Grilling is almost always associated with fresh food. But here, we have the most effective way to grill frozen hamburger patties for you to indulge with your friends during barbecues.
Frozen does not mean that the meat is not fresh. It was shaped to patties when the meat was still fresh and the frozen part simply means that they preserved the meat for later consumption.
We still suggest that you cook burger patties straight away after they have been made. But we also understand that not all of us have the time to prepare and cook on the same day.
So frozen hamburger patties are popular options for us people who do not have much time. It is still healthy and safe to eat as long as you have frozen it properly and you cook it the right way.
Keeping the meat frozen is also beneficial because it creates an environment that is too cold for bacteria to proliferate and so you kill some of them in the process of freezing.
Once you thaw the burger patties, there are some bacteria that will reappear once it reaches a suitable temperature. So cooking it properly is essential to keep the burgers safe for consumption.
If you were wondering how exactly you do this process, stick around as we will show you the exact steps to cook frozen hamburger patties so you can eat them safely.
It is not a very tedious process but you still need to make sure that the process is followed so that the burgers come out with the same delicious flavor and juiciness that you want.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Frozen Hamburger Patties
While some might see frozen burger patties as not-so-healthy options, there are actual benefits that you can get when you choose frozen hamburger patties over fresh ones, here are some:
Ease Of Cooking
Since most of us are busy with our daily lives, you can just opt for frozen hamburger patties so it takes less time for you to prepare and you can spend your time on other things.
You can just go to the supermarket and buy a bunch of hamburger patties if you are about to throw a party. The quality of the burgers would still be the same as long as you cook them properly.
Less Crumbled Meat
One of the only few problems with fresh patties is that they break down easily when cooked. This is because they do not have the right consistency to hold their own shape.
Frozen hamburger patties, when cooked directly without thawing, will give you more control when flipping them over as the tight shape will be kept even if you move them.
Since the muscles and fats are intact, they will not easily fall apart. So frozen hamburger patties are great for beginners since it is less messy and it is also easy to cook.
Is It Better To Grill Frozen Or Thawed Burgers?
In our personal opinion, it is better to thaw the burgers first before placing them in the grill. This will even out the temperature of the hamburger patties and they will cook evenly.
It is great thawing the burger patties first because it can result in a juicier finish. The fats will be properly marbled and the meat will sear perfectly while keeping the insides cooked.
Although, frozen patties can also be good if you really need to cook right away. There is nothing wrong with cooking frozen patties directly without thawing if you put the right time and heat.
What Temperature Do You Put Your Grill On For Frozen Burger Patties?
While slow cooking is good for frozen patties, it is still advised that you put the grill on high heat to make sure that the frozen patties cook all the way through.
The recommended preheating time for the grill is usually 10 minutes to reach 325 degrees Fahrenheit. This will be hot enough for the frozen hamburger patties to cook properly.
Make sure that you put a flame stopper under the grill grates. This way, even if the grill is hot, the outer surface of the patties will not be burned and the insides left raw.
Convection heat is the key to cooking frozen burger patties. When you create heat coming from all sides of the grill, you get to cook the frozen patties more evenly.
How Long Do You Grill Frozen Burgers?
Usually, fresh burgers are cooked for just 10 minutes. You can grill frozen burger patties at that same timeframe as long as you have properly thawed the frozen hamburger patties.
But if you put the frozen patties straight into the grill without thawing them, you will need to double the time that it takes for the burgers to cook all the way through the center.
It will really depend on the doneness that you want. But for frozen patties, you can go for more or less 20 minutes for the frozen patties to reach the recommended internal temperature.
How Do You Know If The Frozen Burgers Are Cooked Without A Thermometer?
Cooking the frozen hamburger patties for 20 minutes on the grill will let them reach the recommended internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can measure this by using a meat probe and inserting it in the center of the burger. However, if you do not have a meat probe, you can still test the doneness of the burger.
Get a fork and then insert it in the middle of the burgers. When the juice it produces is a little pinkish, then that means that the meat is already at medium-rare doneness.
If there is a clear juice, almost looking like grease, then the burgers are well-done. Just remember to only start testing the doneness of the burgers after ~20 minutes.
Preparation
Usually, when you buy burger patties from supermarkets, they will be sold on top of each other which is a bit hard to separate without breaking the shape of the patties.
So if you choose to buy one from the supermarket, make sure to look for the patties that have paper separators in between so you can separate the patties much easier.
If not, you can use a flat spatula and push it in between the patties. This will help keep the shape of the patties and then lay them on a flat surface for seasoning.
Seasoning frozen patties do not require too much. Just a pinch of salt and pepper will do for each frozen burger patties so do not overdo the seasoning.
It is important to season the patties before putting them in the grill so that as the fats and the meat slowly melt, the seasoning will go with the juices and seep into the patties.
Grilling The Frozen Hamburger Patties
After you have preheated the grill to the desired temperature, place the frozen patties on the grates and then close the lid to create heat coming from all sides of the grill.
After 3 minutes, check on the patties and turn them over if you need to. You can also go for 5 minutes if you want the patties to cook even more.
Just remember to flip them over every 3 to 5 minutes. You can also move the patties around the grill to make sure that they get the same temperature and to avoid cold spots in the grill.
After 15 to 20 minutes, check the temperature of the burger patties and if they have reached the recommended temperature, get them out of the grill and let them sit for 5 minutes.
Letting the patties rest for a few minutes will help keep the juices inside the burger. So before serving, make sure that they have enough time to rest.
Form there, assemble your burger, and then serve!
Conclusion
If you are a busy person and you do not have the time to prepare your hamburger patties, you can go for frozen patties and cook them perfectly like fresh ones.
Thawing the patties is also important but if you put the frozen patties straight into the grill, there are no problems with that as well as long as you cook them longer than regular patties.
20 minutes will be enough for the patties to cook. It will give them a nice sear at the end and the juices are still kept inside the patties so you do not have to worry about that.
Seasoning the patties while still frozen is also important so that the seasoning can seep into the insides of the meat while the fats marble and the meat is being cooked.
Just make sure to cook the patties at the right temperature and let them reach the recommended internal temperature before serving them with the buns and vegetables.
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