Hamburgers (Tavern Style)

By Sam Sifton

Updated Feb. 1, 2022

Hamburgers (Tavern Style)
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(1,458)
Comments
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Here is a hamburger you might find in taverns and bars, plump and juicy, with a thick char that gives way to tender, medium-rare meat. It is best cooked in a heavy, cast-iron skillet slicked with oil or fat. Ask a butcher for coarse-ground chuck steak, with at least a 20 percent fat content, or grind your own. Keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook, and then when you do, form your patties gently. Season after the meat is in the pan.

Featured in: Deconstructing the Perfect Burger

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • ½teaspoon neutral oil, like canola, or a pat of unsalted butter
  • 2pounds ground chuck, at least 20 percent fat
  • Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
  • 4slices cheese (optional)
  • 4soft hamburger buns
  • Lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes and condiments, as desired
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Add oil or butter to a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet and place over medium heat. Gently divide ground beef into 4 small piles of around 8 ounces each, and then lightly form these into thick patties of around 3½ inches in diameter, like flattened meatballs. Season aggressively with salt and pepper.

  2. Step 2

    Increase heat under skillet to high. Put hamburgers into the skillet with plenty of distance between them and allow them to cook, without moving, for approximately 3 minutes. Use a spatula to turn hamburgers over. If using cheese, lay slices on meat.

  3. Step 3

    Continue to cook until meat is cooked through, approximately another 3 to 4 minutes for medium-rare. Remove hamburgers from skillet and allow to rest for approximately 5 minutes; meanwhile, toast the buns. Place hamburgers on buns and top as desired.

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5 out of 5
1,458 user ratings
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Comments

Judi

Don't think "oh, it's just another burger recipe" and ignore this. Sam Sifton saved our burgers. They've gone from wishy washy and uninspiring to juicy and delicious...all because we learned not to touch the meat. You too can achieve burger perfection; just follow Sifton's tips to the letter (and watch the video).

PaulB

Like so many NYT recipes, this is internally inconsistent: the introductory text says, "Season after the meat is in the pan." The recipe itself says in Step 1, "Season aggressively with salt and pepper." then, in Step 2, "Put hamburgers into the skillet."

I admit the basic point - don't squash the meat - is retained, but does no one read the entire copy on these things?

Petaltown

I don't see the need for oil or butter. If you sprinkle salt on your cast-iron pan, fire it up and put in the raw burgers, they immediately render enough fat/juice to start sizzling and form a nice carmelized crust too. I use 85% lean beef.

JJ

Can somebody indulge the food safety voice inside my head, and clarify whether you’re getting the burgers to 160 degrees F internal? After 3 min on one side and 4 on the other per the recipe, our 8 oz patties were not even 100.

Troy M

Time is way too short for a 3 inch burger, you'll need about 6 minutes per side, unless you want a very rare middle. Plus put in a medium heated skillet otherwise you sear too quickly and it takes even longer to cook the middle. If you live in a cold climate, don't make these in the winter as they smoke a lot and you'll need to open windows.

Ed

@Troy M - 3 and 1/2 inches in diameter (width), not height.

James

If anyone has seen Lin Lam on youtube with cold searing a steak(that I thought worked pretty good) in a frying pan I think could maybe help w adjusting the heat level to keep smoke detectors from going off.

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