How Ice Cubes Could Help You Cook A Juicier Burger
Summer is approaching and that means it's barbecue season: A time when dads everywhere come out from their deep post-Super Bowl hibernation armed with lawn mowers that are always running too loud and too early, tongs that are ever flipping, grills that are apparently never working quite right, and joke aprons that exasperate wives to no end. It means burgers and hot dogs galore, so perhaps it's time to call your dad up and introduce him to the unlikely pairing of ice cubes and burger patties.
As I'm sure anyone will tell you, there's nothing quite as disappointing as a dry burger patty. Burger patties are meant to be juicy and succulent. And to ensure that they are, "Master Chef" judge Graham Elliot suggests utilizing ice cubes in your patties (via Fox News). All you have to do is fold a small cube of ice into the center of the patty, and as it cooks, the moisture permeates the patty. Simple and sweet.
Ice cubes may present a challenge when it comes to your burger's temperature
It sounds simple enough and, according to the Gourmet Grill Master, this technique does indeed result in some mouthwatering burgers. That said, it can get a bit tricky to master. Depending on how you like your burgers, this may not be your method of choice. Cooking burgers medium rare or rare may be a bit more difficult as there's literally an ice cube in your burger patty influencing the temperature. Obviously the patty needs to get hot enough to melt the ice cube so if you like your burgers a little on the rarer side, keep in mind that with this method, there's a fine line between a rare burger and an actual ice cube.
One way around this is embedding butter into your burger to keep it delicious and prevent it from drying up, per Epicurious. You can circumvent having to use ice, while still ensuring that the burger remains juicy. Rather than just one hunk of butter in the center of your patty like with the ice cube technique, try and incorporate the butter throughout the meat so that the little pockets of butter work their way around and meld with the meat from different points.