Basic Hamburger

Preparation

Gently mix the beef with the salt and pepper. Divide the meat into 4 equal portions and then form the hamburgers, be careful not to over-handle the meat. One good way to do this is to throw the meat back and forth between your hands like a baseball, packing the meat each time you catch it. Flatten the balls into patties, making an indentation in the center of each patty.

Preheat the grill until hot (when you hold your hand 1 to 2" above the grill grates, you want to pull it away after 2 or 3 seconds). Place the grill plate in one side of the BBQ Grill Pan, and place the griddle plate in the other side. Preheat the pan for 2 to 3 minutes. When the pan is ready, place burgers on the grill plate, season with salt and pepper, and cook to desired degree of doneness (see below), flipping once.

Cooking times for burgers:
Rare: 3 minutes per side
Medium: 5 minutes per side
Well: 6 minutes per side

Lightly brush the hamburger buns with a little oil or butter and toast on the griddle plate. You can also use the griddle plate to cook toppings for the burgers, such as sliced mushrooms, onions, or bacon. Place the cooked burger patties on the toasted hamburger buns and serve the burgers with your choice of toppings, such as ketchup, mustard, relish, mayonnaise, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, mushrooms, etc.