post was inspired by Kenji's article on SeriousEats in Spring of 2020 regarding how salt mixed into ground beef causes proteins to adhere resulting in a tough burger.

Salting Ground Beef | The Burger Lab

Do you salt your burger patties before grilling them? Well, ya shouldn't. Read the science behind salting ground beef. Warning: this piece contains graphic images of burgers being smashed, maimed, cut, tortured, and otherwise destroyed.

www.seriouseats.com

 

[ChadRex]

Kenji's other Burger videos are good information.

• Kenji's Burger Techniques - smash burgers, diner style burgers & grill style burgers.
• Twelve Rules for Better Burgers

The SnS Backyard Burger demo was good, emphasis on light packing the meat. I like the use of a baking ring over a burger press, Burger press tends to pack the meat too much.

I alos like the Cast iron burger technique. I try to grill using backing racks or other surfaces as not to have to clean the grates too often.

 

[Mark_E]

About five years ago I was making burgers out of ground beef bits, adding a sauce with salt in it to cause the bits to adhere. This idea stemmed from Kenji's article regarding salt. But then I learned you didn't need salt - the burger bits would adhere when heated even without salt. It was a great burger, but tedious to make.

Then I started using a fork to sort of shred the burger. And I used a burger ring. Faster. But again - it was still tedious. The meat was always trying to stick to the metal ring. And it was time consuming. And when you're done, it's still just a pile of bits until you heat it up.

This method is much easier, faster, and uncomplicated. The patty stays intact because the bench knife, which is not sharp, does not slice into the bottom of the patty. The outside surface remains smooth. So it's not just a pile of ground beef bits. It's a patty before it's cooked.

This method is quick - and no burger ring needed. Just the bench knife or griddle scraper.

Note that there is no "pressing" on this burger after making the cross hatch patterns. The top patty simply lays on the bottom patty. The two patties adhere and become one during the heating process. The cross hatch patterns create small air pockets within the patty which are filled with juices during cooking.

It's a good idea to wear an apron or bib of some sort while eating. Or just take your shirt off. Even if you lean all the way in over your plate, the large volume of juices will splash onto your plate with such violence that it will splatter onto your good clean shirt, regardless of how careful you are.

Crime scene analysts and forensics experts call this "burger juice spatter."