Discover the best way to grill frozen burger patties to perfection! This guide reveals how to grill them from frozen, ensuring juicy and delicious results every time. Learn how long to cook frozen burgers for that ideal sear on the outside while maintaining a succulent inside.
Perfect for Game Day, these grilled burgers will be a hit with your guests. Elevate your grill game with these simple yet effective techniques for frozen burgers.
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Why Grill Frozen Burger Patties
Keeping a few frozen burgers in your freezer is a great way to ensure you’ll always have something easy and tasty to whip up for a quick dinner or an impromptu cookout. And if you think you need to wait until your patties are fully thawed to enjoy, think again.
It’s not only more convenient but just as tasty and far faster to cook your burgers from frozen. In fact, many of your favorite restaurants may be doing exactly that to produce those delicious, consistent burgers with perfect grill marks and juicy interiors. Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know.
Choosing the Right Patty
When dealing with a simple item like a hamburger, choosing quality ingredients is more important than ever. Frozen burger patties are, unfortunately, not consistent across brands, so check the ingredients before buying.
Many include fillers, binders, preservatives, and other natural or artificial flavorings. Some of these may be unavoidable, but generally speaking, try to grab the patties with the highest meat content.
Tools You'll Need
Burgers are pretty straightforward, but they still require the right equipment.
A Grill: Both a charcoal grill and a gas grill work fine, though each offers distinctive advantages. Charcoal provides an infusion of smoky flavor, while gas is preferred by those who want to get their grill session started instantly.
Grill Spatula: Any spatula can do in a pinch, but a dedicated grill spatula works best. They typically have a longer handle to protect your hands from the heat and a broad, sturdy blade that can easily lift and flip burgers.
Meat Thermometer: According to the FDA, ground beef should be cooked to an internal temp of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The only way to ensure you’ve reached that threshold without overcooking your burger is with a meat thermometer, which uses a probe to test the center of the patty.
Spray Bottle: Fill it with water and spray it on any flare-ups that happen as the patties are grilling.
Tips for the Novice Griller
Grilling might seem a bit intimidating to newbies, but it’s easy to do well with a few simple pointers.
Despite what you may have seen others do, don’t press down on the burger with the spatula. This does next to nothing to help with cooking but presses out the juices, resulting in a dry burger.
Another critical step for juicy burgers is letting them rest for a few minutes after they come off the grill. Allowing them to come down in temperature lets the juices redistribute throughout the patty so they don’t run out when you take your first bite.
Ingredients
To make burgers for four, you'll need the following:
- Four frozen hamburger patties
- Four hamburger buns
- Burger seasoning
- Condiments: Ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc.
- Toppings: Tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, white onion slices, barbecue sauce, etc.
Ingredient Notes
The condiments and toppings can be tweaked and customized to your and your guests’ preferences.
You can use store-bought or homemade burger seasoning. Or simply season them with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on some garlic powder, onion powder, or paprika for additional flavor.
You can substitute beef patties with chicken burgers, turkey burgers, or veggie burgers.
Whatever flavors you’re craving, chances are you can integrate them into a burger, whether it’s a savory bacon cheddar cheeseburger, a refined alternative with mushroom and Swiss, or an oddball alternative like a peanut butter banana burger.
Recipe
It hardly gets easier than this when it comes to whipping up a delicious meal:
- Heat the grill to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (medium-high heat).
- Brush the grates with a bit of vegetable or olive oil to keep the burgers from sticking.
- Evenly distribute the frozen patties around your grill grate.
- Cook them until each develops excellent grill marks, about three to four minutes.
- Flip the patties and repeat. They’ll be medium-rare in another three to four minutes, with higher doneness levels needing just a few minutes more. Add cheese now if you’re using it.
Burgers should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F.
Buns & Toppings:
As the burgers finish cooking, place your separated hamburger buns, cut side down, on the grill to toast lightly. This takes one to two minutes, which you can use to gather any other toppings before assembling your completed burger.
How to Serve
Once the burgers are cooked, remove them from the grill to rest briefly before chowing down. Put the grilled patties in the toasted buns along with your favorite burger toppings.
How to Store Leftovers
Place the grilled patties in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can freeze them for longer storage. Wrap each patty in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and then place the wrapped patties in a freezer-safe container or plastic freezer bag. Freeze them for up to 4 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight.
More Game Day Recipes
Grilled Frozen Burgers
Ingredients
- 4 frozen hamburger patties
- burger seasoning please season the burger patties when you cook them
- 4 slices cheese optional
- 4 hamburger buns
Toppings
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Tomatoes
- Pickles
- White onion slices
Instructions
- Heat the grill to 350°F. Once the grill is hot, brush the grates with a bit of oil to prevent the burgers from sticking.
- Place the frozen burger patties on the grill. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on one side or until they have excellent grill marks. Flip the burgers and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes for medium-rare, or longer, depending on your desired doneness. If you want cheeseburgers, place a slice of cheese on each patty after flipping them, allowing the cheese to melt while the burgers finish cooking.
- During the last 1 to 2 minutes of cooking, place the hamburger buns on the grill, cut side down, to toast lightly.
- Remove the patties and buns from the grill. Let the burgers rest for a few minutes before assembling with the toppings suggested above.
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