Ground Beef
$2.29per plate
Prep
10 min
Dinner · Ground Beef
How to Grill a Burger
A grilled burger is one of the best cheap dinners going, and it lives or dies on two things: the heat of the grill and how long you leave it alone. Get those right and a single pound of ground beef turns into four juicy cheeseburgers for about $2.21 a plate, far less than a drive-through and better in every way. This is the method, the grill times for every level of doneness, and the cost of every ingredient before you fire it up.
$2.21per plate
Estimated recipe total
$8.84 · serves 4
Cook
10 min
Total
20 min
Serves
4
1 How to make it
1
Heat the grill hot
Get the grill to medium-high, about 450 F, and let the grates fully preheat for 10 minutes before the burgers go on. A properly hot grate is what gives you a seared crust and clean grill marks instead of a gray, steamed patty.
2
Form loose patties
Divide the pound of beef into four loose balls without kneading, then press each into a patty a little wider than the bun. Press a shallow dimple into the center so the burger cooks up flat instead of doming. Season the outside with salt and pepper right before grilling.
3
Grill and leave it alone
Lay the patties on the hot grate and resist touching them. For a quarter-pound patty, grill 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, until the edges look set and it releases cleanly. Flip once. Do not press the burgers with the spatula, since that squeezes out the juice that keeps them moist.
4
Cook to the right time and temperature
After the flip, go by doneness: about 2 minutes more for medium (a total of 5 to 6 minutes), 3 to 4 minutes more for well done. For food safety, ground beef should reach 160 F on a thermometer, which is the safest call regardless of the clock.
5
Add cheese and toast the buns
Lay a slice of cheese on each patty for the last minute and close the lid so it melts. Set the buns cut side down on a cooler part of the grate for 30 seconds until lightly toasted.
6
Rest, then build
Let the patties rest a minute off the heat so the juices settle back in, then build each burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, and your sauce. Resting is the difference between a juicy bite and a puddle on the plate.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Ground turkey or chicken for beef. Cooks the same way on the grill and can run cheaper depending on the week. Oil the grate well and handle it gently, since lean poultry sticks and dries faster than 80/20 beef.
- Stretch the beef with breadcrumbs. Work a third of a cup of breadcrumbs and a splash of milk into the pound of beef to pull five or six patties from the same meat, dropping the cost per plate.
- Any melting cheese for American. Cheddar, Swiss, or the ends of a block all melt fine over a hot patty. Use what is already in the fridge instead of buying slices.
- Texas toast or dinner rolls for buns. If buns are not on sale, split a dinner roll or grill two slices of sandwich bread. Both carry a burger and are usually cheaper.
3 Budget tips
- Ground beef is cheapest in 3 pound family packs. Form and freeze the patties you are not grilling today, with parchment between each, so the next cookout is already prepped.
- 80/20 beef is the right blend for the grill. The fat bastes the patty as it cooks, so you do not need to buy pricier cuts to get a juicy burger.
- Grill extra patties while the fire is hot. Cooking eight instead of four uses the same fuel and gives you lunches or a second dinner for almost no added effort.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate cooked patties and cut toppings separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Keep buns at room temperature so they do not go soggy.
Freezer
Freeze cooked patties in a single layer, then bag them for up to 2 months. Raw formed patties freeze even better and grill straight from frozen with a couple of extra minutes per side.
Reheating
The best way to reheat a grilled burger is low and slow so it does not dry out. Warm it in a covered skillet over medium-low with a few drops of water for about 3 minutes. See our full guide on how to reheat a burger.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
470
Protein
27g
Fat
27g
Carbs
28g
Estimates per assembled cheeseburger, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
How long do you grill a burger?
For a quarter-pound patty over medium-high heat, about 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, then 2 minutes more for medium or 3 to 4 more for well done. Thicker patties take longer, so go by a 160 F internal temperature rather than the clock.
What are the most common burger-grilling mistakes?
Three big ones: a grill that was not preheated hot enough, so the burger steams gray instead of searing; pressing the patty with the spatula, which squeezes out the juices; and skipping the center dimple, which leaves you with a puffed, domed burger. Preheat fully, flip once, and never press.
How do I keep grilled burgers from drying out?
Use 80/20 beef, do not overwork the meat, flip only once, and pull them at 160 F instead of guessing. A one-minute rest after grilling lets the juices settle back into the patty.
How is the price per plate figured?
About $8.84 for four cheeseburgers with toppings, which is $2.21 a plate. The pound of beef is most of the cost, so a sale on ground beef moves the number the most, and skipping a topping or two brings it down further.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
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- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
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