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These homemade burgers are tender, juicy, and jam-packed with flavor. Grass-fed beef makes a huge difference in taste and quality; give it a go this weekend!
There’s a hefty amount of pressure to be highly creative when planning blog content. The burden of trying to come up with recipes that are unique enough to stand out—yet familiar enough for home cooks to approach—can be a challenge. Not to mention, continually bringing something ambitious to the table seems unnecessary. Real life just isn’t like that—for readers or for us bloggers.
With that, I’m feeling more inclined to reflect real life. At least for a bit. I want to introduce you to things I make around the house on any given day. Things that are convenient, but still offer my personal touch. (Y’know, in hopes to stand out a little).
Like this homemade beef burger.
Not all homemade burgers are created equal, and I’ve bitten into one too many dry under-seasoned hockey pucks in my life to let this juicy patty go unheard of. And here’s a fun tip: if you push a thumbprint into the center of the raw patties before putting them in the grill, they won’t shrink :)
Grass-fed beef definitely amps up quality and flavor. Find a brand you trust at your local grocer or hit up your local butcher! You won’t regret it.
I hope you get around to trying it, and I hope it’s as much of a game changer for you as it was for us :)
Note about photo above: This recipe used to call for egg, but I’ve since discovered that the breadcrumbs work just fine on their own as a binder in this recipe. So you won’t see it in the updated ingredients list.
If you try this recipe or create your own variation, let me know in the comments! I love connecting with you. Then snap a photo and tag me on the Insta @killing__thyme to be featured in our newsletter.
Best Homemade Burgers {Grass-Fed Beef Burgers}
Ingredients
Homemade Beef Patties.
- 1 lb ground chuck (80% lean), preferably grass-fed
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme, If not fresh, you can use 1/2 tsp of dried thyme or dried Italian herbs
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
Suggested condiments and additions (but, dress your burger how you want!)
- 4 Burger buns of your choice
- Bibb lettuce
- Sliced tomatoes
- Thinly sliced red onion
- dill pickles
- Slices of cheese
- Mayo
- Ketchup
- Dijon mustard
Materials.
- Baking sheet or large plate
- Parchment Paper
- Grill; or cast iron pan if cooking on the stovetop
Instructions
Homemade Beef Patties.
- Have a baking sheet or large plate handy—large enough to hold all four burger patties. I recommend covering the surface with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Place all of the beef patty ingredients into a large bowl. With clean hands, mix and fold the ingredients together until well blended. (You could use a spoon or spatula, but nothing works better at blending than your own hands.)
- Once blended, evenly divide the ground mixture into four, and start forming your patties. Place each patty onto the parchment covered baking sheet or plate, and gently press your thumb into the middle of each patty to create a dent. This dent will prevent the patty from shrinking on the grill.
- Place the patties in the fridge for at least 30 minutes; you can leave them in there for a few hours if you’re really working ahead of schedule.
Grilling Instructions.
- Bring a gas grill to high heat; if using a charcoal grill, heat the coals until they glow bright orange and ash over.
- Place the burgers on the grill and cook until they’re golden brown and slightly charred on the first side, about 3 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook until golden brown and slightly charred on the second side—about 4 minutes for medium rare, or until cooked to desired degree of doneness. (See notes for a breakdown of degrees/doneness.)
- When done, remove the burgers from the grill and let the patties rest for about 5 minutes. After that, stack your burger together and enjoy!
Pan-Frying Instructions.
- Heat a slick of oil in the pan (preferably cast iron) or griddle over high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Place 1-2 burgers into the pan (or whatever you can fit, just don’t overcrowd) and cook until golden brown and slightly charred on the first side, about 3 minutes. Flip the patties and cook until golden brown and slightly charred on the second side—about 4 minutes for medium rare, or until cooked to desired degree of doneness. (See notes for a breakdown of degrees/doneness.)
- When done, remove the burgers from the grill and let the patties rest for about 5 minutes. After that, stack your burger together and enjoy!
Notes
- Rare: 115 to 120°F
- Medium-Rare: 120 to 125°F
- Medium: 130 to 135°F
- Medium-Well: 140 to 145°F
- Well-Done: 150 to 155°F
I just made these grass-fed beef burgers, and they were incredible! The flavor is so rich, and I love that I can taste the quality of the beef. Thanks for sharing such a fantastic recipe! Can’t wait to try more from your blog!
Hi Dana,
I came across your recipe looking for an oven-baked recipe so I have not prepared your recipe yet.
How would I change this to bake the hamburgers in the oven?
Thankyou for your reply.
Karen
Hi Karen!
With the oven, what I do, is preheat to 425º F. Then I’ll pop a cooling rack onto a sheet pan, that way te grease can fall into the pan and your burgers aren’t baking in a pool of grease. Then just bake them for about 15 minutes or until they reach the temp for your preferred level of doneness. For medium, you’re looking for an internal temp of about 155º F. When you take the burgers out, let them sit for about 5 minutes before dressing them up! I hope this helps :)
Your picture shows a raw egg in the bowl with the other ingredients….?
Hi Carrie — yes. I used to add egg as a binder along with the breadcrumbs, but have since removed it from the recipe as I’ve since discovered the breadcrumbs do fine on their own. I’ll add something in the notes about this.
Made these burgers for dinner tonight on the pan. Wifey and I loved them, Can’t wait for grilling season to come back so we can try them on the BBQ.
We made banquet burgers with this recipe adding thick cut applewood smoked bacon and provolone, on a homemade sourdough bun. The patties were very flavorful and held up against my rough and tumble spatula techniques.
Thank you for this recipe
Trying this tonight…looks like my mom’s old recipe so I’m excited to try. Just a note – there’s egg in the picture, but not in the recipe details…I’m adding an egg ;-)
Hi Kristen! Hope you love it! And yes, when I first developed this recipe I added an egg, later realizing you can actually get away without it. I’ll add this to the notes to clarify :)
Is there an egg?
Since originally posting this recipe, I’ve tried it without an egg and it worked out well. So the egg is optional. You can do without!