01
Start With the Right Meat
For juicy burgers, get ground chuckwith a fat content of at least 18%. Lean and
extra-lean meats make tough, dry burgers. (This tip is true for turkey burgers or lamb
burgers, too—look for grinds with around 18% fat.)
The more freshly ground the meat is, the more tender and flavorful the burger: If
your store has on-site butchers, ask them to grind the meat fresh for you.
For the absolute freshest grind, of course, you need to grind your own. You can do
this with a home grinder or in a food processor. Cut the meat into chunks, put it in
the freezer for 15 minutes, and grind or pulse until ground. For the best grind, put it
through a coarse grind disk twice (seriously, this leads to the best grind possible!).
01
10 Tips for Perfect Burgers