Grill Hacks: Grilling Burgers with Ice Cubes

There's a good chance that you will be grilling burgers this summer. When you do, give this little hack a try and be prepared for a game-changer.

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to fire up the grill and serve up some delicious food for my family. When it comes to grills, I have used a Weber charcoal grill, a gas grill, and my favorite to date, a pellet grill. They are all great and get their job done in their own way. Over the past few years, I have used my pellet grill more than the others just because I feel like food tastes better on it. No matter what type of grill you use, you can't beat grilled food during the summer.

One of the most common foods you will find yourself grilling this summer, especially over the 4th of July weekend, might be burgers. There's nothing quite like a juicy, flame-grilled burger. Who doesn't love a good burger, right? Personally, my bonus son, Carter, is obsessed with cheeseburgers. Anytime I ask him what he wants for dinner, I typically get one of two answers: "I don't know" or "burgers". So, this time of year, I'm firing up the grill and cooking burgers for the family a lot. If you're in the same boat, there's a good chance that you might be doing it wrong, and the fix will enhance your burger experience.

BreakingTheWalls

Simple Burger Hack for Grilling

Have you ever made burgers on the grill thinking they smell and look delicious, only to bite into them and find that they're a little on the dry side? Nobody wants to eat a dry burger. No amount of condiments will fix that issue. However, there is a pretty easy hack to combat those dry burgers.

Before we get there, let's talk about something that you should do every time you make burgers. A nice little finger poke. When preparing your burgers, press a shallow indentation in the center of the patty to ensure even cooking and prevent puffing up. Even cooking and heat distribution will keep each patty juicy and consistent. That being said, there's still a chance that your burgers will be a little dry. So, here's the trick...

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Ice, Ice, Baby!

No, the hack isn't to listen to the iconic song by Vanilla Ice; rather, it's more literal. As previously mentioned, burgers can dry out very quickly on the grill. This is where ice cubes come into play. Hear me out: put an ice cube in the middle of your burger, right where you put your thumb indentation in. When the burger is on the grill, the ice will melt (obviously). This extra moisture will help keep the interior from drying out.

Now, some folks claim that doing this will prevent a good sear on the burgers. My advice is to start at a high temp on your grill to get a good char on the outside. Lower the temp and then allow the burger to finish cooking.

There's another option to keep all of that moisture in your burgers as you grill them takes a little bit more time and effort, but it might add more flavor.

rez-art

Butter, Butter, Baby!

That doesn't have the same ring to it, but butter might be another option for you. I know of several people who swear by this, and a lot of articles online support this. Using frozen butter in your burgers will add flavor and moisture to them. So, here's what you'll want to do with this process:

• Put a stick of butter in your freezer until it's frozen solid.
• Use a cheese grater to grate the frozen butter into your burger mixture.
• Use about five tablespoons of butter for each pound of meat in your mixture.
• Mix the butter in with the meat and seasoning, patty them out, and get to grilling.

There you have it. Give one or both of these tricks a try and enjoy some juicy burgers this summer. Oh, and if you want to try out a burger that is seriously one of the best ones I've ever had. Try out this BBQ Ranch Burger that my buddy Ryan makes:

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