Keep Burgers Warm And Juicy With One Simple Kitchen Staple

To most, the perfect burger is anything but dry. It's bursting with juices, perfectly cooked, and likely made with ground beef that has a little extra fat. But a dry patty can ruin the whole burger, no matter how well it's seasoned or how much fat is in the meat, which is why you want to do everything possible to retain the natural juices from the meat. 

There are a few methods for doing this, some of which revolve around the cooking process and others that revolve around the resting and post-cooking process. If you've cooked your burgers ahead of time and won't be serving them right away, there is one secret trick to making sure they don't dry up: wrap them in parchment paper.

This kitchen paper is used for anything from baking cookies to wrapping food, but it also happens to be the easiest way to ensure your burgers stay extra hot and super juicy by the time your guests dig in.

If you're cooking for a crowd, it makes sense that you'd want to prepare the burgers ahead of time so you're not sweating over the stove or grill while your guests arrive. In that case, prepping them in advance is the right move, but don't forget the parchment paper. 

There's no need to wrap the individual patties for assembly later; you can make the entire burger, then wrap it up. Just take a sheet of parchment paper large enough to house the burger, and wrap it like it's a holiday gift. Then, when you're ready to serve, you can even just serve the burgers right in the paper. The material, which is made from plants, makes a great handheld option for guests because the grease won't spill through it. The paper will also keep most of the heat from escaping, keeping the burgers nice and hot as well. The juices won't have a chance to leak out because the paper isn't porous, and the parchment paper essentially keeps steam from escaping, which prevents hot meat from drying out.

Parchment paper might be the best method for after the burgers are already cooked, but you want to be careful about how you cook them, too, to make sure those patties stay as juicy as possible. First and foremost, use the right meat. A meat that's higher in fat content will have more juice than a leaner cut, so opt for a ground beef package that says 80/20 or 85/15 — as that second number is the fat ratio. Any fat ratio too low, such as 90/10, isn't ideal.

Unless you're making a smash burger, which requires pressing down on the burger immediately as it's placed on the grill, don't press the patties at all. Pressing releases the juices, and once those juices fall between the grill grates or seep out into the pan, they're gone forever.

Finally, don't overcook the burgers. While beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent illness, take it off the grill at 155 degrees Fahrenheit. During the burger's resting time, it will continue cooking, raising the temperature to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and ensuring it's not overdone. Plus, letting the meat rest will also help those juices redistribute, making sure every bite is equally delicious. Do all of these things before building the burger and wrapping it up in parchment paper, and your guests will savor every moist bite.