We have all seen friends and family grilling burger patties at a barbeque party at least once or twice.
For most people, this is a staple at many family gatherings.
It is very likely that you are the one in charge of flipping those patties in the first place!
Because these burgers tend to be one of the main dishes at a party, you would want to make sure that they are memorable and taste good.
After all, it is the best feeling in the world to have your dinner guests craving for more and to go home satisfied, or to even ask for the recipe and your cooking secrets!
Of course, as a result, just about everyone has their own tips and tricks on grilling up the perfect burger patty.
It can end up as a bit of a competition as people compare and contrast recipes, ingredients, and grilling methods in a bid to find out what the magic ingredient or trick!
Unfortunately, most people won’t want to share their secrets.
Thankfully for the rest of us who are still struggling to make our burger patties taste great, Chicago-based celebrity chef Graham Elliot is willing to share his secrets with us!
For those of us who aren’t quite sure whether we should follow this guy’s tips and tricks, here’s a breakdown of his credentials.
Firstly, he is a former judge for Masterchef and Masterchef Junior.
Secondly, has owned several successful restaurants at one point.
Thirdly, and possibly most importantly, Graham Elliot – his first restaurant – earned itself two Michelin stars in 2014.
Hopefully, his listed successes are enough to convince the disbelieving among us to at least listen to what he has to say!
His first nugget of wisdom defies conventional belief – don’t put ingredients into the meat.
He believes that you shouldn’t be mixing ingredients like pepper, onions, garlic, and other spices into the patty meat like you would do meatloaf or meatballs.
According to the chef, burger patties should really be just plain meat instead.
His second nugget of wisdom is also something that may surprise most people – if your patties are on the bigger side, put an ice cube inside it while making them.
What this does is that it side-steps the traditional problem of patties drying out as a result of keeping the inside of the burger meat moist.
This is a great trick to try if you have trouble cooking your patties properly and preventing them from getting dry inside.
The beauty of having a simple base – in this case, plain meat – means that you can go absolutely ham on toppings.
While you can use simple toppings and still have it taste delicious, having a plain base allows the cook to experiment with all sorts of toppings to bring the burger to the next level.
Elliot personally uses ingredients like grilled red pepper, fresh arugula, melted brie and roasted garlic aioli in his self-named “Graham’s Burger.”
Now armed with tips and tricks from a seasoned chef, why not go out there and try grilling the best burger you’ve made yet?