HELP! My burgers always fall apart...

[twainny]

I love having my husband grill burgers. For some reason they ALWAYS fall apart on the grill (I believe he only flips them once, maybe twice). Any ideas why this happens and can someone suggest something that will stop this from happening?

We really don't like to add anything to the meat (breadcrumbs, onions, eggs).

The only thing I can think of is that I am using meat that has been frozen (ie it has a lot of liquid in it, I try to squeeze most of it out). I really don't know what happened the last time I used fresh meat, but I have to assume that they fell apart too. I just don't know what I am doing wrong.

TIA!

[myshel]

This is going to sound crazy, but this is what I do to keep my burgers together. I put the ground beef in a bowl and season it. As I grab "chunks" of the meat, I form it into a ball shape and toss the meat between my hands (kinda like playing catch with yourself). I do this several times-- maybe 7-8 times. Then I flatten the ball out into a patty shape. It sounds weird, but it's always worked for me. I think it's because the meat becomes more compact and sticks together better.

ETA: I almost always use frozen ground beef to make my burgers, and since I'm a little lax at getting the meat defrosted in time, I almost always use the quick defrost method in the microwave. This usually brings out the juice in the meat, so I don't think the frozen beef is your issue.

[twainny]

myshel - that is kind of what I do too, make a ball and then throw it back 'n forth in my hands, then flatten. Maybe I was making them too thin (I make really big burgers, since my DH wants the meat to be bigger than the bun). I am glad that it isn't the frozen meat!!

[Standrea]

Is your grill hot enough?? Just a thought...

[amorey]

What kind of meat are you using? I find that 85% lean meat stays together better than 93% lean. The extra fat holds it together or something.

[Katy]

I can relate. I made blue cheese, turkey burgers a while back that totally fell apart on the grill. Interestingly (or maybe not since they don't get flipped), the same burgers that I'd frozen to cook later turned out awesome on the GF grill.

[Pineknot]

ground beef never falls apart on me, but turkey sure will, especially if it was frozen.

I make sure I squeeze the turkey meat until it is dry, then make the patties and place them on paper towels for a few minutes. When I grill them, I put olive oil on both sides to discourage sticking and then I really let them grill on one side before I turn them. Turning turkey too soon will also make them fall apart.

[Hello Kitty]

Do you defrost in the microwave? What has happened to me is that there are little pre-cooked pieces in the mix, and those don't stick well to the full raw ones. So if you micro-defrost, do it really really gently. Better yet, take it out beforehand and thaw it without any heat source.

[Missy2U]

amorey nailed it - your meat doesn't have enough fat. You can't use really lean meat for burgers (try 80% lean or around there) and also make sure that the grind isn't too small - that will also keep the meat from holding together.

[myshel]

The fat content of the meat is a factor. I don't know why I didn't think of that earlier. When I make burgers, I mix 93% lean with 85% and things work fine.

[jennylou]

amorey nailed it - your meat doesn't have enough fat. You can't use really lean meat for burgers (try 80% lean or around there) and also make sure that the grind isn't too small - that will also keep the meat from holding together.

I always use 93% lean meat, and my burgers never fall apart, so I'll disagree with it being the leaner meat.

I do mix the burgers with onion, garlic, cajun seasoning and salt and pepper - so I really have to work the meat - maybe the meat needs to be worked more?

[Hello Kitty]

I also use 93% exclusively. I do knead in some seasonings, though, so maybe that is it. I don't think I make any burgers without mixing something in.

[AlisonCO]

Most of the time I use ground turkey or chicken, but when I use beef I always use 93% and don't have problems. One thing that I do that I saw Bobby Flay do once on TV is to make the burgers ahead of time and put the patties back in the fridge - the heat from your hands makes them softer so getting them really cold again helps keep them together. It is interesting that so many if you really work the meat because I try not to work it too much - I think that is another tidbit from Bobby. Also Dh makes sure that the grill is hot, sprays it with Pam and only turns them once. I never add bread crumbs even to turkey which has more water - just salt, pepper, onion and garlic.