Juicy and Flavorful Marinated Burgers

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Juicy and flavorful Marinated Burgers are full of flavor and our most requested grilled summer recipe.

Delicious grilled Marinated Burgers that taste like steak!

Everybody loves a great burger, especially one that’s juicy all the way through. Cooking burgers the right way helps, but you can also take it a step further and marinate the burgers to enhance the beefy flavor.

For myself, I love a good steak and might pick that over a burger most days. However, I’m happily married to a burger loving man so grilled hamburgers are a must on Father’s Day, 4th of July or any day that ends with the letter “y”!

But ever since I developed this recipe years ago, I’ve grown to love burgers and always devour these marinated burgers when grilled at home.

Don’t let grilling season go by without trying this wonderful marinade.

Ingredients for our marinated hamburger recipe:

For the marinade:

• brown sugar
• vegetable oil – canola or olive oil work well too
• balsamic vinegar
• low sodium soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• ground mustard
• grated fresh ginger
• garlic cloves or garlic powder will do in a pinch
• seasoned salt – we use low-sodium Montreal Steak Seasoning
• black ground pepper
• red pepper flakes

For the burgers:

• ground chuck – 20/80% fat ratio – lamb or pork also work well in this marinade
• buns – split, buttered and toasted

For serving:

• cheese – we like a good melting cheese such as Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack or Provolone
• cooked, crisp bacon
• lettuce
• tomato
• onion
• pickles
• condiments: ketchup, mustard and/or mayonnaise

How to make a great hamburger:

First divide the ground beef into 6 equal portions, about 6-ounces each. Form patties and make a slightly deep indention in the middle of the burgers using your thumb.

Place the hamburger patties in a large casserole dish or baking pan.

Combine all the marinade ingredients and pour over the burgers. Turn the patties to ensure the marinade is covering the bottom of the pan. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 turning the patties a few times.

Preheat your grill and oil the grates. Grill the hamburgers until cooked through, about 7-9 minutes per side.

Serve and enjoy!

Tips for making the best marinated grilled hamburgers:

1. Use beef with a little more fat such as 80/20 ground blend. Leaner ground beef/sirloin can dry out easily when grilled.
2. Don’t overwork the meat! Form burgers firmly, but not too tight.
3. Make a deep indention in the middle of the patty with your thumb. This simple trick ensures the middle of the burger will cook evenly as they puff up and shrink.
4. Allow the hamburgers to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
5. Clean and oil the grill grate to prevent sticking.
6. Cook over a pre-heated hot grill.
7. Do not over-sear the meat over hot flames. Charred burgers are tasty, but often dry out. Once seared quickly on both sides, move the burgers to a higher grill rack or turn the flames down to medium or medium-low.
8. Don’t smash the burgers while cooking. This pushes all that juicy fatty goodness out of the patty and may make your burgers dry.
9. Allow the burgers to rest for about 10 minutes before serving so the juices have time to settle down.

These Marinated Burgers are good enough to eat without condiment camouflage.

This marinade is not overpowering but enhances the flavor of the meat. These burgers are perfectly delicious served plain or topped with cheese. In fact, you can skip the bun all together! The flavor is the ultimate combination of steak and burger.

We use a mild provolone or Monterey Jack cheese on these burgers but any will work well. I like a little mayonnaise, ketchup, tomato, onions and crisp lettuce on my burgers. Add a few fries or chips and pickles on the side and we’re good to go!

Oh, and don’t forget to butter and toast your bun; it makes all the difference!

This marinade can also be used for steak skewers. And finally, try our easy steak marinade when you’re in the mood for a little knife and fork action.

Great sides to serve with Marinated Burgers:

French fries are the classic side to serve with burgers. But if you’re in the mood for something a little less predictable, try a few of our favorite summer sides.

• Mexican Street Corn
• Southern Macaroni Salad
• Creamy Potato Salad
• Super No-Mayo Coleslaw

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Marinated Burgers

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Yield: 6

Course: Grilled, Main Course

Author: Tricia

Pin RecipePrint RecipeRate Recipe

5 from 24 votes

A juicy and flavorful burger that tastes like a great steak!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar packed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (canola or olive oil work well too)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt like Montreal Steak
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 cloves garlic peeled and sliced

For the burgers:

• 2 ¼ pounds ground beef 80% to 20% fat ratio (you can also use lamb, pork or any combination)
• 6 hamburger buns buttered and toasted

Optional Toppings:

• bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, mayonnaise, ketchup, etc.

Instructions

• Divide the ground beef into 6 equal portions, 6-ounces each. Form into 5-inch wide patties with a deep indention in the middle. Place in a large shallow, glass baking pan.
• Mix all marinade ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over the burger patties. Turn the burgers then cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at 1 to 4 hours (or longer if desired) turning at least once.
• When ready to cook, remove the burgers from the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
• Clean the grill grates with a wire brush. Oil the grates with paper towels soaked with vegetable oil.
• Heat a gas grill to 325-350°F. If you don't have a thermometer, heat on high until hot, then reduce the heat to medium before adding the burgers. Using tongs, carefully oil the grilling surface again thoroughly.
• Grill the burgers until cooked through, about 7-9 minutes on each side.
• Allow the hamburgers to rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

• Don't overwork the ground beef. Form burgers firmly but not too tight.
• Make a deep indention in the middle of each patty. This insures the middle will cook evenly as the burgers puff up.
• Don't sear the burgers over hot flames. Cook more evenly over the hot portion of your grill.
• Don't smash the burgers while cooking. This pushes all the juicy goodness out and can make the meat dry.
• Allow the burgers to rest a few minutes before serving so the juices have time to settle.

Nutritional information is estimated and may vary depending on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 581kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 370mg | Potassium: 542mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 53IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 5mg

Originally published June 2016 – updated June 2021