If you're cooking burgers directly on the grill, you're doing it wrong

"Choose good meat from a trusted source. Whether using beef, turkey or lamb, ideally the meat is grass-fed with enough fat to keep it moist and flavorful. Look for a ratio between 80% to 85% lean meat to 20% to 15% fat. If you're cooking with turkey, ground dark meat has more flavor and is moister than white meat. Keep it cold."

"Always, always, always cook the burgers on a heavy cast-iron skillet or griddle. Don't place patties directly on the grill. You can cook them outside if you like, heating the pan on the grill flame. The point is to allow the meat's rendered fat to gather around the patties as they cook. The burgers will retain their juices instead of having them drip into the fire and cause flare-ups."

"To smash or not? The pros say smash. Use a heavy spatula (or an official smashing gizmo) to press down on the meat to create that crust. The burger will be ready to flip in about 3 minutes. That's when to lay on the cheese, if using, before finishing cooking the burger through. If you are using cheese, be sure it melts and covers the meat."

Select high-quality, preferably grass-fed meat with a fat ratio of about 15–20% to ensure moisture and flavor; ground dark turkey is preferable to white. Keep meat cold until cooking so fat remains solid. Handle meat lightly when shaping loose patties, then season sparingly with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to form a crust. Cook burgers on a heavy cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-hot heat with a pat of butter so rendered fat pools around patties and juices are retained. Smash with a heavy spatula for a crust, flip after roughly three minutes, and add cheese to melt.

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