What’s The Best Meat for Burgers? Beef and Its Alternatives

Tasty and succulent: a perfect burger should evoke a pleasant sensation when tasted: if the opposite happens, something has gone wrong. Often, we only worry about the cooking technique, fearing it will dry out, become stringy, or, conversely, bite into it raw. In reality, the first mistake we make is giving little importance to the choice of raw materials used to make the patty, as the classic flattened meat inserted between two slices of bread is called. The best meat for burgers is beef, but there's no reason why you shouldn't opt ​​for chicken, turkey, pork, or lamb, always paying attention to one detail: the right cut to grind, as not all parts of the animal have the same characteristics. It goes without saying that the meat must be fresh (once minced, it should be consumed within 24 hours) and purchased with awareness: focus on quality over quantity, even if it will cost more.

Beef: The Most Loved by Enthusiasts

When it comes to meat, the most commonly used meat for burgers is beef. This is a castrated male animal, aged between 2 and 4 years. The meat is flavorful and tender, with a good balance between lean and fat: for a successful burger, it is essential to choose cuts with between 15% and 20% fat, otherwise it risks becoming dry.

The most popular cuts are the brisket, the fillet, and the sirloin, which have a good distribution of fatty tissue within the muscles: this ensures flavor and tenderness. The first two are second-rate cuts that come from the front of the animal, while the second is more noble and is found in the dorsal area. The ideal portion per person is 150-180 grams. And how about cooking? Between rare and well done, neither wins, but the third option: medium, with a core temperature of 140-150°F/60°C-65°C. A particularly prized burger for its texture, flavor, and juiciness is the heifer burger, which comes from a young female, 15 to 22 months old, who has never given birth.

Alternatives With Chicken, Turkey, Pork and Lamb

When it comes to preparing patties, options aren't limited to beef. Chicken and turkey also lend themselves to lighter, more delicate burgers: thighs and, especially, boneless drumsticks are the most suitable cuts, as they have an excellent balance of meat and fat, which prevents them from drying out during cooking. Breast alone, being very lean, is used less frequently, but can be used in a mix with the other cuts. Pork is flavorful and delicious, generally fatty: the preferred cuts are the shoulder (which is also used in pulled pork), the leg, and the belly, the latter of which is combined to create more succulent combinations.

Pork sausage, on the other hand, rich, aromatic, and lightly spiced, can be paired with small amounts of beef to make it even more appealing. Finally, there's lamb, with its distinctive flavor: opt for the shoulder, taken from the foreleg: it's firm, tender, and noticeably marbled. As for final consumption, chicken, turkey, and pork should not be raw to avoid contamination by viruses and bacteria, while lamb maintains its appeal when medium-well done.