Can you cook frozen burgers at a BBQ?
As the weather gets warmer and the nights become longer, it marks the perfect time for a BBQ, grilling your favorite meats into a beloved summertime activity.
In the UK, reaching for frozen meat becomes a convenient solution when hunger strikes unexpectedly.
While fresh burgers are often touted as the best for flavor and texture, a patty straight from the freezer shouldn’t be overlooked.
This piece serves as your ultimate guide, drawn from personal experience and backed by butchers’ advice, on how to cook frozen burgers on a BBQ.
Embracing the frozen patty can make your hot summer’s day BBQ not just a possibility but a delightful reality.
Important Factors to Consider While Grilling Frozen Burgers:
1. Choosing burgers for your BBQ
When hosting your annual garden BBQ, the centerpiece of this friend and family summer event often boils down to selecting the right burger.
Whether it’s a classic burger like the traditional beef burger, something with a twist like lamb and mint, or for the more adventurous, a chorizo blend, choosing the perfect frozen hamburger patties is crucial to a successful BBQ.
2. Quality of your frozen burger
The foundation of a delicious burger lies in the quality of the patty. Opt for patties made from higher welfare animal produce with high meat content to ensure a juicy experience once defrosted.
When you purchase burgers online and they arrive frozen, it’s crucial to keep the product in the best possible condition during transit.
Even if they’re defrosted by the time they reach you, if they start off as great quality, you’re on the right track.
3. Size and thickness of your frozen burger
The size and thickness of frozen burgers can greatly vary, impacting how you cook the patties on your BBQ grill.
Sizes can cater to different taste preferences, with thicker patties often preferred for medium-rare to medium cooking, as they retain more juices for a juicy, pink center.
Conversely, thinner patties tend to cook faster, whether they’re frozen or defrosted, and are more suitable for those who enjoy their burgers well done.
How to Grill Frozen Burgers?
The form of ground meat, fish, or vegetables into a patty and cooking it on a hot grill or skillet seems straightforward, yet achieving the perfect charred outside without being raw within, or avoiding a texture like rubber, requires skill.
Here are some tips for shaping, seasoning, and cooking your burgers to ensure they are the highlight of your best grilling nights all summer long: Pay close attention to the quality of your meat, aiming for a balance of fat and lean for juiciness and flavor.
Be gentle when forming your patties to avoid overworking the meat, which can lead to a tougher burger. Season generously with salt and pepper, and consider adding your blend of spices or herbs for a unique twist.
When grilling, ensure your grill is hot to achieve a good sear and resist the urge to press down on the burgers, as this squeezes out precious juices.
Flip only once, cooking to your desired doneness, and let the burgers rest briefly before serving on toasted buns for the perfect finish.
Make sure you have enough fat in your burger blend
For a standard ground beef burger, or if you’re getting fancy with chicken, turkey, fish, or vegetables, the single best thing to up your burger game is to ensure there’s enough fat in your burger mix.
When exposed to high-heat cooking, fat will melt, imbuing the burger with moisture and flavor. Without it, you risk ending up with dry, rubbery, and bland burgers.
A basic ratio to aim for is 20% fat; this serves to keep your burger from becoming too dry, even if it’s covered in gooey cheese or slathered in mayo.
The exterior fat can save the texture of your burger. If there’s too little fat, particularly when using ground beef, aim to buy an 80/20 blend from the store.
For other proteins, consider adding grated butter, shortening, ground bacon, or another source of solid fat into your blend to make up the difference.
Press a dimple into the center of the patties
Pressing a dimple into the center of your patties ensures that when your perfectly formed patty hits the grill, it doesn’t end up looking like a meatball.
It’s simple: as burgers cook, the heat causes the meat to shrink, but the exterior shrinks faster than the inside, causing steam from the juices to make the center swell, which can result in a domed, puffy burger.
This isn’t ideal when you’re looking for a flat surface to pile on those toppings. To avoid this shaping issue, make the center of your burger slightly less thick than the exterior dimensions.
Press down in the center of the patty to create a crater about 1/3 deeper than the rest of the burger.
This tip does not apply to burgers designed to be cooked straight from frozen, as they are often already docked or shaped to address this issue, nor to smash burgers for obvious reasons.
Season your burgers before you cook them
Seasoning your burgers before you cook them is crucial. The stuff that goes on top is important, but you have one shot at getting the seasoning right on the patty itself.
For both store-bought and home-formed patties, it’s essential to season them well on both sides with salt and pepper before cooking.
If you’re forming your patties, integrating the season into the blend as you mix and shape them is ideal. This allows the seasoning to work its way through the patty, enhancing flavor from the inside out.
For the best results, season your patties at least 30 minutes to up to two hours before cooking. Skipping this step can lead to Unseasoned burgers that taste bland, undermining the quality of your BBQ.
Let your burgers chill before cooking
Burgers cooked on high-heat, direct-heat methods leave little room for error to achieve that great, crusty sear on the outside while maintaining control over the cooking temperature for a rare to medium-rare finish.
Chilling your patties before cooking helps you control the exterior getting well-browned and crisp without the interior going too far. It also helps the burgers hold their shape better on the grill.
Allow 30 minutes in the refrigerator to chill the patties, but a few hours or an overnight rest is ideal for them to brown well yet retain a juicy, pink center.
For patties less than 3/4-inch thick, consider freezing them for 30 minutes before cooking to enhance their texture and ease of cooking.
Grill them to just the right temperature
Use a meat thermometer for the most accurate grilling results: For a Medium-rare burger with a warm, red center, aim for about 6 minutes of cooking time, reaching an internal temperature of 130°F to 135°F.
A Medium burger, with a warm, pink center, should be cooked for 7 to 8 minutes, reaching 140°F to 145°F. For Medium-well, with a hot, slightly pink center, 9 minutes should achieve 150°F to 155°F.
For a Well done burger, brown all the way through, aim for 10 minutes, reaching 160°F to 165°F.
Let your burgers rest after grilling
Letting your burgers rest after grilling is a crucial step. A few minutes of resting time not only allows the juices to redistribute throughout the burger but also lets carryover cooking finish the burger to the perfect temperature.
Once off the grill, place the burgers on their buns, then give them five minutes to rest while you top them with cheese, prepare your condiments, and get drinks ready.
These few minutes serve as the final touch for crafting a perfect burger.
Conclusion:
Grilling frozen burgers is not only feasible but also a convenient option for quick and easy meals, particularly when time or resources are limited.
While cooking frozen patties takes longer than their thawed counterparts—approximately double the time—the result can still be satisfyingly juicy and flavorful.
For optimal results, it’s recommended to cook them at a consistently high heat, turning them at regular intervals to ensure even cooking and achieving a safe internal temperature.
Although not necessary, allowing burgers to chill or even partially freeze before grilling can enhance their texture and help retain juices, contributing to a better grilling experience.
FAQ’s about Grill Frozen Burgers
How long to grill frozen burgers?
To grill frozen burgers, first, grab the patties from your freezer and remove any paper separators.
Next, season the burgers lightly with salt and pepper. Fire up your grill to high heat.
Place the seasoned, frozen patties directly on the grill and plan to flip them every 3 to 5 minutes to ensure even cooking. Continue this flipping routine, cooking the patties for approximately 20 minutes in total.
This duration ensures that the burgers are thoroughly cooked through, achieving a safe internal temperature and a desirable outer char.
How to grill frozen burgers on a gas grill?
The method for grilling frozen burgers on a gas grill mirrors the general approach for grilling frozen burgers.
Start by taking your patties out of the freezer, removing any separating paper, and lightly seasoning them with salt and pepper.
Ensure your gas grill is preheated to a high temperature before placing the seasoned, frozen patties on the grill. Maintain a consistent flipping schedule, turning the burgers every 3 to 5 minutes to promote uniform cooking.
The burgers should be ready after about 20 minutes but always check for doneness before serving.
how long to grill frozen burgers at 400?
To grill frozen patties at 400°F, place the frozen patties on the grill and plan to cook them for about 15 minutes, flipping them every 5 minutes.
Ensure the burgers are cooked through to an internal temperature of 160°F. If the burgers are not seasoned, it’s best to season them with salt and pepper once they start to thaw on the grill.
Do burgers need to be thawed before grilling?
The short answer is NO, you do not need to thaw frozen burger patties before grilling. You can grill frozen beef patties directly from the freezer.
However, if you’re able to take the time to thaw the burger patties first, it can help the seasoning adhere better and help the burgers cook more evenly.
Can you cook frozen burgers without defrosting?
Yes, it’s safe to grill frozen burgers without thawing them ahead of time. Cooking frozen burgers will take about twice as long as cooking thawed or fresh patties.
Is it better to freeze burgers before grilling?
Letting burgers chill before cooking can enhance their quality. Giving them at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator to chill or a few hours to overnight rest is ideal for achieving a well-browned exterior and a juicy, pink center.
For burgers less than 3/4-inch thick, consider freezing them for 30 minutes before cooking for optimal results.
