Easy George Foreman Grill Beef Burger Recipe

Hamburgers are about the easiest and delightfully tasty proteins to prepare on your George Foreman Grill. The excess fat from the beef renders and drips away into the tray to make this a healthy meal option.

When shopping for ground beef, choose a good quality beef that is a blend of approximately an 80/20 ratio of protein to fat. You can use ground chuck, ground sirloin, ground short ribs, or a mix of different cuts of beef. You can ask your butcher to grind any cuts you would like.

Preparing the burgers for a Foreman contact grill is the same as you would do for an outdoor grill or a sauté pan. Place the ground beef in a large bowl and add the seasonings you prefer. Use a fork to gently incorporate the seasonings. You don’t want to compress the beef too much. Light and airy is the goal so they aren’t too dense. Form into patties by rolling between the palms of your hands and lightly compressing to approximately 4 to 5 inches in diameter and 1/2” to 3/4” thick for best results.

Condiments, Toppings, Bread, and Sides

Hamburgers all by themselves are just fine. However, condiments and layers of fresh toppings can really elevate a good beef burger. I like to make use of my Foreman grill to prepare some of the toppings, such as grilled sweet onion slices. Prepare your toppings, condiments, and sides ahead of time because the burgers only take a few minutes to cook.

Not everyone likes their burger the same way. A good plan is to lay out a large platter with a variety of toppings for everyone to choose from. Try some of these:

• Thin slices of cheese, such as American or provolone
• Sliced ripe red tomatoes
• Grilled onion slices
• Lettuce leaves
• Sweet or sour pickle chips
• Grilled red bell pepper slices
• Avocado slices
• Grilled bacon

For the condiments, have small serving bowls or ramekins ready with small spoons. Condiment options are seemingly endless. Here are a few ideas:

• Tomato ketchup
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Pickle relish
• Ranch dressing
• Salsa
• Guacamole
• Chutney
• Horseradish sauce
• Hot pepper sauce

When it comes to what bread to use for your burgers, there are also many options. My personal favorite is a sturdy Kaiser roll. But, a good old fashioned soft hamburger bun is also great. If you are feeling more adventurous, try fork split English muffins that have been lightly grilled on the inside face. Brioche and potato rolls are also quite good.

You need only some basic sides to go with hamburgers. No need to outshine the main event. Potato chips, fries, coleslaw, potato salad, and 3 bean salad are all good choices. A couple of recipes are included at the end of this post.

The Recipes

The two recipes developed here are for easy beef burgers that won’t take much time at all to prepare and grill. The first recipe has the beef seasoned with Worcestershire sauce and Liquid Smoke for that charcoal grill flavor.

The second recipe is super simple with just a few ingredients, one being a soft cheese that will melt inside the burger. You can experiment with different types of cheeses to stuff inside your patties. Camembert or Brie will completely melt into the burger. Blue cheese tends to remain more intact so that you get a good piece of it with every bite. Cheddar does not melt as easily, but the texture and flavor are invitingly pronounced.

Every contact grill is a little different. Mine gets quite hot on the bottom plate, so I have to keep a close eye on my burgers because I really enjoy them medium rare. Burgers take only 2-1/2 to 3 minutes for medium rare. If you like them more on the well done side, grill for up to 5 minutes.

Easy Smoky Hamburgers

Ingredients:

• 1lb lean ground beef
• 1 TBS fresh minced parsley
• 1tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1tsp liquid smoke
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 4 Kaiser rolls

Total time:15 min – Prep time:10 min – Cook time:5 min – Serves:4 people
Author: Melyssa

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the beef, parsley, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Set the bowl aside while you preheat your grill.

2. Preheat the grill for approximately 5 minutes to high heat.

3. Divide the beef mixture into 4 equally sized balls. Roll the balls between your palms and press flat into 1/2” to 3/4″ thick circular patties.

4. Remember to place the drip tray at the bottom of the grill. You can lightly butter your rolls and grill them, if desired, and set them aside. Grill the burgers for 3 to 5 minutes with the top closed.

5. Serve the hamburgers on Kaiser rolls with toppings and sides.

Easy Cheese Stuffed Hamburgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 4 ounces Camembert cheese, rind removed if desired, or a cheese of your choice
• 4 soft hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls

Total time: 15 min – Prep time: 10 min – Cook time: 5 min – Serves: 4 people

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the beef, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Set the bowl aside while you preheat your grill.

2. Preheat the grill for approximately 5 minutes to high heat.

3. Divide the beef mixture into 8 equally sized balls. Roll the balls between your palms and press flat into 1/4” thick circular patties. Divide the cheese into 4 equal pieces. Each ounce of soft cheese can be flattened with your hands. Hard cheese can be sliced into 2 or 3 pieces to fill the inside of your burgers. Place the cheese on four of the patties. Add another patty on top of the cheese and press the edges of both meat patties together to encase and seal the cheese.

4. Remember to place the drip tray at the bottom of the grill. You can lightly butter your rolls and grill them, if desired, and set them aside. Grill the burgers for 3 to 5 minutes with the top closed.

5. Serve the hamburgers on rolls with toppings and sides

Side Dishes

Simple Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of waxy white potatoes, washed with skin on
• 2 tsps sea salt
• 3/4 cup good mayonnaise
• 3 TBS plain yogurt
• 2 TBS grainy brown mustard
• 2 TBS chopped fresh dill or tarragon (optional)
• 1 large celery stalk, diced
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Total time: 45 min – Prep time: 30 min – Cook time: 15min – Serves: 4 people

Directions:

1. Place the potatoes and 2 teaspoons of salt in a large pot. Cover the potatoes completely with cold water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for approximately 15 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Don’t let them get mushy to where the skins are falling off. Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow them to sit until cool enough to handle.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, herbs. Add salt and pepper a 1/4 tsp at a time until the seasoning tastes correct.

3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite size pieces, approximately 1 to 1-1/2 inch chunks. Place the potatoes, celery, and onion into the bowl with the dressing. Toss to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled.

4. Serve alongside your hamburgers.

Three Bean Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, preferably unfiltered
• 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 3 TBS honey
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 15-oz can cannellini beans
• 1 15-oz can kidney beans
• 1 15-oz can garbanzo beans
• 1/2 sweet onion, peeled and finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 3 TBS minced flat leaf parsley
• 1 TBS minced basil leaves

Total time: 10 min – Prep time: 10 min – Serves: 4 people

Directions:

1. Drain and rinse the beans in a colander. Set these aside to allow the water to drain off.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, EVOO, honey, salt, and pepper. Adjust the seasoning if it needs more salt.

3. In a large bowl, combine the onion, celery, parsley, and basil. Add in the drained beans and mix with your hands to combine well. Pour the dressing over the beans and toss with two spoons to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator to chill for up to 8 hours to allow the beans to absorb the dressing.

4. Serve alongside your hamburgers.