Recipe By America's Test Kitchen
Published on July 6, 2026
A great burger is so much more than the sum of its parts.
Time
45 minYield
Serves 4Why This Recipe Works
We like the flavor and fat content of sirloin tips for our Ultimate Skillet Burger recipe. Cutting the meat into chunks and partially freezing the meat makes it easier to pulse to a coarse grind in the food processor. Gently working melted butter into the ground meat ensures a juicy burger and encourages browning. Loosely mixing with a fork will help distribute the butter more evenly, and keep the meat grind loose. Gently forming the patties helps prevent overworking the meat, which can toughen the burgers. Salting the meat just before searing prevents moisture from being extracted from the meat. Searing in a superhot skillet and then finishing in a low-heat oven yields a crispy, well-browned crust and a juicy center. Letting the burgers rest for 5 minutes allows the juices to redistribute evenly throughout the patties.
*For a great sauce for these burgers, try our Pub-Style Burger Sauce.
Ingredients
Instructions
Cook along with these step-by-step instructions
- Place steak on baking sheet in single layer. Freeze steak until very firm and starting to harden around edges but still pliable, about 35 minutes.Recipe TipSirloin steak tips are also sold as flap meat. You will need to freeze the meat for 35 minutes before processing it.
- Place one-quarter of steak in food processor and pulse until finely ground into 1/16-inch pieces, about 35 pulses, stopping to redistribute around bowl as necessary to ensure meat is evenly ground. Transfer meat to second baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 3 batches of steak. Spread meat over sheet and inspect carefully, discarding any long strands of gristle or large chunks of hard meat or fat.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Drizzle butter over ground meat and add 1 teaspoon pepper. Gently toss with fork to combine. Divide meat into 4 lightly packed balls. Gently flatten into patties 3/4 inch thick and about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. (Patties can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 day.)Recipe TipBe gentle when shaping the patties, taking care not to overwork the meat so the burgers won’t become dense.
- Season 1 side of patties liberally with salt and pepper. Using spatula, flip patties and season other side. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Using spatula, transfer burgers to skillet and cook without moving them for 2 minutes. Using spatula, flip burgers and cook for 2 minutes longer. Transfer patties to rimmed baking sheet. Bake until burgers register 125 degrees for medium-rare or 130 degrees for medium, 3 to 6 minutes.Recipe TipIf food safety is your primary concern, you may want to cook your burger to a higher internal temperature.
- Transfer burgers to plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to buns and serve.Recipe TipServe with your favorite toppings. We recommend our Pub-Style Burger Sauce recipe.
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