Skip to main content

A Good Burger Goes Splat

Why? Because it means the patty is supremely tender.
By Published July 13, 2022

For me, a truly great burger is not only ultra-beefy and juicy, it’s so tender your teeth glide through the meat like it’s butter. 

And the only way to ensure that kind of tenderness is to first grind the meat yourself, then take care in how you shape the patty. 

Sign up for the Cook's Insider newsletter

The latest recipes, tips, and tricks, plus behind-the-scenes stories from the Cook's Illustrated team.

Grinding your own meat allows you to control the cut and how finely you grind it, both of which make a huge difference to the flavor and texture of the burger. The beef should be a flavorful, well-marbled cut; and it should be ground fine enough that it holds together when formed into patties, but coarse enough that it doesn’t pack too tightly and become dense. 

Proof Positive: The Tenderness Test

Want visual proof that a burger made with home-ground beef is more tender? Check out this smashing test: We dropped a Dutch oven on top of two burgers—one made with commercial ground beef, the other with meat we ground ourselves—from 6 inches above.

A truly tender burger (left) will flatten and splatter under the weight of a Dutch oven, while a denser patty (right) will more or less retain its shape.

Grind Burger Meat in a Food Processor

The good news is, you don’t need special equipment to grind meat—just a food processor and access to a freezer. Here’s an overview of our process. 

  1. Use the Best Cut: Unlike chuck, which is often used for commercial ground beef but contains lots of connective tissue that must be removed before grinding, we use sirloin steak tips (or “flap meat”), which are well marbled and require little trimming.  
  2. ​​Trim and Cut: After removing any excess fat and gristle, cut the meat into ½-inch chunks, which will process evenly during grinding. 
  3. Add Butter for Juiciness: The fat in butter helps burgers cook up super juicy, and the butter’s protein encourages browning. To ensure that the butter pieces are consistent and evenly distributed, cut the butter (2–3 tablespoons per pound of meat) into small cubes.
  4. Freeze Beef and Butter: To firm up the meat and butter before grinding, freeze the pieces on a plate or rimmed baking sheet in a single layer for about 30 minutes. That way, the food processor cuts them cleanly instead of smashing them, which leads to pasty, dense results.
  5. Work in Batches: Process the beef and butter in small batches, stopping to redistribute them around the bowl as necessary, to ensure a precise, even grind. 

Gently Shape the Patties

The more you handle ground meat, the more its sticky proteins (which are released by grinding) will link together and the tougher the burger will be. So it’s important to manipulate the meat as little as possible when forming patties.

  • Portion: Divide ground beef into equal-size balls. 
  • Pack: Toss each ball between your hands until lightly packed. 
  • Press: Flatten into patties.

Juicy Pub-Style Burgers

Hand-ground beef gave us deep flavor, but getting a crusty exterior plus a juicy interior that was evenly rosy from center to edge required a couple more tricks.
Get the Recipe

Tender, Juicy Grilled Burgers

Preground chuck patties may be easy to throw on the grill, but if you want ultrabeefy, tender, juicy burgers, start with steak tips—and open the freezer.
Get the Recipe
Equipment Review

The Best Food Processors

Our longtime favorite is powerful and easy to use, but is it still the best choice?
Read Our Review

0 Comments

Try All-Access Membership to Unlock the Comments
Don't miss the conversation. Our test cooks and editors jump in to answer your questions, and our members are curious, opinionated, and respectful.
Membership includes instant access to everything on our sites:
  • 10,000+ foolproof recipes and why they work
  • Taste Tests of supermarket ingredients
  • Equipment Reviews save you money and time
  • Videos including full episodes and clips
  • Live Q&A with Test Kitchen experts
Start Free Trial
JC
JOHN C.
16 days

Absolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too. I've done this using a rimmed sheet pan instead of a skillet and put veggies and potatoes around the chicken for a one-pan meal. Broccoli gets nicely browned and yummy!

Absolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too.

MD
MILES D.
JOHN C.
9 days

Amazed this recipe works out as well as it does. Would not have thought that the amount of time under the broiler would have produced a very juicy and favorable chicken with a very crispy crust. Used my 12" Lodge Cast Iron skillet (which can withstand 1000 degree temps to respond to those who wondered if it would work) and it turned out great. A "make again" as my family rates things. This is a great recipe, and I will definitely make it again. My butcher gladly butterflied the chicken for me, therefore I found it to be a fast and easy prep. I used my cast iron skillet- marvellous!

CM
CHARLES M.
11 days

John, wasn't it just amazing chicken? So much better than your typical oven baked chicken and on par if not better than gas or even charcoal grilled. It gets that smokey charcoal tasted and overnight koshering definitely helps, something I do when time permits. First-time I've pierced a whole chicken minus the times I make jerk chicken on the grill. Yup, the cast iron was not an issue.