Fire up the grill, we're making hamburgers! The time it will take you to grill hamburgers depends on a variety of factors, including burger thickness, how you want your burger cooked, and whether your burgers are fresh or frozen. But, knowing different grilling times, and how to check for doneness easily, will ensure your burgers are grilled to perfection every time. You can order your burger master apron ASAP.
Burger Grill Time Chart for Fresh Hamburgers
Knowing how long to grill a hamburger doesn't need to give your heartburn. The time it takes to grill the perfect hamburger depends on burger thickness and desired doneness. The thicker the burger, the more time you'll need.
When checking your burger's temperature, stick an instant-read meat thermometer into the center - which should be the thickest part of the burger. Take a peek at the burger grill time chart below for perfect hamburger grilling times and the ultimate guide to hamburger temperatures:
| Rare (120-125°F) | Medium Rare (130-135°F) | Medium (140-145°F) | Medium Well (150-155°F) | Well Done (160-165°F) | |
| ½-inch thick | 4 minutes | 5 minutes | 6 minutes | 7 minutes | 8 minutes |
| ¾-inch thick | 6 minutes | 7 minutes | 8 minutes | 9 minutes | 10 minutes |
| 1-inch thick | 8 minutes | 9 minutes | 10 minutes | 11 minutes | 12 minutes |
Grilling Time for Frozen Hamburgers
Fresh hamburgers cook much quicker than frozen patties. If you prefer to grill frozen burgers or you don't have the time to thaw out burgers ahead of time (sometimes the mood for a burger strikes!), you can still grill them, but be sure to add additional time.
Cook frozen burger patties on a medium setting instead of high to avoid drying out the hamburger.
How much more time does a frozen hamburger need? It could very well be double the amount of time compared with fresh hamburger meat. For example, when grilling a ½-inch frozen hamburger patty, it may take 12 minutes to cook to medium doneness - but check for doneness at about 10 minutes. When grilling a 1-inch frozen hamburger patty, it may take 20 minutes, but check for doneness a few minutes early to avoid overcooking your meat.
Grilling Burgers With and Without a Cover
If you're grilling hamburgers indoors without a cover on your grill, your grilling times will double. The same rule applies to grilling times outdoors when you don't have a cover.
The best way to cook your hamburger uniformly and quickly, without losing any of the juices, is with a closed lid. However, grilling is a personal approach. Some recommend an approach that utilizes both open-and-closed lids at various points in the grilling and cooking process. On the other hand, some advocate using a closed lid with gas grills and keeping the lid open when cooking hamburgers with charcoal.
Which Heat Setting to Use When Grilling Hamburgers
When grilling hamburgers using the chart above, opt to use high heat. If you choose medium-high or medium heat, you'll want to plan to cook your burgers for longer periods to reach desired results. Slow and steady wins the race!
Always take your burgers' temperatures when they're a minute or two away from being done to make sure you don't overcook them.
How Often to Flip Burgers
You should only need to flip your burgers once when grilling. You can flip more often if you'd like, but this isn't necessary when grilling burgers to perfection. Flip the burgers about halfway through your desired cooking time.
Don't press the burger patties! It may make the grill hotter and the hamburgers will cook faster, but you're going to lose a lot of the juice. The best side with hamburgers is patience.
How to Check for Doneness
To make sure grilled burgers are safe to eat, check the meat's internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Beef should be cooked to a minimum temperature of 160°F to reduce your risk for food-borne illness, suggests the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). When cooking burgers to a desired doneness of medium well or well done, juices from the meat should run clear (not red). You can also visually check burger patties for desired doneness by cutting them in half and looking at the center of the burger.
Additional Tips for Hamburger Grilling Success
Of course, the temperature of the grill won't matter if you don't have the right meat, preheat the grill, or practice food safety.
Choose the Right Meat
For a richer, juicier-tasting burger, try patties containing 80/20 or 85/15 lean to fat ratios. Visually inspect the meat for freshness, and be sure it's sell-by date hasn't expired.
Preheat the Grill
For best results, preheat your grill with the cover on for at least five to eight minutes before placing hamburger patties on the grill to be cooked.
Practice Food Safety
To prevent food-borne illness, avoid cross-contamination both with other foods and surfaces with the raw ground beef and before it's fully cooked. And don't let raw meat sit at room temperature. One more! Do not refreeze thawed meat.
Safe Burger Temperatures
Technically, you shouldn't consume a burger that's cooked less than 160°F. That means a burger is safest to eat when cooked well-done; otherwise, there's a possibility of not all bacteria being cooked off.
The Best Burgers
Making a great burger on the grill shouldn't be hard. Use the temperature chart to help you make the best burgers around. Screen shot it, print it, or memorize it. Your friends are going to want to know your secret.
