Making the Perfect Burger

Hamburger is number one on the list of most common grill cooked foods according to the Weber GrillWatch Survey. I do not go into fancy seasonings at this time because I wanted to focus on the mechanics of forming and cooking the burgers. Place 1 pound of ground meat (beef, lamb or venison) in a bowl. Process one slice of bread in a food processor to produce fine, fresh bread crumbs. Season the meat with 1 teaspoon salt and fresh ground pepper. Add the bread crumbs to the meat. The bread crumbs will make the burger lighter (less dense) and will hold more moisture.

Kneed the meat and crumbs until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. The bread crumbs will make the burger lighter (less dense) and will hold more juice.

Divide the meat into 3 or 4 equal sized balls. Mold each ball in your hands until it is smooth without any visible cracks or seams. This step is critical to keep the burgers from falling apart on the grill.

Cut 4- by 4-inch squares of waxed paper and lay them out on a serving platter. Flatten each meatball between the fingers and palm, going around and around until the ball is flattened into a patty. Place each burger on a square of waxed paper. The paper squares will facilitate placing the burgers on the grill and keep the platter clean to hold the cooked burgers.

Use your thumb to make a depression in each burger. This prevents them from puffing up into a ball when grilled.

Grill the burgers directly over a hot fire for 4 minutes per side. Depending upon thickness, you may need to turn once more and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes. According to the USDA burgers should be cooked to medium for health reasons.