Gordon Ramsay's Perfect Burger Starts With A Trio Of Ground Meats

When Gordon Ramsay is in the mood to grill up some burgers, he starts with the perfect trifecta of meats – chuck, ground beef, and brisket. This blend's perfect fat content, variety of flavors, and cohesion on the grill makes it perfect for the best basic burger recipe.

Ground beef varies in its fat percentages, but it's often made from lean cuts like round or sirloin. This provides plenty of lean taste that pairs excellently with more marbled cuts like chuck. Brisket is one of the juiciest, most flavorful types of meat available but is tough when raw. However, grinding breaks down muscle fibers and creates a protein that's as tender as any other ground cut. Put the three together, and you get a premier combination of taste and texture that's perfect for hamburgers.

Fat is an important ratio for this recipe. Too little and you have a dry, bland patty. Too much and it shrinks up into a ball as juices render directly into the flame. You want to aim for a ratio of 80% meat to 20% fat to achieve the perfect balance of flavor and shape. Ramsay's favorite trio of grinds excels at not only providing a range of different beef tastes but also nailing the ratio. Don't assume the work stops with Ramsay's trio, though. When learning how to make burger patties, there are multiple easy tricks to use when you want something that tastes great, doesn't fall apart, and keeps its perfect shape.

When mixing your beef blend, don't overwork the meat. More handling means a tougher end result, so try to be efficient and work it as little as possible. If you're worried about cohesion, add a beaten egg to the mix. Gordon Ramsay adds one egg yolk per pound of hamburger to help bind everything together and add an extra rich flavor.

Once you've combined your meats, it's time to shape the patties. Keeping this process quick prevents the heat from your hands from warming up the beef, helping it maintain its shape. It's also good to form the patties ahead of time and let them set in the fridge for a couple hours. Just remember to remove them and allow them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes for perfectly juicy all-beef burgers. If you've had trouble with burgers turning into meatballs, make a shallow divot in the center of each one with your thumb. This gives it plenty of room to swell up by filling in the divot. How deep you need to go depends on the thickness of your patty, but an indentation about one-third of the way deep should do the trick.

Finally, if you're adding any extra ingredients like onion, peppers, or bacon bits to your blend, keep them as small as possible. Mincing additional ingredients ensures an even distribution of flavor, and chunky additions can compromise the integrity of your burger.