Do you ever get home from a long day of work, and all you really want to do is relax with a beer in the backyard? But when you go to grab your frozen burger from the freezer, it starts to defrost on contact. You can’t wait for that thing to cook – so what are your options? Sure there’s always microwaving or frying an extra patty, but if you’re looking for something simple and delicious, try grilling frozen burgers!
How To Grill Frozen Burgers? Here’s How to Do It
Frozen burgers are a quick and easy way to make sure you have dinner on the table for your family. But if you want to be able to grill them, there are some tricks that will allow these frozen patties come out juicy and flavorful every time.
Grilling frozen burgers is an excellent way to enjoy your favorite burger without the hassle of thawing. Frozen patties are easier to form than raw beef, so you can get creative with your toppings and still have a tasty burger every time.
How to grill frozen burgers? This blog post is going to give you tips on how best prepare frozen burgers before grilling them!
Table of Contents
Is it Safe to Grill Burgers from Frozen?
It is safe to cook frozen burgers on a grill. The time it takes for the burger to be cooked fully varies depending on the type of grill that is used. A propane grill may only take about 15 minutes, while cooking an angus beef burger with an electric indoor grill could take up to 25 minutes.
The best way to ensure the burger is done is by using a meat thermometer or checking if the juices are running clear when the top of the patty is cut into with a knife. Cooking times will also vary depending on maintaining adequate heat and whether or not there are any flare-ups.
It is also important to make sure the burger is done on both sides. If it’s difficult to tell when fully cooked, many people prefer to cut into the center of the burger with a knife to check if it has any pink around the edges. The meat should not be red during this point in cooking.
After the burger is fully cooked, it should be removed at once from the grill. When cooking several burgers on a grill, it’s important to give them adequate space to not stick together and cook properly or there may be food safety issues.
How to grill frozen burgers? If your burgers are frozen when you want to put them on the grill, you can put them directly on the grates without thawing. This will increase your grilling time by about 15 minutes if they are placed on a conventional gas grill with medium heat.
If you choose to use an electric, ceramic or infrared outdoor grill, your time won’t change much unless you have an extremely high powered unit in which case you must thaw first before putting on the grate due to the lack of air flow under the meat. The burgers must remain frozen for this option as well.
If you choose to place the patties right from freezer-to-grill, then your cooking time will shorten by about 5 minutes because of the extra heat being provided from the source directly below, but it is important to be careful not to burn them.
It is acceptable to cook a burger directly from frozen in a skillet or a frying pan. However, take note that there may be some changes in grilling times and methods if you opt to go this route instead of putting on a grill. If you prefer burgers crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, going with a frying pan may be preferable since it’s difficult for meat to achieve such a state on an outdoor grill.
While it is perfectly safe to cook frozen burgers, always remember that the center of the patty will be colder than usual and cooking times may vary depending on equipment used and personal preferences. Using a meat thermometer or checking if the juice is clear with a knife when cutting into the top of your burger ensures proper doneness no matter how you choose to cook them. Always make sure any surplus fat has been trimmed away prior to freezing as this product has already been exposed to some bacteria during processing and can spoil if not handled correctly before putting on the grill, stovetop or oven.
You may like this: Top 15 Best Infrared Grills for 2022
How to Defrost Ground Beef?
Ground beef is a great convenience food. However, if you purchase it from the store in a larger quantity and don’t use it quickly enough, you need to know that there are some tricks on how to defrost ground beef . Learning these tips will also come in handy when you have just bought too much meat for your weekly consumption and need to reduce it by half.
To thaw the ground beef quickly, the best way is to place it under cold running water or submerge the package in a bowl of cold water. You can also put the frozen pack in a microwave oven and nuke it for several minutes until thawed out. If this seems like an inadequate option because of health reasons, then put the pack in a sealed bag and put it in the refrigerator where you can allow it to defrost slowly.
Don’t forget that this last method may take up to 48 hours, so you need to plan ahead for your dinner menu! Once it is fully thawed, remove any packaging or labels before cooking the meat. It is not advisable to cook the meat while still frozen, as this may trap pathogens inside and can lead to food poisoning.
Is It Better To Grill Frozen Or Thawed Burgers?
If you happen to find yourself in a situation where the grill is already heating up and you’ve just realized you forgot to take the burgers out of the freezer, what should you do? Grill them frozen or thaw them first? This question has been debated for years. I recently put it to the test by cooking both frozen and thawed patties side by side.
The experiment (How to grill frozen burgers?)
For this experiment, I left two 5 oz pucks of fresh 85/15 sirloin ground beef out on my butcher block for half an hour until they reached room temperature (approx. 70°F). I then formed each into a ball, lightly pressed them down and placed one in a plastic bag stored in my refrigerator’s crisper drawer. This would be my “thawed” burger. The other puck was placed in the freezer until it was solid, then I removed it and formed it into a ball. I put this one back in the bag then returned it to the crisper drawer until the grill was ready, at which point both patties were removed and let come up to room temperature (approx. 70°F).
Grilling:
Preheat your gas or charcoal grill so that all of the burners are on high heat with the lid down for 10-15 minutes. If you’re using an infrared thermometer or something similar, now’s a good time to check your surface temp – it should read around 600°F if you have a hot grill. I usually turn off one side of my grill when grilling burgers, but for this experiment in order to keep things even, all burners were left on and the lid down for the entire cooking time.
Place each patty directly over high heat and close the lid so they sear and smoke. After 5 minutes, flip them both over and cook until they hit an internal temp of 120°F (use your thermometer!). This should take another 3-5 minutes….depending on how hot your grill is! Remove them from the heat briefly so you can add cheese if desired then place back over high heat to melt it before removing from the grill once more.
Results: You’ll notice that there was a significant difference between raw (left) and cooked (right). The burger on the right is much more evenly browned. As you can see, there were some crispy bits around the edges of the patty due to the Maillard reaction which gives us another reason why searing your meat is so important.
There was no difference in taste or texture between the two patties, even though one had been frozen solid just moments before being placed on the grill….which brings me to my next point – don’t thaw them! It doesn’t take nearly as long as you’d think for a room temperature puck of ground beef at 70°F to heat up to 120°F when cooking over high heat after all, plus it’s risky business defrosting meat by any method. If you happen to have forgotten to take the patties out of the freezer, simply place them directly from their package onto a ripping hot grill and cook until they’re done, although they’ll most likely end up slightly overcooked if your grill is anything like mine which runs hot.
*Note: I do not recommend cooking frozen burgers beyond medium-rare due to food safety concerns!
See more: Top 12 Best Tabletop Grills – Top Brands Review
How Long Does it Take To Grill Frozen Burgers?
Do you ever get a great deal on frozen burger patties at your grocery store? I know that I have. Then, the problem is time. How do you grill hamburgers from a completely frozen state? If you like them medium-rare or rare, they’ll still be pretty cold in the center and very hard to eat. If you cook them until well done with no pink in the middle, they will taste like hockey pucks when they are finally ready to serve.
Temperature is the key to cooking frozen burgers with success and safety:
Know Your Grill: On my gas grill (a Weber Summit ), I preheat it for 15 minutes on High with all burners on. On my Weber kettle grill, I preheat it for 15 minutes on High with the lid on until the temperature gets to about 550 degrees F.
Know Your Food: Preheat your burgers in a pan over Medium heat for about 5 minutes, turning them frequently. For thicker burgers you may need up to 10-15 minutes of preheating time depending upon how hot your stove top burner is.
Keep an Eye On It: When the burger begins changing color around the edges and looks like it might be ready to turn, give it a quick peek by lifting one side with tongs to see if there are any dark brown or black spots yet. If not, allow another minute or two of pre-heating time.
Time It Just Right: When you have a grill that is hot enough to cook the burger quickly and there are dark brown or black spots on the bottom, flip the burgers over using tongs (don’t prick them with a fork). You should hear sizzling noises.
Close Grill Lid Again: Place burgers back on grill, close lid and wait 15 minutes or until burger reaches your desired doneness. If you want the ultimate test for doneness, use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature where it counts—in the thickest part of the patty without touching fat or bone. Do not hold burgers off of heat while waiting to check temperature.
What Temperature Do You Grill Frozen Burgers?
How to grill frozen burgers? Grilling burgers from the frozen state is a great option for those times that you have been at work all day and just can’t wait any longer to eat. They don’t take as long, and they are still delicious. However, there are a few things you need to know before you grill a burger straight from the freezer.
5.1 You will need to increase your cooking time by 50 percent if the burgers are frozen. This means that if it usually takes six minutes per side on medium heat, it will now take about 10 minutes per side on medium-high heat . Be sure to cover your grill fully as well as use a meat thermometer to ensure that they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
5.2 Be careful. The burgers will be thinner and therefore may actually fall through the grill grates. Use a spatula to help get them off of the ground if they do break.
5.3 You can always add cheese to your burger when you flip it over for the final time, just make sure that you let it melt before you serve the burger on a bun with condiments and sides .
5.4 Homemade hamburgers are great but pre-made patties from your supermarket is an easy way out in a hurry and still tastes amazing!
Read more: Top 10 Best Smokeless Indoor Grill
What You Need to Know About Grilling Frozen Burgers?
When it comes to making a great burger, there are as many opinions as there are toppings on a tasty burger. Here’s one fact that everyone can agree with: Using the freshest possible ingredients will create the best tasting burger.
How to grill frozen burgers? Another thing just about all backyard chefs have in common? We need to use what we have at home first before going out and buying new stuff for cooking up a perfect grilled meal.
This is where frozen patties come into play. You see them lining the shelves of your grocer’s freezer from time to time…they’re inexpensive and convenient, but do they make good burgers? In this article, we’ll explore some of the basics of grilling frozen beef patties – how long it takes, and what to look for and expect when you head outside to fire up that grill.
Cooking Frozen Burgers
While it’s possible to grill a frozen beef patty, the results will be better if you allow some time in your schedule ahead of grilling time so the burgers can thaw out. Letting them sit on the countertop for 20-30 minutes should suffice, but there are other alternatives: You can place them in a sealed plastic bag and submerge them in cold water until they’ve defrosted enough to easily separate from each other with your bare hands, or place them in the microwave oven for about 30 seconds per burger. The latter method yields quick results without having to sacrifice any of your kitchen counter space, although it does add to the clean-up later.
Grilling Frozen Burgers
Once you’re ready to fire up your grill, spread a generous amount of high-heat cooking oil (canola works well) on both sides of each patty and place them directly over the hottest part of the coals (or set up the gas grill for the maximum heat and cover). You’ll want to watch carefully; don’t flip burgers too early or you might lose some cheese along with the meat when it sticks to the grate. After about 4 minutes, lift one corner carefully to see if it needs flipping. The juices will begin leaving the burger…don’t let them sit for too long in their liquid state, they’ll become dry and flavorless when overcooked.
Grilling frozen burgers requires a little extra attention from the griller, but it doesn’t take a lot of work to make a great meal. If you follow these tips and tricks for cooking frozen beef patties on the grill, you’ll be making mouthwatering burgers in no time!
Can You Eat Frozen Burgers Medium Rare?
Can you safely eat a burger that was previously frozen and is now thawed?
There’s no problem with this. Burgers can be marinated and frozen to improve their flavor and texture (either before or after cooking); the FDA only regulates the labeling of “fresh” meat, not meat that has been previously frozen. That said, there are some downsides to freezing: it will dry out the meat, making it tougher; and because bacteria multiply rapidly when food is thawed (and then begins to gradually cool down again), this practice isn’t ideal for those who like their burgers cooked rare or medium-rare.
Can you eat a burger that was previously frozen if it’s still cold in the middle? Yes – as long as the burger was thawed properly, there’s no problem. The bacteria that can make you sick grow most quickly between 40°F and 140°F (5°C to 60°C), so if the food is kept at a safe temperature both before and after it’s been thawed, cooking it will kill any bacteria present.
Can you eat a burger that was previously frozen if it starts to look or smell funny? No – throw it away. Never consume food that has changed color or begun to smell bad, even if you cooked it thoroughly. This applies not only to burgers but also to veggies, casseroles, soups, etc. If in doubt, throw it out!
Can you eat a burger that was previously frozen if it’s been cooked rare or medium-rare? Yes – again, as long as the meat has been thawed properly, there are no safety concerns with eating it. Note that cooking beef to only 140°F (60°C) means you’ll lose some of the pink color and juicy texture, but you can still cook burgers to this temperature without foodborne illness being an issue.
>> How to grill frozen burgers – Five Tips To Make Frozen Burgers Better
How to grill frozen burgers – Conclusion
Frozen burgers are great for those who don’t have time to cook, but they can be tricky when it comes to grilling. Here’s how you can make the best possible frozen burger every single time. -Frozen burgers should always be placed on a preheated grill at medium-high heat and cooked until done with no flipping required. This will help seal in juices and prevent sticking. -Let them rest for 10 minutes before serving so that all of the juices settle into the meat instead of running out onto your plate! And now you know everything there is about cooking frozen hamburgers like a pro!
Frozen burgers are a great option for those who want to have burgers without all of the hassle. They can be frozen in bulk and then cooked when needed, so you don’t need to worry about running out or spending hours cooking them if it’s not convenient. How to grill frozen burgers? We hope these tips help make grilling your freezing burger an easy process!
See more:
