Grilling Burgers and Veggie Burgers

Burgers come in all shapes and sizes. You can make your own patties from 93% lean fresh ground beef, and add your own spices and seasonings as you do it, or you can buy a big box of frozen 75% lean burgers at your local “buy in bulk” club. There’s nothing wrong with either approach. I actually enjoy a cheap burger, and always having burgers in the freezer ready to go is a great convenience.

Fat content, frozen or fresh, and thickness all effect how long a burger takes to cook, but the basic approach remains unchanged. Get your grill nice and hot (turn it on high, close the top, and then clean). Burgers are cooked on high heat with the grill cover open. Place your burgers on the grill surface spaced apart enough so you can get in there to flip them with your spatula.

Now, a burger, properly grilled, will be flipped exactly once. Let it cook for a bit, until the meat is cooked roughly half way through, and the bottom has nice grill lines formed (but no burning). Now, flip it over. This is where the thickness of your burger and the desired doneness come into play. If you’re cooking thick burgers or want them medium or less, then throw your cheese on right away. If your burgers are thick, or you want your burgers medium-well to well done, give it a minute or two before you throw the cheese on top. Once the cheese is melted, the burger is done. Pull them off the grill and serve them piping hot with whatever condiment you and your guest enjoy.

One note on cheeseâÂ?¦one of the coolest things about a burger is how much you can change it’s personality by what kind of cheese you use. American, Cheddar, and Swiss are all very popular choices and all give your burger a unique twist. Try them all, try another favorite you have, or just experiment with whatever looks cool at the deli. Always check with your guest before you cheese up all the burgers, though. Some folks are either lactose intolerant or just plain dislike cheese on their burgers. Part of being the grill-master is to keep everyone happy.

Veggie Burgers

Speaking of keeping everyone happy at your cookout, some people don’t eat meat, either for health or social reasons. If these people are part of your circle of friends and family, you want them to feel welcome and leave full, of course. Usually, if I’m throwing a decent sized cookout, I’ll ask people to bring veggie burgers if they’d like them. That allows them to pick out the brand and flavor they like, and frees me up from trying to guess how many and what types to buy. If you’re cooking for a strict vegetarian, go the extra step and make sure the grill surface is very clean before you put their burger on it, and use a separate “non-meat” spatula. The extra effort is sure to be appreciated.

Now, how do you cook a veggie burger? It’s actually very similar to cooking a regular burger, except they’re already pre-cooked, so you don’t have to worry about anything other than it being hot. I usually put them on the same time as the burgers, and flip and apply cheese at the same time, too.

Toast Those Buns

One of the greatest little things you can do when grilling burgers to add to the “grilled food experience” is to toast the buns you’re serving your meat in. It’s quick, easy, and just a nice touch.

If you have a top grill rack, toss your buns up there about the time you start cooking your burgers and dogs, maybe a few minutes later (especially if you’re doing hot dogs on the top rack, too). Flip them about half way through so both sides get nice and toasty, and just be careful not to burn them. As you’ll soon find outâÂ?¦if you’re grilling for a bunch of people, juggling all these items on your grill can be trickyâÂ?¦even with a fairly large grill. Like most of grilling, it’s an art more than a science, but a little experience is all it takes to get to the point where everything comes out cooked correctly and ready at the same time.

If you don’t have a top grill rack, the best way to toast buns is to wait until everything else is just about cooked, and if room permits, throw the buns on the main grill surface. The buns will toast rather quickly down on the main grill surface, so keep an eye on them to avoid burning, and flip often. If grill space is an issue, you can probably remove everything else from the grill and cover them while you toast the buns. Everything should stay plenty hot during the time it takes to toast the buns, and nothing beats a nice juicy burger or dog on a warm, toasty bun.