Why do my grilled hamburgers always get so fat?

Question

I make the patties as thin as possible but they always get really fat. How do I get them to stay some what thin?

Answer 1

Homemade burgers tend to bulge in the middle because as the meat is cooked the proteins shorten, and they pull it into a round shape.  The best way to keep your burgers from turning into little balls is to make a dent in the middle of the burger when you form it.  That way it'll still swell up a little, but it'll just wind up being level instead of round.

Answer 2

HINT for flat burger patties: Grilling burgers tends to swell them up in the middle, making them a little awkward on the bun. The outside cooks more quickly and the ligatures in the meat contract, sort of like tightening a belt. You can avoid swollen patties by making a depression in the middle of the patty when you’re forming it, maybe an inch or two across. That gives the meat a place to swell to.

Answer 3

do you flatten them down with a splatla...

Answer 4

I like my burgers pretty thin, too.  Make them as thin as you can and thinner in the middle.  Hope this helps!

Answer 5

I flatten mine with a tortilla press, youse a non teflon pan, a cast iron grill will give you that berger joint tast