The Ultimate Homemade Burger Patty (Ratio, Bind, Sear)
The fat ratio, why you shouldn't add egg or breadcrumb, the dimple trick, and how to buy burger patties or the right mince to make your own.
A pub burger patty and a rissole are not the same thing. A rissole has egg, breadcrumb and herbs and holds together softly. A burger patty is just seasoned beef and fat, seared hard. Here's the burger.
The ratio
70/30 or 75/25. That much fat sounds like a lot until you realise most of it renders out in the pan and bastes the patty as it cooks. Leaner than 80/20 and you get a dry, tight burger. Chuck mince is naturally close to the mark; a chuck-and-brisket blend is the steakhouse standard.
The build
- Handle it as little as possible. Overworked mince goes dense and springy. Divide, gently form, stop.
- No egg, no breadcrumb, no onion in the mix. Season the outside only, with salt, just before it hits the pan — salt in the mix dissolves the protein and makes it bouncy.
- Size: 150–180g per patty, pressed wider than your bun (it shrinks and puffs).
- The dimple. Press a thumb-deep well in the centre of each raw patty. It stops the patty doming into a meatball as it cooks.
The cook
- Smash burger: thin ball of mince onto a screaming-hot flat pan, smash flat for 30 seconds, flip once, cheese, done in 2 minutes. Maximum crust.
- Pub patty: 2–2.5cm patty, high heat, 3 minutes a side for medium (65°C), rest 3 minutes.
Don't press the patty while it cooks — you're squeezing out the juice you paid for.
Buying
We make beef burger patties from the same chuck blend — plus lamb, chicken and pork patties and a Wagyu patty. If you'd rather form your own, buy premium beef mince at 80/20 or ask the butcher for a burger blend. For a party, the BBQ meat pack bundles patties, sausages and buns' worth of everything.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best fat ratio for burger patties?
70/30 to 75/25. Most of that fat renders out during the sear and bastes the patty. Anything leaner than 80/20 gives a dry, tight burger. Chuck mince, or a chuck-and-brisket blend, hits it naturally.
Should you put egg and breadcrumb in burger patties?
No — that makes a rissole, not a burger. A burger patty is just mince and fat, formed gently and seasoned on the outside only, right before it cooks. Salt in the mix makes the patty bouncy.
Why put a dimple in a burger patty?
A thumb-deep well in the centre of the raw patty stops it doming into a ball as the proteins contract. The patty cooks flat and sits properly in the bun.
How long do you cook a burger patty?
A 2–2.5cm pub patty: 3 minutes a side over high heat for medium (65°C), then rest 3 minutes. A smashed patty: 30 seconds under the press, flip once, done in about 2 minutes total.