Choosing the Best Beef for Savory Burgers

There is no end to the number of delicious hamburgers you can make, but here are 12 that will make your mouth water.

J. Kenji Lpez-Alt composes a column for The New York Times on food and science, and he establishes recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually invested the last twenty years of my profession carefully looking into and checking recipes, methods and widely accepted kitchen area knowledge to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've run numerous hamburger joints and even wrote a monthly column for Serious Eats called the Burger Laboratory, in which I separated and evaluated every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a burger.

However that does not suggest you can't go for something much better. Here are the most essential tips I've found for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Working hamburger too much can cause it to become dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be an advantage, but with hamburgers, overhandling can develop an undesirable thick texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra spices, like onions and herbs, also requires you to overwork the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, so skip it.) Salting the outside of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and helps them to connect up more quickly. This is a good idea in sausages, which ought to have a firm texture, but with burgers, you desire looseness. A hamburger needs to be tender, with a lot of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a huge hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a frying pan, browning is taste, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait till your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and cook them until they're well browned on both sides.

This optimizes flavor while keeping juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating a lot faster. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Don't let your patties relax on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have had an opportunity to drip out.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Choosing High-Quality Beef for Tasty Burgers

Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a hamburger enthusiast. Maturing, I 'd happily chomp them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting back from gymnastics practice. I 'd crush the soft bun and let catsup dribble down the sides over my fingers. If there were any little melty American cheese leavings stuck on the wrapper, I 'd drag my french fries through them (I still do this).

Capture me on the best day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Actually, I might state that on many days. And you might say the same. Even if you do, it's most likely we do not have the same concept of what makes the perfect burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to end the ones I understand individuals like but I just. don't. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Possibly we have various taste. Perhaps I haven't tried your preferred burger. Possibly I'm out to get you (just kidding).

Let me share with you what makes the perfect burger for me. Let's start with the patty.

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some shining from the beef and possibly a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty must be seared to assist secure the juices, but not too crusty.