This Secret Ingredient Will Keep Your Burgers Juicy and Tender on the Grill

Grilling in the summer can be a high-pressure situation. With the sun beating down, kids running around, and everyone eager to eat, all eyes are on you as you tend to the flames. Burgers might seem like a simple solution for a BBQ, but cooking them to perfection can be surprisingly tricky—especially when you're cooking for a crowd. Hot spots, flare-ups, and the thin margin between a juicy burger and a dry one make grilling a challenging task. But when you manage to nail it, the reward is a perfectly cooked burger that makes all the stress worthwhile. True joy comes from the satisfaction of serving up a platter of perfectly medium-cooked burgers.

Want to experience that burger perfection yourself? What if I told you there’s an easy way to guarantee juicy, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned burgers every time, using a simple ingredient you likely already have in your kitchen?

We all know the saying: butter makes everything better, and that’s especially true for burgers.

Why Adding Butter Makes Your Burgers Taste Even Better on the Grill

I discovered this method during the pandemic when grocery shopping became a challenge. We decided to stock up on ground beef through a delivery service, which was both affordable and grass-fed, but it turned out to be very lean. My first attempt at keeping the burgers juicy was pressing a pat of butter into the center before cooking, but it only worked halfway. The middle stayed flavorful, but I needed a way to infuse the whole burger with that richness. On the next burger night, I tried grating frozen butter into the meat, and it worked wonders. I usually use salted butter because it adds extra seasoning throughout, but unsalted butter works just as well.

Think of the butter as a fail-safe: while cooking your burgers to the right temperature is key, the butter will keep them moist even if you slightly overcook them. So, grab a stick of butter and a thermometer—grilling season is here!