Searing Burgers: Pan Perfection

How to Pan-Sear a Burger

Pan-searing a burger is a quick and easy method that yields juicy, tender, and flavourful results. Here's a step-by-step guide to achieving the perfect pan-seared burger.

Ingredients and Equipment:

- Ground beef (ideally with 80% lean and 20% fat ratio)

- Salt and pepper

- Cheese (optional)

- Hamburger buns

- Butter or oil

- Condiments and toppings of your choice

- Large skillet or frying pan (cast iron or non-stick)

- Spatula

- Instant-read meat thermometer (optional)

Forming the Patties:

Start by dividing the ground beef into portions, depending on the number of burgers you want to make. Gently form each portion into a disk about 1-inch thick, being careful not to overwork the meat. A light touch is crucial to ensuring tender burgers. Use your thumb to create a small indentation or hole in the centre of each patty, which helps with even cooking and prevents shrinkage.

Preparing the Pan:

Preheat your skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. You can use butter or oil for greasing the pan, but it's not always necessary, as the fat from the burgers is usually sufficient.

Cooking the Burgers:

Place the burger patties in the hot pan, leaving some space between them. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook each side for around 3-5 minutes for a medium-rare to medium burger. The cooking time may vary depending on your desired doneness. Flip the burgers when you see a nice sear on the underside, and cook the other side for slightly less time.

Adding Cheese and Toppings:

If you're making cheeseburgers, add a slice of cheese to each burger after flipping. Cover the pan to help the cheese melt faster. Once the burgers are cooked to your desired doneness, transfer them to toasted buns and add your favourite toppings.

Tips for Success:

- Use high-quality, freshly ground beef for the best flavour.

- Keep the seasoning simple, but feel free to experiment with additional seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, or paprika.

- Avoid adding salt to the patties too early, as it can make them dense and tough. Instead, sprinkle salt just before cooking.

- For even cooking, look for colour changes as the heat works its way up the sides of the patties.

- Use a wide, thin spatula for flipping the burgers to preserve the crust and prevent them from falling apart.

- An instant-read meat thermometer can help ensure your burgers are cooked to your desired doneness.

Choosing the right beef

The best beef for your burger will depend on your desired fat content, how you plan to cook the burger, and your personal preferences.

Fat Content

The fat content of your beef will determine how juicy your burger is, and how well it holds together. The ideal burger is flavourful, juicy, and able to hold together well enough that it won't fall apart when you pick it up. The fat content you opt for will depend on how well done you want your burger to be. The more well done you want your burger, the higher the fat content you'll want to prevent it from drying out.

If you're aiming for a medium-rare burger, you won't need as much fat to keep it juicy. For this, an 80/20 blend (80% lean meat and 20% fat) or 85/15 should be fine. If you're going for medium-well, a 70/30 blend will be better. For a well-done burger, opt for a mix with a high percentage of fat, something along the lines of 60/40.

Cooking Method

How you cook your burger will also determine the type of beef you should get. If you're grilling the burgers, it's a good idea to have a little more fat in the mix as a lot of the fat will drip out while it cooks. When pan-frying burgers, you have more control over the heat and will usually cook at lower temperatures, so you can go for a slightly lower fat content.

Cut of Beef

When it comes to the cut of beef, you want to start with full-flavoured beef. Chuck, round, and brisket are all good options. Round is leaner, so you'll need to increase the fat content by adding another cut, like short ribs, which have a lot of fat and an intense beef flavour. Brisket has a legendary flavour but comes with toughness, so be prepared to grind it a bit finer and mix it with a fattier cut.

Quality

The quality of the beef also plays a huge role. Opt for organic, grass-fed, and grass-finished beef if you can. The best beef providers use 100% grass-fed beef, don't use hormones or antibiotics, and don't use pesticides, herbicides, or artificial fertilizers.

Forming the patties

To start, use high-quality ground beef with an ideal ratio of 80% lean meat to 20% fat. This ratio ensures your burgers remain juicy without overwhelming the beef flavour. If you can, opt for organic, grass-fed beef and get your beef ground to order from your local butcher.

When it comes to forming the patties, use a light touch. Break off big fist-sized chunks of ground beef and gently press them into rough patties. You can use the lid of a large container lined with plastic wrap to flatten the patties, preventing the meat from becoming tough. Each patty should be about 1 inch thick and slightly wider than your burger buns to account for shrinkage during cooking. Don't worry about making them look perfect—a few cracks and lumps are fine.

Here's a trick to ensure even cooking and prevent your burgers from shrinking and doming up in the middle: create a dimple or a small hole in the centre of each patty. This can be done by using your thumb or fingers to press a "moat" about 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the edge of the patty. The edge should be slightly higher than the indentation.

Once you've formed your patties, store them in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook. Keeping the fat inside the burger as cold as possible will help create flavourful pockets inside the patty and a better sear on the outside.

Finally, don't add salt to your patties until just before cooking. Salting too early will make them dense and tough. Instead, sprinkle each patty generously with salt right before placing them in the pan.

Cooking the burgers

Now that you've got your beef and you've formed your patties, it's time to cook your burgers.

First, get your pan ready. You can use a cast-iron skillet, a stainless-steel frying pan, or a non-stick skillet. Place your pan on the stove and turn the heat up to medium-high. You want to get your pan nice and hot before you add your burgers.

While your pan is heating up, take your burger patties out of the fridge and season them generously with salt and pepper on both sides. You can also add other seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, or paprika if you like.

Once your pan is hot, it's time to add your burgers. Place them in the pan, leaving a little space between each one. You may need to cook them in batches depending on the size of your pan. When the burgers hit the hot pan, they should sizzle. If they don't, your pan might not be hot enough, so give it another minute or two to heat up.

Let your burgers cook for 3 to 5 minutes on the first side. You'll know they're ready to flip when they have a nice dark brown sear on the underside and the raw burger has started to turn opaque and then grey or light tan about halfway up the sides.

When your burgers are nicely seared on the first side, it's time to flip them. Use a wide, thin spatula to quickly slide under the burgers and flip them over. This will help you flip them without messing up the crust that's formed on the first side.

Cook the burgers for another 3 to 5 minutes on the second side, depending on your desired doneness. For a medium-rare burger, cook until there's just a bit of pinkish-red in the very middle. For a medium burger, cook until the pinkish line disappears. If you're not sure if your burgers are done, you can use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.

If you're making cheeseburgers, now is the time to add the cheese. Place a slice of cheese on top of each burger and cover the pan with a lid or foil to help the cheese melt.

Once your burgers are cooked to your desired doneness, transfer them to a plate or a baking sheet and let them rest for a few minutes before serving. This will give you time to toast your buns and get your toppings ready.

And that's it! You've now got perfectly pan-seared burgers that are juicy and full of flavour. Serve them on toasted buns with your favourite toppings, and enjoy!

Adding cheese

If you want to add cheese to your burger, remove the pan from the heat and place the cheese on top of the patties. Cover the pan with a lid to trap the heat and allow the cheese to melt.

If you are making cheeseburgers, it is best to add the cheese during the last few minutes of pan-searing. This will allow the cheese to melt and become nice and gooey.

For a simple cheeseburger, serve your patty on a toasted bun with your favorite toppings and condiments.

Serving suggestions

Now that you've cooked your burger, it's time to serve it! Here are some ideas to make your burger even more delicious and enjoyable:

Bun choices

First, choose your bun. Potato buns or brioche rolls are classic choices, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Toasting your bun in butter can add a golden brown crispness to the bread. If you want to get fancy, brioche buns can make your burger feel a little more gourmet.

Cheese

If you're making a cheeseburger, the type of cheese you choose can make a big difference. A slice of American or cheddar cheese is a popular choice, but any type of cheese works. Try pepper jack or Swiss for a little extra kick, or go with a classic like American or cheddar. You can even skip the cheese altogether if you prefer.

Toppings

The sky's the limit when it comes to toppings. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, caramelized onions, and sweet relish are all great options. You can also get creative and add things like bacon, avocado, or fried eggs. If you're feeling extra indulgent, try a "Jucy Lucy" style burger, with cheese melted inside the patty.

Condiments

Don't forget the condiments! Ketchup, mustard, mayo, relish, and burger sauce are all classic choices. But feel free to get creative and experiment with different sauces and spreads.

Sides

No burger is complete without a side dish. Classic French fries are always a good choice, but you can also try sweet potato fries, parmesan potato wedges, or zucchini fries. If you're looking for something a little healthier, a side salad or some oven-baked chips can be a great option.

Presentation

Finally, don't forget the presentation. You can simply serve your burger on a plate with a side, or get creative and stack your burger high with toppings and serve it on a cutting board. Add some extra fries or chips on the side, and maybe even a dipping sauce or two.

Frequently asked questions