How To Get The Absolute Best Flavor When Making Lamb Burgers

Are your homemade lamb burgers dry and flavorless? Now's the time to do your culinary homework on the best way to prep and cook ground lamb patties. And lucky for you, we got the inside scoop from Wissam Baki, the executive chef at Lebanese restaurant AMAL, on how to maximize the savory deliciousness of your next batch.

"To achieve the best flavor and texture in lamb burgers," Baki explains, "use high-fat ground lamb, incorporate minced garlic and fresh herbs [like] rosemary." Using a cut of ground lamb with a high fat content guarantees that your burgers will be packed full of savory flavor and have a succulent mouthfeel — as the flecks of fat meet the heat of a grill or skillet they'll melt into the lamb, creating a juicy patty with an inviting aroma. As a general rule, aim for a minimum of 20% fat to elicit a mouthwatering texture and flavorsome center. Incorporating minced garlic into your patty will lend it some bite, while a dash of rosemary will provide an inviting herby aroma. Garlic and rosemary are classic flavor pairings with lamb because they complement it's almost gamey, pastoral taste. This is particularly evident in Greek cuisine where dishes like slow roasted lamb studded with fresh rosemary and garlic and barbecued souvlaki are world-renowned classics. However, you can also switch things up and use mint or oregano (both dried and fresh varieties will work).

Now that the burgers are prepared, we need to know how to prepare them. "Cook the patties over medium-high heat to ensure a juicy interior and a flavorful, caramelized exterior," Wissam Baki recommends. The best way to do this is to ensure your grill has come up to temperature before cooking your burgers; it's this initial sear on their surface that will imbue them with that characteristic flame-grilled flavor. The proteins and sugars on the surface of the lamb will react in the heat to produce a scrumptious taste and golden color. Known as the Maillard reaction, this process is vital to developing an appetizing flavor on the patties. However, be mindful to stick to a medium-high heat to ensure they don't burn on the outside before they're cooked through in the middle. On the other hand, a skillet or grill that isn't hot enough will result in floppy burgers without that delectably caramelized crust.

A final tip? Be super-gentle when forming lamb burgers with your hands because the meat is more tender than beef. Over-mixing the ground lamb with your herbs and garlic will result in dense, chewy patties. This is why it's best to combine your burger blend by hand instead of using a processor.