From picking the right meat to building it like a boss and feeding a crowd without losing your cool, this is burger bootcamp.
Pitmaster and podcast host Christie Vanover is breaking down the rookie mistakes and secret upgrades to bring your burgers to legendary status.
Table of Contents
“This is for anyone who’s ever served dry patties, forgotten the cheese or panicked trying to feed a group,” Vanover said. “I’m sharing the basics and beyond, so anyone can become the burger king or queen of their neighborhood.”
Vanover recently won a $5,000 burger competition at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas with a Thai-inspired pork burger. But this episode focuses on mastering classic beef burgers and the little steps that make a big difference.
Choosing the Right Beef
According to Vanover, the foundation of a great burger starts with selecting the right ground beef. She recommends looking for an 80/20 blend, which means the meat is 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat.
“That ratio gives you the perfect balance of juiciness and flavor,” she explained. “Fat is flavor, and if you go too lean, your burgers will dry out fast.”
While Vanover often grinds her own meat from competition brisket trimmings, she also suggests checking with local butchers about custom blends. For convenience, she recommends store-bought blends from Schweid & Sons.
Portioning and Prepping Patties
Before lighting the grill, Vanover advises portioning the meat and keeping it cold.
“For smash burgers, I go with 2 to 3-ounce patties, and for grilled burgers, I like a 4 to 5-ounce patty,” she said. “I weigh them out on a kitchen scale, stack them between wax paper squares, and keep them refrigerated so the fat stays cold. That way, it melts slowly into the patty when it hits the grill instead of dripping out.”
She discourages mixing ingredients like onions or mushrooms into the meat, calling it “more meatloaf than burger.” Instead, she focuses on seasoning the exterior just before cooking with her award-winning Brisket Rub.
Cooking Techniques
Vanover breaks down three primary burger methods: smash burgers, grilled burgers and smoked burgers.
Smash burgers are her personal favorite. She forms small meatballs and smashes them onto a hot flat top, cooking at around 450 to 500F degrees. She adds seasoning right after smashing, then flips, adds cheese and stacks them into double-deckers.
For grilled burgers, Vanover recommends shaping patties slightly larger than the buns to account for shrinkage. She uses a 4-inch circle cookie cutter, then presses a thumbprint into the center to help them stay flat and grills them over direct heat.
While the USDA recommends cooking ground beef to 160F degrees, she prefers pulling them at 140 to 150F degrees for a medium finish.
Smoked burgers get a two-part treatment. First, she cooks them indirectly at 225F degrees until the internal temperature reaches about 110-115F degrees. Then she sears them over high heat to create a flavorful crust, similar to the reverse sear method used for steaks.
Buns, Cheese and Toppings
Vanover prefers brioche buns for grilled or smoked burgers and potato rolls for smash burgers. As for cheese, she sticks with American.
“To me, American cheese isn’t just about flavor. It’s about texture,” she said. “It melts beautifully and complements the beef without overpowering it.”
Toppings vary based on the burger style. For smash burgers, Vanover keeps it simple with mustard, onions, pickles and cheese. For grilled burgers, she layers on ketchup, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions, and sometimes a special sauce.
She also recommends toasting the buns and experimenting with textures.
“Iceberg lettuce adds crunch, and potato chips on a burger are seriously underrated,” she added. “Try it once and thank me later.”
Pro Tip for Feeding a Crowd
When grilling for a large group, Vanover’s top advice is to pre-portion the patties and choose a higher fat blend like 80/20 or 70/30 to prevent them from drying out.
Her biggest secret? Use a pan of warm beef broth.
“As you finish grilling the burgers, transfer them into a foil pan filled with beef broth and keep it covered on the grill over indirect heat,” she explained. “When it’s time to serve, either build the burger straight from the broth or reheat the patty on the grill with cheese. It keeps everything juicy and flavorful.”
She also encourages setting up a burger bar with a variety of buns, sauces, toppings and sides. Adding ingredients like seasoned arugula, heirloom tomatoes or bacon jam can elevate a backyard burger bash into something special.
“You can keep it casual or go high-end. The key is to plan ahead and let everyone build their own perfect burger,” Vanover said.
With the tips from this episode of BBQ Tips, Vanover has officially graduated her listeners from Burger Bootcamp. To revisit these tips before your next cookout, she recommends downloading the episode and keeping it handy.
