The Perfect Burger

One of the most important keys to a delicious, juicy burger is to handle the ground beef as little as possible. Shape your burgers without compacting them too much.

PREP: 10 minutes plus soaking skewers

GRILL: 8 to 10 minutes

MAKES: 4 burgers

4 (12-inch) bamboo skewers

1¼ pounds ground beef chuck

½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 large sweet onion (12 ounces), such as Vidalia or Maui, cut into ½-inch-thick rounds

4 hamburger buns, split

4 green-leaf lettuce leaves

2 ripe medium tomatoes (6 to 8 ounces each), thinly sliced

1. Soak skewers in hot water to cover at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare outdoor grill for covered direct grilling over medium heat, or preheat ridged grill pan over medium heat until very hot.

2. Shape ground beef into four -inch-thick patties. Sprinkle pepper and teaspoon salt on both sides of patties. Thread 1 skewer through center of each onion slice. Sprinkle onion with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.

3. Place burgers and onion on hot grill; cook 8 to 10 minutes for medium or to desired doneness, turning over once. Onion should be browned and tender. About 1 minute before the burgers are done, add buns, cut sides down, to grill. Grill just until toasted. Serve burgers on buns with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

EACH BURGER: About 485 calories, 31g protein, 33g carbohydrate, 25g total fat (9g saturated), 96mg cholesterol, 920mg sodium

7 Secrets for a Great Burger

1.Ground chuck is a favorite for burgers. Its rich flavor is a perfect partner to just about any condiment you pair it with. Its juiciness is due to its fat content. Chuck is 81 to 85 percent lean. Be sure to get 1¼ pounds for 4 burgers, because 5 ounces raw cooks down to 4 ounces.

2. If not using meat right away, refrigerate it in its supermarket wrap for up to 2 days. (And don’t let the meat or its juice touch other foods; the spread of E. coli and other bacteria is a real risk.) For longer storage, repackage it in freezer wrap or foil and freeze; use within 3 months.

3. Handle beef gently when shaping it, so you don’t end up with a dense, dry burger. Start with a mound, flatten it slightly, and smooth around the edges.

4. Make sure the grill is hot before putting the burgers on. A hot grill sears the meat, so it won’t stick.

5. Don’t flatten patties with a spatula while grilling: Pressing squeezes out the flavorful juices and won’t speed up cooking.

6. For safety’s sake, cook thoroughly, until there’s just a trace of pink in the center (medium doneness, 160°F). Burgers don’t have to be well done to be safe to eat, just not rare. It’s risky to eat undercooked burgers because bacteria on the surface of the meat before it’s ground can be transferred to its interior during the grinding process. Cooking times vary, depending on the thickness of the burgers and the heat of the grill, so the only way to be sure they’re done is to make them all the same size, then fork into one of them to check for doneness.

7. Cheese lovers, don’t get more cheese on the grill slats than on the burgers. Once the patties are cooked to medium, blanket the top with Cheddar, Swiss, or another favorite, and cook with the grill lid down for about a minute.