Today we have the man, the legend that is DJ BBQ sharing his top 5 tips on how to BBQ the perfect burger! Whether you’re new to barbecuing or a seasoned pro, these tips are from the best in the biz and sure to help you achieve the ultimate BBQ burger this summer.

This summer Thermapen teamed up with DJ BBQ himself to bring you top BBQ tips and recipes as part of our #BBQBrave campaign. If you’ve not already checked it out then be sure to follow the below link to DJ BBQ’s ultimate cheeseburger recipe and video tutorial.

Temperatures

Cook for 1-2 minutes, then flip, and repeat the process until they reach an internal temperature of 58° C (medium). Of course we recommend a Thermapen for this job!

Top tips

• Don’t add anything to your beef mince but fat. You can also add suet or bone marrow for extra flavour and juiciness. There is no need to add break crumbs, egg, or seasoning. The ground beef and fat is perfect on it’s own and will bind with a gentle pat and coaxing of the hands when forming the patty. Season the outside only with salt and pepper.
• Don’t press super hard when making the beef patty. You need to form the patty but with a little gentleness…..but enough force to create the patty. I like little pockets of air and cracks in the side of the patty. This way, the fat can render and cascade through the meat. Fat is flavour and I like creating fjords of flavour.
• Make sure you know where your beef mince comes from if you want to have it pink in the middle. I would always cook supermarket meat to medium well to well done. I trust my local butcher’s beef mince and will cook the occasional burger medium rare to medium when using carefully sourced beef mince.

• Use your Thermapen to check the internal temperature of the beef burger. Probe the beef patty at the fattest part. Go a bit further then the middle, check the temp and gently pull out till you find the lowest temp. I usually give the patty a couple different probes to make sure all the temps are the same.
• People often ask me how to get their cheese melted onto the patty. Use a cloche or bowl! Place the cheese slice on the beef patty then cover with the cloche. The cloche creates a mini environment with a much hotter temperature that will bounce heat onto the top of the cheese, helping it melt faster.
• Toast your buns! If you have a juicy burger going into your buns, then you’ll need to create a toasty barrier to protect the bread from falling apart from all the juicy goodness.
• Make sure the vegetables are well seasoned and combined with the garlic and sage. Cook for 45 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

Here is a shot from our filming day when, in typical British fashion, it started raining mid BBQ. It’s OK though because we are #BBQBrave and the Thermapen is waterproof!

You might also like: The Classic Cheeseburger from DJ BBQ Recipe