How to Grill a Grassfed Beef Burger

If you’re new to grilling grassfed ground beef, we suggest following these steps to a perfect burger. 

Get the grill going early and hot. 
Always start with a pre-heated, very hot grill (450-475º F). If your grill doesn’t have a thermometer, use this test: 

• Hold your hand about five inches above the grill. If you can only hold your hand reasonably comfortably there only about 1 - 2 seconds, your grill is sizzlin’ hot and ready for cooking burger patties

Use a wire brush to scrape the grate clean, and if needed, oil the grate lightly. 

Over-handling the patties can make them more likely to fall apart. Just do these two things:

• Use your thumb to make an indentation in the center of the patty to avoid it puffing up in the center and encourage even cooking.
• Season with salt and any other seasonings you like. (Salt draws out moisture, so don’t season the burger until you’re ready to grill.)

Place the patties over the hottest part of the grill and follow this grilling process:

• Leave them alone (no pressing, poking or prodding, please; let’s keep the juices in the burger) for about 3½ minutes – a little shorter if you’re aiming for rarer; a little longer if you’re aiming for more well-done. 
• Gently flip the burgers with a metal spatula and cook for another 3½ minutes – or a little shorter or longer, according to your preference.
• NOTE: For cheeseburgers, as the end of the cooking time nears move the burgers to the side of the grill where the heat is indirect, and let thinly sliced cheese slowly melt onto the burger.
• Remove the cooked burgers from the grill and let them rest on a plate for 3 minutes. (Yes, just like you do for steak!) If you’re tempted to skip the resting period, don’t! Toast the buns or refresh your cold beverage while you wait. When the 3 minutes is over, transfer the burgers onto the prepared buns and enjoy!

Please remember that grassfed ground beef is pinker than grain-fed beef! That’s due to lots of iron-rich protein (myoglobin) from the animals’ pasture-raised lifestyle. Don’t let the pinkness trick you into over-cooking your grassfed beef patties. Use the cooking times we provided as a guide, but check the meat during the cooking process, and use a thermometer if possible. 

Most of our family members like our burgers medium-rare to medium, with a nicely seared outside and an internal temperature of 130 to 140º F. We do have one family member who insists that her burgers are cooked well (155º F), and for her we use the same approach that we use for melting the cheese on burgers. Her burger gets moved to the side of the grill where we finish it up with slow cooking for 5 minutes in indirect heat. This method keeps the well-done burger from drying out or getting too crispy on the outside. 

Check out this downloadable burger grilling cheat sheet.

Do you have any grassfed beef hamburger grilling tips? Please share what works for you! Questions? Please ask and we’ll do our best to help.