5 Tips For Grilling The Perfect Tailgate Burger
If you want to have the best tailgate party, you need to make sure that you are grilling up great tasting burgers. Here are a five tips to take your tailgate burgers from good to top-notch.
#1 Use Burgers Low In Fat
When you go shopping for meat to make your burgers out of, try to purchase hamburger meat that is low in fat. The more fat that your burger has, the more fat that is going to drip out of it while you are cooking your burger.
When you are cooking over an open flame, all that dripping fat is like adding fuel to the fire. It will cause your grill to flare-up, which is not good if you are aiming to cook the perfect burger. Flare-ups will cause the outside of your burger to cook before the inside does. You can avoid flare-ups by using high quality hamburger that is low in fat.
#2 Make Your Patties Thick
When forming your patties, you should make them nice and thick. Although thin patties cook quicker, they also tend to get more dried out. Plus, when you are tailgating, no one really wants to bite into a thin, dry burger. They want to bite into a thick, juicy burger. When in doubt, make it thicker!
#3 Skip The Salt
When seasoning your patties, try to stay away from salt or seasoning mixes that contain salt. The salt will absorb all of the moisture inside of your patty. If you have been wondering why your burgers are never juicy even though you use high quality meat and make thick patties, this may be why. Salt reduces the juicy factor of your burger and can even make it feel and taste a little rubbery.
You don't need to mix the seasoning into your burger, just lightly season it on the outside right before you are ready to put the burger on grill. Use premixed spices designed for hamburgers, dehydrated herbs such as onion and parsley, and seasonings such paprika, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic and coriander.
#4 Keep Your Burger From Sticking To The Grill
After you season your burger, you should put a very thin layer of canola oil on both sides of your burger. This will prevent your burger from sticking to the grill when it starts releasing juices and fats.
#5 Use A Meat Thermometer
Finally, do not cut into your burgers to determine if they are cooked. Instead, use an instant read thermometer that will tell you if your burgers are done. That way, you will not break up the burger and ruin the patty just to see if the burger is cooked.
For more information about burgers, contact Papa Rocco's or a similar location.