How To Make The Most Indulgent Burgers, According To A Butcher

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Whether a crispy, savory smashburger, a good old cheeseburger loaded with melted cheddar, or a delicious Juicy Lucy bursting with molten cheese, there's nothing a good burger can't fix. Throw in some lettuce, crispy bacon, tomatoes, and onions, and you've got a combo that's hard to beat. But while toppings do improve a burger's flavor, it's the patty that carries it. If you're after a truly indulgent burger, you should aim for a 80/20 ratio of lean meat to fat. Still, as it turns out, there's an even better upgrade to try: Enhancing your meat mixture with Wagyu fat trimmings can bring extra richness and flavor depth to your burger. 

According to Brad Baych, professional chef, butcher, and author of "Primal Cuts: A Butcher's Guide to Selecting, Preparing, and Perfecting Beef," while grinding premium Wagyu cuts into burgers isn't the best move, the fat trimmings, which are mostly overlooked and often discarded, are where the real flavor lies. "An indulgent burger can be made simply by increasing the fat content of your overall burger," he told Chowhound in an exclusive chat. "You could even add wagyu fat trimmings to your grind mix."

There's a reason the world's most expensive burger is made of Wagyu. This Japanese type of beef is incredibly tender, buttery, and prized for its intense marbling (those white flecks of intramuscular fat in the meat). It melts at around 77 degrees Fahrenheit (unlike regular beef fat which melts at 122 degrees Fahrenheit), and results in a juicier, more flavorful patty.

Brad Baych, who also runs the Butcher Wizard platform and YouTube channel, revealed that when it comes to Wagyu fat trimmings, the amount you decide to use in your homemade patties is entirely up to your personal preference. "You could add as much or as little of the fat you wanted to," he noted. You can stick to about 75% lean to 25% fat, the beef-fat ratio Andrew Zimmern uses for the best burgers, or even take the fat content up to 30% without worrying about it making the patty overly heavy and greasy.

When asked about the biggest mistakes home cooks make with Wagyu burger patties, Baych stressed that failing to keep them cold is one of the most common. "If the fat renders before you get it on the griddle, you will end up with a greasy mess," he said. That's why it's crucial to store them in the coldest part of the fridge, ideally at the back of the bottom shelf. Mixing the meat too much could also make your burgers chewy. Finally, to ensure the juiciest texture, make sure to always cook your Wagyu burger in a pan instead of over an open flame. "The higher fat content will render quickly and cause all kinds of flare ups over an actual flame," Baych revealed. "A griddle or a cast-iron pan also ensures that burger cooks in its own fat, further seasoning the burger."